TOMMASO CIAMPA – 15%
Tommaso is, in my opinion, the underdog of this tournament. He's been injured for quite some time, but tore his way through physical rehab to get back to the ring, and now has a ton of momentum going into his semi-final round match against Adam Cole. So really, in terms of the whole tournament, you don't have to look at him as the underdog. It's only when you see his opponent, Cole, and the only two men in the opposite bracket – that's when things get a bit bleak for the "Sicilian Psychopath".
He's really the great unknown in this match too. I've always like Ciampa, because he's got a great look, a ridiculous amount of intensity (like, Ultimate Warrior levels sometimes), and sticks out from an often over-saturated indie product. Injury can be one of the worst things for a guy, but sometimes it can also be a major blessing in disguise. I have no idea what Ciampa was doing before he got hurt. Was he in line for a title? Was he relevant to the main event picture in ROH? Surely it sucks getting benched, and I'm by no means suggesting any aspiring wrestlers go out and injure themselves to further their careers. But Tommaso came back with momentum, with a lot of buzz. He came back with some great special effects in his entrance, with a twist to his character, and is for the first time in my memory, relevant in professional wrestling. I call him the great unknown, because I view him as an underdog, but he may very well come from nowhere to shock everybody. We don't quite know just what Tommaso Ciampa is capable of.
Check out Tommaso Ciampa's Death Before Dishonor blog on ROHWrestling.com!
