Tommaso Ciampa’s latest attempt to create chaos before an AEW show did not go exactly as planned.
While in St. Louis, Missouri, for this week’s “Fright Night Dynamite” and “Collision” tapings, Ciampa posted a video documenting an effort to bring back a familiar joke from his WWE days. With St. Louis being the hometown of Randy Orton, Ciampa set out to hit his former co-worker with an RKO out of nowhere. The plan, as it turned out, had one major problem: the man Ciampa found backstage was not Orton.
Instead, Ciampa nearly attempted the move on Kyle Fletcher, the AEW TNT Champion who defeated Ciampa for that title earlier this year. Fletcher was understandably confused after Ciampa lunged toward him, while Ciampa missed the attempted RKO and crashed back-first onto a trainer’s table.
The video captured Ciampa’s realization that he had picked the wrong target. Fletcher asked what he was doing, and the “Psycho Killer” sheepishly explained that he believed Fletcher was “someone else.” The explanation did little to clear up the scene for Fletcher, who eventually moved on as Ciampa remained on the trainer’s table, groaning after the failed ambush.
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An Old Bit Returns in Orton’s Hometown
Ciampa has never been shy about mixing intensity with offbeat humor. His long history with Johnny Gargano included plenty of antics away from the ring, including their “Glorious Bombing” material over the years. More recently, Ciampa made a memorable impression at WrestleDream when he went after Andrade El Idolo’s pants during their rivalry.
The St. Louis video was built around another recurring Ciampa idea: trying to turn Randy Orton’s signature RKO against him. The location gave Ciampa the opening to revisit the bit, with Orton’s connection to the city making the setup seem straightforward. Ciampa declared that he was finally going to get Orton with his own move, then the footage jumped ahead to the unsuccessful backstage encounter.
What should have been a playful nod to a former WWE colleague instead became an awkward meeting with one of AEW’s top champions. Fletcher, who has had no shortage of high-profile confrontations in AEW, appeared to have no idea why Ciampa was suddenly trying to drop him with a move most closely associated with Orton.
Ciampa’s error is particularly notable because he and Fletcher have significant recent history. Fletcher beat Ciampa for the TNT Championship earlier in the year, a result that remains an important part of Ciampa’s AEW story. Whether Ciampa’s attempted RKO was truly just a case of mistaken identity or whether some lingering frustration slipped into the moment is open to interpretation. The video itself presented it as a mistake, and Ciampa did not escalate the situation once he recognized Fletcher.
Ciampa Has Plenty on His Plate in AEW
The botched prank came amid a busy week for Ciampa on AEW programming. His WrestleDream loss to Andrade did not end his interest in facing the luchador again. Ciampa called for a rematch and used the opportunity to make an emphatic statement about his place within the company, declaring himself the best signing in AEW history.
That claim immediately drew a response from Ilja Dragunov, a recent AEW signing and someone with a past rivalry against Ciampa. Dragunov came to the ring and challenged Ciampa to a fight, bringing their prior history to the forefront almost immediately after Dragunov’s arrival in the promotion.
Ciampa declined to fight Dragunov at that moment. Rather than accept the challenge, he said he needed to focus on his scheduled “Collision” match against Matt Sydal. The decision prevented an immediate confrontation, but it did not cool the obvious tension between the two men.
Ciampa and Dragunov have been linked by their previous battles, and their renewed proximity in AEW makes another showdown feel increasingly likely. Dragunov’s challenge established that he is not interested in waiting quietly on the sidelines while Ciampa makes sweeping declarations about being AEW’s premier acquisition. Ciampa, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a man determined to reclaim momentum after coming up short against Andrade at WrestleDream.
The Fletcher Mistake Adds Another Wrinkle
Fletcher may not have been the intended target of Ciampa’s RKO attempt, but the incident places him back in Ciampa’s orbit at an interesting time. As TNT Champion, Fletcher occupies a spot that Ciampa knows well, having previously held the championship before Fletcher took it from him.
The exchange in St. Louis was brief and framed as comedy, not an official challenge or physical angle. Still, AEW’s locker room has repeatedly shown that chance backstage encounters can become meaningful once competitive stakes enter the picture. Ciampa is openly looking for a way forward following WrestleDream, and Fletcher remains one of the biggest reminders of what Ciampa lost earlier this year.
For Fletcher, the moment was less about championship business and more about avoiding an unexpected collision with a wrestler who had apparently mistaken him for Randy Orton. His reaction made clear that he was baffled by Ciampa’s behavior, especially after Ciampa landed hard on the trainer’s table while failing to execute the move.
There was no indication that Fletcher and Ciampa settled anything related to the TNT Championship in St. Louis. The footage ended with Fletcher leaving the situation behind and Ciampa dealing with the consequences of his own failed attempt at an RKO. Yet the visual of Ciampa mistaking the reigning TNT Champion for Orton is the kind of strange moment that can linger, particularly given their history.
Ciampa’s AEW Direction Remains Unsettled
Ciampa currently has several possible paths in front of him. Andrade is the clearest immediate target after Ciampa publicly requested another match. Their WrestleDream encounter ended in Andrade’s favor, and Ciampa’s callout indicates that he does not view the rivalry as finished.
Dragunov is another major factor. Their confrontation established a direct challenge, and their shared past gives a future match a built-in level of personal intensity. Ciampa may have postponed that fight rather than rejected it outright, with his attention placed on the match against Sydal. The expectation is that Ciampa and Dragunov will cross paths again sooner rather than later.
Then there is Fletcher, whose unplanned role in Ciampa’s St. Louis video served as a reminder of their championship past. Ciampa did not issue a title challenge, and Fletcher did not treat the situation as a competitive confrontation. Even so, a former champion accidentally targeting the man who beat him for the title is difficult to completely separate from their history.
For now, the immediate takeaway is simpler: Ciampa went looking for Randy Orton in Orton’s hometown, found Kyle Fletcher instead, missed the RKO, and took the worst of the encounter himself. It was an embarrassing outcome for the man trying to make the surprise attack, but it also fit the unpredictable personality Ciampa has brought with him throughout his career.
Whether the moment stays a one-off backstage joke or develops into something more remains to be seen. Ciampa’s rematch pursuit with Andrade and the mounting issue with Dragunov are the more direct storylines coming out of the week. But Fletcher’s unexpected involvement ensures that Ciampa’s attempt to have a little fun in St. Louis may not be forgotten anytime soon.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.