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Tony Khan Breaks Silence After Signing Ex-WWE Champion

By Lyle Kilbane • Published Jan 29, 2026 11:50 EST
Tony Khan AEW

Tony Khan could barely hide his delight as he snapped up another former champion in WWE.

Tony Khan might be on the verge of losing Chris Jericho from AEW, and he has already lost Powerhouse Hobbs to WWE, but he’s started 2026 in bullish fashion as he’s bolstered his roster.

Jake Doyle, Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed, Zayda Steel, Mascara Dorada, Persephone, Alec Price and Jordan Oliver have all been announced as signing AEW deals in 2026, and Khan has also managed to get Andrade El Idolo back on his TV show after an aborted attempt at his return in 2025.

Tony Khan Announces Tomasso Ciampa As All Elite

Now, he’s got a former NXT Champion on his roster as Tommaso Ciampa made his AEW debut on the January 28th edition of Dynamite. Ciampa appeared to answer an open challenge from Mark Briscoe for the TNT Title, with that match set to take place on Collision.

Taking to social media after the appearance, Tony Khan officially welcomed Ciampa to AEW:

He arrived on #AEWDynamite tonight to answer Mark Briscoe’s TNT Title Open Challenge for #AEWCollision this Saturday, and now it’s official: Tommaso Ciampa is ALL ELITE!