Does Ciampa Feel His WWE Creative Will Change With Triple H In Charge?
Vince McMahon's retirement amidst allegations of misconduct toward female WWE employees he reportedly paid off to keep quiet has quickly become one of the biggest stories in the history of professional wrestling. Wrestlers past and present have come out to share their take on the situation, including Ciampa, who said in an interview with Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman that he didn't have a "huge" relationship with the former chairman of the board.
"I think it's hysterical that the most powerful man in the history of this business sends out a tweet to retire," Ciampa said. "I don't know, I saw it, I laughed and just carried on with life. Good for him, man, he deserves it, so hopefully, he goes and enjoys life and doesn't get up at 3 AM to work out and just chills."
With McMahon stepping out of his role as "the final say" in WWE creative, Paul Levesque, fka Triple H, stepped into those shoes while also assuming John Laurinaitis' former role as EVP of Talent Relations. Given Triple H's time in "NXT" as the founder of the brand, many have put two-and-two together, assume that several former "NXT" wrestlers will benefit from Levesque's ascension.
"I think I was going to do really well either way," Ciampa said. "I don't mean to sound arrogant with that, but I think Vince was going to have just as much interest in me as a performer. I just think good is good, and I think I'm pretty damn good at this.
"I think the more opportunity I get on a microphone, in the ring, my look, my style. I think I cater really well to a guy like Vince, I think I cater really well to a guy like Triple H, so for me, to be honest, it's very much business as usual. I can control what I can control. Everything else, it's about how you respond and react. I try not to react, I try to respond, and that's kind of been my MO right now."
The former "NXT" Champion is set to appear at this weekend's WWE SummerSlam, cornering The Miz as he takes on YouTube star-turned-WWE superstar Logan Paul.