Tommaso Ciampa

The United States Championship is one of the company’s most defended titles, and there’s a reason for that. Open challenges give new competitors a chance to show off, and this week was no exception.

WWE SmackDown took place on October 31 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same venue will hold Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1. The crowd filled the arena and was ready for the buildup to Saturday’s show. That included a US Title match.

Ilja Dragunov won the United States Title in shocking fashion during the October 17 episode of SmackDown. He will carry on John Cena and Sami Zayn’s legacy with the title, so the open challenge continued.

This match went down as the first contest of the night. Fans had no idea who would come out to face the US Champion, and then Axiom came out. Nathan Frazer was in his ring gear, and he was ready for a fight. Tommaso Ciampa came out to disrupt them. He didn’t want Frazer to get a shot, and he mocked the idea that Frazer could get that opportunity. To that, Dragunov said that it’s an open opportunity, and the match carried on.

This match carried on, and it stretched through a commercial break. Dragunov was busted open in the process, but Nathan Frazer wasn’t able to put the champion away. There were several near falls as fans in Salt Lake City cheered both competitors in this match on.

Fans chanted “this is awesome” as they continued, and Nathan Frazer continued with a chopped up chest, as it resembled hamburger meat. Frazer was able to land a massive dive, but he got a near fall prior to another commercial break. This match went way longer than some may have first thought.

The match kept going, and Frazer nailed a Phoenix Splash for a near fall. This was his match to lose at a point, but Dragunov kept kicking out. Fans started another “this is awesome” chant as the contest continued. Frazer also kicked out of everything that the champion could throw at him. Both men were certainly leaving it all in the ring. Eventually, Dragunov nailed his H-Bomb finisher and got the pin to retain his title.

Although the champion retained his title, Nathan Frazer certainly took him to the limit. Only time will tell how long he will keep that title, but Frazer also earned his respect as they hugged it out in the middle of the ring.

After that, as Nathan Frazer was leaving, Tommaso Ciampa ran in with a sneak attack and took the Fraxiom member down. He obviously had some bad blood remaining after not getting a shot at the US Title. We will have to see how long it takes for Ciampa to get a title shot of his own.

What’s your take on how the US Title has been booked on SmackDown? Do you think that the title is in the right hands? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Tommaso Ciampa might have just lost the WWE Tag Team Titles, but he’s already earned himself a new moniker—and it’s straight out of Big Poppa Pump’s playbook.

During a WWE live event in Germany, #DIY (Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) faced off against Motor City Machine Guns. At one point in the match, Ciampa channeled his inner Scott Steiner, dropping down to do push-ups mid-ring. The moment caught fire, and WWE wasted no time embracing it, dubbing him “Big Ciampa Pump” on Instagram.

The nickname might be new, but Ciampa is no stranger to the spotlight. Alongside Gargano, he held the WWE Tag Team Championships until Friday Night SmackDown, when The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) dethroned them for the gold.

With Big Ciampa Pump now in the mix, could we see more of Ciampa leaning into his Steiner side? Should he make this a regular part of his gimmick? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Tommaso Ciampa has been making headlines after constantly trying to hit the RKO on Randy Orton and failing every time. This time around, he actually succeeds in hitting the RKO on an unsuspecting talent during his recent training montage.

Determined to make an impact, Ciampa set out to execute the RKO, with his partner Johnny Gargano recording the attempt. However, Orton easily avoided the move, causing Ciampa to awkwardly fall to the mat.

Not giving up, the former NXT Champion tried another RKO on Orton but misjudged his move and crashed onto a table instead, leading to his frustration. Unfazed, Ciampa then tried again in disguise but ended up crashing onto a storage container. His fourth attempt beside a pool also failed to go as planned, and he even struggled with a fifth try.

Ciampa then tried to hit the RKO on Kevin Owens and paid dearly for it. Johnny Gargano took to Twitter and uploaded a video which featured him helping Ciampa out by training him to hit the RKO. When all was said and done, Ciampa succeeded in hitting the RKO on an unsuspecting talent at the Performance Center. It was not clear whether the talent would be able to get up after his devastating RKO.

”We got some great advice from Kevin last week, but success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to train if you really want to be #OuttaNowhere! #DIYRKO @CiampaWWE”

This is perhaps Tommaso Ciampa’s greatest triumph in a long time as he finally proved to the world that he is able to execute a perfect RKO. Now it remains to be seen whether he will finally hit Randy Orton with one in the future.

Are you impressed by Tommaso Ciampa finally executing an RKO? Sound off in the comments section below!

Randy Orton’s legendary reputation in WWE makes him a prime target for those looking to make a statement, including Tommaso Ciampa. Recently, Ciampa has made four unsuccessful attempts to RKO Orton. Today, he tried again and failed once more.

Determined to make a statement, Ciampa declared his intention to execute the RKO, with his partner Johnny Gargano recording the attempt. However, Orton easily dodged the move, causing Ciampa to stumble awkwardly to the mat.

Undeterred, the former NXT Champion tried another RKO on Orton. Miscalculating his move, he crashed onto a table instead, leaving him frustrated. In another effort, Ciampa donned a disguise and attempted to RKO Orton again but ended up crashing onto a storage container. He made a fourth attempt beside a pool but it obviously didn’t end the way he wanted.

Johnny Gargano took to Twitter and uploaded a video of Ciampa attempting to RKO Orton while having a young girl have Orton sign something for her. Unfortunately, Ciampa failed yet again.

”We pulled out all the stops this week in Worcester, MA. Big #DunKing energy and our secret weapon… all to finally RKO the Viper.”

We’ll have to wait and see if Tommaso Ciampa comes to realize that hitting the RKO on The Viper is an impossible task and decides to give up on this futile endeavor. Until then, fans will continue to enjoy Ciampa’s unsuccessful attempts.

Do you think Tommaso Ciampa should just stop trying to hit the RKO on Randy Orton now? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!