38-year-old WWE star could have feuded with Cody Rhodes after Brock Lesnar, but "he means zero," veteran says (Exclusive)
Cody Rhodes recently wrapped up a memorable program with Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam, and Vince Russo feels Tommaso Ciampa could have been an ideal opponent for The American Nightmare had he been booked better.
After getting called up to RAW last year, Ciampa briefly allied with The Miz and regularly showed up on TV until he took a hiatus due to a hip injury.
Tommaso has looked nowhere close to his dominant self on the red brand, and many fans and pundits, including Vince Russo, believe the promotion is wasting the former NXT Champion. Speaking on the latest Legion of RAW episode, Russo opined that Ciampa would have been the perfect rival for Cody Rhodes.
While Ciampa vs. Rhodes does sound promising on paper, Russo bluntly stated that the 38-year-old star meant nothing in kayfabe because of the booking, rendering him ineffective in a potential angle with Cody.
"We were just talking about this 10 minutes ago. If booked properly, Ciampa could have been a great opponent for Cody Rhodes! If booked properly, but the way you've got him booked right now, he means zero." [35:46 - 36:30]
He is different-looking: Vince Russo on why he likes WWE's Tommaso Ciampa
The latest RAW episode saw "Blackheart" deliver an intense backstage promo in which he teased a long-awaited DIY reunion.
Vince Russo watched the segment and wasn't a fan of WWE seemingly focusing on Tommaso Ciampa's underwhelming run on RAW, during which he's taken several televised losses.
Russo said a talent like Ciampa deserved better and claimed he would have presented the superstar much better if he was still in the WWE's creative team. Vince added that the company's current handling of the former NXT Tag Team Champion wasn't getting the desired results.
"I'm watching it, and I like Ciampa, and I like him because he is different-looking. I know that if I was writing, I could definitely do something with this guy. But as I'm watching his promo, I'm like, how is this getting him any more over? You're telling us how many times you lost, but you were this close. How is that helping?" [36:31 - 37:30]
Has WWE failed Tommaso Ciampa with its creative decisions for him? Sound off in the comments section below.
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