Yet Another WWE Star Gets Their Full Name Restored On Raw
Third wrestler in recent weeks regains part of their old ring name.
First it was Matt Riddle. Then it was Austin Theory. Now, Tommaso Ciampa is back.
The former NXT Champion was called up to the main roster after WrestleMania 38 and apparently lost his first name in transit, as he quickly began going by just Ciampa after showing up on Raw in April.
The name-shortening was another in a long list of wrestlers who inexplicably had their identities modified due to an edict from then-chairman Vince McMahon, as WWE didn't want superstars having direct connections to the names they used on the independent scene. Hence the axing of wrestlers' first names or outright new names (such as Gunther, Butch and Ludwig Kaiser).
Ciampa, however, had been briefly up on the main roster in early 2019 and also appeared in the build to WrestleMania 38 and NXT Stand and Deliver in March under his full name. But that didn't stop the WWE machine from lopping "Tommaso" off his chyron.
On Monday, however, the lower third quietly indicated that Ciampa's first name had been restored, and WWE.com confirmed the change.
Now, if WWE wants to continue this positive movement with names, can we get Doudrop to revert to Piper Niven? Please?