The former NXT Champion is eyeing up a move to Japan.
On January 21, Tommaso Ciampa announced that he will be leaving WWE when his contract expires in the near future. The 40-year-old has recently filed to trademark ‘Psycho King’ and ‘Psycho Killer’, and there is now an update on his post WWE plans.
While Ciampa has indicated on social media that he plans to return to the independent scene following his WWE exit, Dave Meltzer revealed in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there is also discussion about him potentially working with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“There is talk of him trying to get into New Japan.”
-Dave Meltzer
Ciampa made two appearances for NJPW in 2014 before returning to WWE, both of which came as part of the promotion’s partnership with Ring of Honor.
After spending more than a decade with WWE during his second spell with the company, Ciampa departs as a former two time NXT Champion, and also as a holder of both the NXT and WWE Tag Team Titles alongside Johnny Gargano as part of DIY.
After an extremely strong start to 2026, New Japan Pro Wrestling appears to be on the brink of several departures, with former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion EVIL rumoured to be heading to WWE. You can read more about that here.
David Finlay and Gabe Kidd are also reported to be attracting interest from WWE, while the futures of Hiromu Takahashi and SANADA remain uncertain.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Tommaso Ciampa’s WWE departure and future plans as soon as we hear more.
