Tommaso Ciampa officially turned heel on the March 7 episode of AEW Collision, attacking Mark Briscoe after a match and ending his brief babyface run in the promotion.

Ciampa’s character had been presented as a fan favorite since his arrival in AEW. However, events during the latest episode of Collision showed a major shift in his direction.

In recent weeks, Ciampa has experienced mixed results in the ring. He previously defeated Mark Briscoe to win the TNT Championship but later lost the title to Kyle Fletcher. His struggles continued when he faced Daniel Garcia in a match on the March 7 broadcast.

During that contest, Briscoe was seated at the commentary table. At a key moment in the match, Ciampa became distracted by Briscoe’s presence, allowing Garcia to capitalize on the situation and secure the victory.

After the match ended, Ciampa confronted Briscoe near the entrance ramp. The situation quickly escalated when FTR, consisting of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, walked out and confronted the former NXT Champion.

Briscoe stepped between Ciampa and FTR to prevent the confrontation from turning physical. He then walked up the ramp alongside Ciampa as the two appeared to leave the area together.

However, the moment soon took a different turn.

In a scene that mirrored a famous moment from Ciampa’s past storyline in WWE NXT, he suddenly turned on Briscoe. Ciampa attacked him on the ramp and slammed him into the large video screen near the stage area.

The segment ended with Ciampa delivering a running knee strike to Briscoe. The attack closely resembled the move Ciampa used during his well-known betrayal of Johnny Gargano in NXT when the DIY tag team broke apart.

That earlier storyline became one of the most memorable rivalries in NXT history, and the similar attack on Collision appeared to serve as a clear callback.

With the attack on Briscoe, Ciampa has now completed his transition into a heel character in AEW. The betrayal also appears to set the stage for a deeper rivalry between the two moving forward.

Tommaso Ciampa Turns Heel On AEW Collision With Attack On Mark Briscoe

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