10 Things We Learned From Tommaso Ciampa On Edge & Christian’s Podcast

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Amazing HBK 'Skull Sessions' Story

Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

Speak of the devil.

Sitting under Shawn Michaels' learning tree has been invaluable to Tommaso Ciampa. On the pod, he told a cool story about HBK's 'Skull Sessions' in the Performance Center. Everyone gathers around to watch tape on a match the legend has picked out for a reason. On this occasion, he barely said a thing, instead letting his students do the talking.

Michaels ran the footage, paused it, looked at his group and then hit the rewind button over and over. Finally, he encouraged everyone to pay close attention to the fans, then asked if the wrestlers involved should've sped up their work or slowed down. This exercise is designed to illustrate how workers can manipulate large crowds or let the match be manipulated by them.

Ciampa realised instantly that Michaels knew was he was talking about here. Shawn was one of the greatest workers ever, and he knew when to kick the pace up a little and when to give fans a breather. To Tommaso, WWE couldn't have picked a more qualified teacher.

What else did you learn from Tommaso Ciampa on E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.