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Mike Johnson: One of the positives to have those brakes on is that that saves your body to allow you to have big moments like coming off the cage with Adam Cole, and the Performance Center brawl, which you just mentioned a couple of minutes ago. Could you walk us through a little bit of that Performance Center brawl because as we learned after it took place, that wasn't a typical WWE pre-tape segment. Everything happened live in the moment. Like what sort of parameters were you given? Was there any, "Don't touch this. Make sure you don't break this” edicts? What was that experience like being really the first wrestlers to utilize the Performance Center as a fully visualized and conceptualized environment almost like a WWE video game backstage brawl scene? Because I think that's a scene that people are going to talk about for a long, long time. What was it like in the moment and then in the aftermath?
Tommaso Ciampa: Yeah, man. The goal is... It's like anything, having a match or anything. You just want, when you have those moments and you have the ability to have those moments and create, you want them to be moments, you want them to be remembered. And I know that was the mindset going in by us and everybody behind the scenes. I don't know that there was too much direction given as far as, "Don't do." Luckily we've built some equity over the last five years with building trust in that we’re not complete morons or that we're not going to go into business for ourselves So it was... I know that just common sense tells you, "Hey, you're in the room where you do medical, there's probably expensive equipment. Maybe try not to break it." That's common sense. But as far as some of the other stuff, I know straight out of the gate, I feel like I drive him into a wall that breaks. That's one of those things, like you said, it's live. So it happened and if I get yelled at or in trouble, I guess it'll be later because there ain't no one going to come out and yell at me right now. It's the beauty of the improv part of this. I just love that stuff and I just, I don't know. I'm trying to think. It's hard for me to think back to having a big no-no or a big... I know we didn't get in trouble after and there were definitely some minds helping. A lot of times with the last five years, especially the last three to four, Shawn Michaels is such a big part of the production backstage stuff with NXT and he has such a good grasp on just storytelling. And Michael Hayes is that way too. And so there's definitely some input put in from others as far as ideas and brainstorming and making sure that it had the crescendos that it needed and the payoffs that it needed. It's really important to put the different beats into a brawl like that, those 15 minutes. But yeah, as far as I just remember, it was a very positive day, night aftermath atmosphere between ourselves, the production team, and there's so many guys behind the scenes in WWE who just never get the credit that they probably should get, especially during these times. But even with that brawl as far as just making things safe for the performers. So kudos to them for helping out in that. But it that was... That was definitely one of those things I'm happy it happened live. I'm happy it was one take. I'm not really big on the practice reps. I like to just go do it. That's what I liked so much when Johnny and I had the match in New Orleans. It was legitimately my first match back after the surgeries and 10 months off, and I was just adamant about that, I did not want practice reps on my card. I just want to go out there and I want it to be as real as it can be and I want to just feel the moment. And that's kind of how we treated the brawl, and it worked out. Plus it helps that Johnny and I have very good chemistry.
Mike Johnson: Well, we're going to see that chemistry on NXT this week. It's going to be the what's announced as the final confrontation between the two. Obviously there's a lot of unfinished business for you in the ring. Goldie is still being held by Adam Cole, but when this match is done and the final bell has rung, what do you envision the future of Tommaso Ciampa being within NXT or WWE at large?
Tommaso Ciampa: Yeah, I do. I think it's, it's needed, this final chapter between the two of us. It's needed for both of us, our own personal legacies and careers and et cetera, because it's important that the next chapter for both of us is something that is different and fresh and unique, and what that is for either of us, I don't know. I know there's always rumors and speculation of is it NXT, is it outside the NXT? And I kind of like right now that there's a lot more questions than there are answers. It's a nice thing as a performer and a business that has, oftentimes things are spoiled. And I like that right now we're kind of in the driver's seat, and I know that I have more to accomplish. And that's something that I've started to realize after being back from the neck and feeling healthy, is that a lot of those things that I wanted to accomplish that I started to write off, I don't know that I had to write off. I think I can actually pursue a lot more stuff and my body's going to allow it. So, that's kind of where I'm at. I'm just making sure that whatever the next year to two to three years are, I make the most of them. And I want that legacy, man, bad. Like I just... It's pointless to try to be the best of all... Greatest of all time just because it's an opinion business. But I just want to be in the conversation, and I think Johnny does too. I know Johnny does too. So I think it's important for both of us to continue to write our own legacies, go our separate ways and just continue to create magic and create stories that are compelling. And if we can both do that separately, if somewhere down the line our paths cross again, they do, but I don't see that happening for the next year or two.
Mike Johnson: Well, whether they do or not, I think you guys are already in the conversation, and I want to thank you for sitting down and talking to us here at PWInsider, and I look forward to when we get a chance to do that down the line again. And I think I speak for everybody who cares about NXT when I say we're all looking forward to seeing what the final chapter is going to look like. So, I thank you for the time, sir, and I wish you and your family nothing but the best in these scary times.
Tommaso Ciampa: Thank you man. We put a lot of passion into this thing. I hope people see that on Wednesday night. I hope they see the passion because goddammit, no crowd or crowd, that one's filled with passion, so I hope it comes off on the camera.
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