In 2018, arguably around the height of the "Black and Gold" era of "WWE NXT," wrestler Tommaso Ciampa made his entrance at Takeover New Orleans without any music. On that night, Ciampa was wrestling his former tag team partner Johnny Gargano, and the lack of music only made the crowd's cacophony of boos and jeers even more noticeable. He kept walking out without music for months after that, which Ciampa believes was a risky decision, as he revealed on "Battleground Podcast.""I don't think I did know [it would work]. I wanted to take the risk, that was for sure, and I'm happy it paid off the way it did," Ciampa said. "It could've went the other way, that's for certain, and I had that thought in my head."At the time, Ciampa didn't realize how much attention the entrance would draw across the industry, or that it would remain in the memory of fans for years to come. The wrestler said that he's now frequently asked about it by fans, and he attributes its success to the "NXT" audience."It's one of those things that I'd love to recreate one day with the tide flipped," he continued. "I'd love to recreate that as a babyface one day because I think there's a cool element there to be had."If Ciampa does decide to bring the silent entrance back, it'll most likely be in a different company. Earlier this year, Ciampa allowed his WWE contract to expire after more than a decade with the company, and he went on to debut with AEW shortly thereafter.If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Battleground Podcast" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
