Tommaso Ciampa’s arrival in AEW came with immediate championship success, but the personal significance of his first night extended beyond winning the TNT Championship. His debut also placed him across the ring from a familiar opponent and longtime friend in Mark Briscoe, reigniting a relationship forged through their many encounters during the 2010s in Ring of Honor.
Ciampa and Briscoe renewed that rivalry on the January 28, 2026 edition of AEW Dynamite, where Ciampa captured the TNT Championship. The program continued into a No Holds Barred match, giving the two veterans another opportunity to build on a connection that Ciampa said returned almost instantly despite the time and changes both men have experienced in their respective careers.
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, Ciampa identified sharing the ring with Briscoe so early in his AEW run as one of the defining moments of the experience. For Ciampa, the reunion was representative of the unusual, close-knit nature of professional wrestling, where performers may go years without regularly seeing one another but still retain the familiarity created by traveling, competing, and growing together.
“Sharing the ring with Mark Briscoe right out of the gate [was a great moment]. And then, you know, kind of continuing that with the no holds barred match with him,” Ciampa said. “That’s a dude that I shared the ring with a good 15 or so years ago. This is a fun traveling circus, where you can be brothers and family with a group and then as you disperse, you just kind of lose touch with one another. But every time you see each other, you just kind of pick up right where you left off. And that’s kind of how it was with Mark, and how it’s always been with the Briscoe family.”
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A Ring of Honor History Revisited in AEW
The Ciampa-Briscoe pairing carried substantial history into AEW. Both were key figures in Ring of Honor during the 2010s, a period in which the promotion was home to an array of wrestlers who would later become major names across the industry. Their past bouts gave the new AEW rivalry a foundation that did not need to be built from scratch in front of the audience.
That history was especially meaningful on a night that introduced Ciampa into a new environment while also establishing him as TNT Champion. A debut is often defined by the surprise of the moment, the opponent involved, and the first impression a wrestler makes. Ciampa’s circumstances offered all three: a title victory, a prominent showdown, and a return to the ring with someone who understood his competitive instincts from years earlier.
Ciampa said the reunion sparked fond memories from their earlier time together. While the two wrestlers have evolved since their prior matches, their ability to adapt to one another returned quickly. That aspect is particularly important in a rivalry rooted in real experience rather than a newly formed television conflict. Their familiarity was not simply about recalling old matches; it was about recognizing the energy, rhythm, and approach each man brings to the ring.
The No Holds Barred stipulation also created an appropriate setting for two wrestlers whose shared past has included hard-fought battles. Such a match places emphasis on intensity and endurance, but it also requires trust between the competitors. Ciampa’s comments indicated that the trust developed through their old Ring of Honor encounters remained intact when they met again under the AEW banner.
Ciampa Recalls a Warm Welcome From Briscoe
Before the bell rang on Ciampa’s AEW debut night, an interaction with Briscoe underscored how much their relationship extends beyond competition. Ciampa recalled kissing Briscoe on the cheek as he made his entrance, then being greeted by the personality and enthusiasm that have long made Briscoe a distinctive presence around professional wrestling.
“I kissed him on the cheek as I walked out, and just the energy that he gives and that good old toothless smile of his, he’s got an infectious, contagious passion for pro wrestling, for life in general,” Ciampa said. “The second I saw him, you know, it was a big warm hug, and he’s a guy who just loves life. He loves wrestling. So, just being around him, his energy is always infectious. It was just a total blast to be out there with him.”
Ciampa’s description highlighted the respect he has for Briscoe as both a wrestler and a person. The words were not limited to their in-ring chemistry or the stakes surrounding the TNT Championship. Instead, Ciampa focused on Briscoe’s outlook, his visible enjoyment of wrestling, and the enthusiasm he brings into every reunion.
That energy has been central to Briscoe’s identity throughout his career. In Ciampa’s view, it made an emotionally significant night even easier to embrace. For someone making a major career move and stepping into an AEW ring for the first time, being matched with a former colleague who brings an unmistakable passion for the business helped make the situation feel less like an unfamiliar beginning and more like a continuation of a journey.
Different Styles, Immediate Chemistry
Ciampa acknowledged that he and Briscoe were not necessarily the same wrestlers they had been when they last faced each other regularly. Time changes performers. Wrestlers develop new techniques, refine their pacing, gain experience in different settings, and add new dimensions to their characters. The years since their earlier encounters have therefore brought evolution to both sides of the rivalry.
Even so, Ciampa said they swiftly found their footing together. Their chemistry returned rapidly, suggesting that the core understanding between them had survived the gaps in their paths. In professional wrestling, familiarity can be as valuable as any preexisting storyline. It allows two opponents to recognize the other’s timing and adjust in the moment, especially when a match demands the physical and emotional escalation associated with a No Holds Barred environment.
The result is a rivalry with both history and room to move forward. Ciampa entered AEW with the TNT Championship in hand, while Briscoe immediately became one of the figures most connected to the new champion’s first chapter in the company. Their earlier Ring of Honor battles add weight to every future confrontation, but their changed styles mean a renewed matchup does not have to be a simple recreation of what they did years ago.
A Championship Start With Personal Meaning
Winning the TNT Championship on his AEW debut gave Ciampa an explosive start. Yet his reflection on Briscoe makes clear that the title was only one part of why the night stood out. The opportunity to reconnect with an old opponent, share a warm personal moment, and then resume a physical rivalry made the occasion feel layered and memorable.
Ciampa’s comments also speak to the long-term relationships that run through wrestling’s constantly changing landscape. Promotions, schedules, and circumstances may separate performers who once worked together closely. But old bonds can quickly re-emerge when those wrestlers meet again, particularly when their shared history was built through meaningful matches and years spent in the same locker rooms.
For Ciampa, Mark Briscoe represented that kind of connection on the very first night of his AEW career. The two may have developed different styles since their Ring of Honor days, but the underlying chemistry and mutual respect remained. As Ciampa begins his TNT Championship reign, the Briscoe rivalry has already ensured that his AEW debut will be remembered not only as a title-winning moment, but as a reunion that felt like picking up exactly where they left off.
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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.