Tommaso Ciampa believes that AEW National Champion Andrade El Idolo is performing at the highest level of his career, despite the ongoing rivalry between the two wrestlers.
In an interview before AEW WrestleDream, Ciampa spoke with James Dator of SB Nation and praised Andrade’s current AEW run while discussing the reactions he had received from fans.
“Right now we’re seeing the very best Andrade we’ve ever seen,” Ciampa said. “I was in a three-way with him in Mexico at Arena Mexico, him and Komander, and the response when his music hit was just insane.”
Ciampa was referring to their three-way match with Komander at AEW Grand Slam Mexico on August 5. Andrade won the match to secure the first entry in the All In Casino Gauntlet.
Ciampa also discussed the similarities between their careers and what makes their rivalry compelling.
“It’s a fun mesh of two guys who are just hungry, have chips on their shoulders, and have a lot to prove to themselves — probably even more so than to others. But our paths have kind of been parallel at times, and right now it’s a fun place for them to intertwine,” he said.
Andrade ultimately retained his championship against Ciampa at WrestleDream, winning the match with The DM.
Ciampa and Andrade previously crossed paths in WWE, including a singles match at a 2016 NXT live event. Their rivalry continued in AEW, where Ciampa was announced as the challenger for Andrade’s National Championship at WrestleDream on October 17.
