Claudio Castagnoli Defends AEW Continental Championship Stipulation [Exclusive]

Claudio Castagnoli has a few irons in the fire these days.

In addition to being a loyal foot soldier in Jon Moxley's quest to take back AEW from the massive egos that he feels have washed over the company, Claudio is also one third of the AEW Trios Champions alongside PAC and Wheeler Yuta.

It's an estranged partnership as Yuta has seemingly sided with Bryan Danielson during the recent fracturing of the Blackpool Combat Club. And while the battle lines continue to be drawn in this BCC civil war, Castagnoli waits patiently for another opportunity to take the Continental Championship away from Kazuchika Okada.

The Takedown on SI recently had a chance to chat with Claudio Castagnoli about a myriad of topics, including his match with Okada on the 8/21 episode of Dynamite. A spectacular bout that had AEW fans begging for more when it ended in a time limit draw.

It’s raining Rainmakers#TheInternationalOG @AEW pic.twitter.com/y6cLjdez9a
— Swiss (@ClaudioCSRO) August 23, 2024

“It was a great test for me, because I wanted to lure out the real Rainmaker," Castagnoli said. "The one that I've been watching for a long time. And I feel like [that match] showed AEW fans what Okada is all about.”

Another match that Castagnoli spoke highly of was Okada's recent title defense against Bryan Danielson on the five year anniversary of AEW Dynamite.

It was a match that Okada lost in the end, but he was able to retain his Continental Championship by extending the match past the 20-minute time limit for his title to change hands.

As Danielson's full-time wrestling career reaches it's end, perhaps as soon as Saturday night at AEW WrestleDream, company CEO Tony Khan took one final opportunity to book the American Dragon vs. the Rainmaker. Even if the Championship vs. Championship stipulation drew some online criticism.

It's impossible to tell just how sarcastic MJF was being on social media here, but to be fair, the rules of the match were slightly convoluted. Danielson's AEW World Championship on the line for the entire contest, but Okada's belt was only up for grabs within the first 20-minutes.

Guys, I had to stop what I was doing to read this graphic. After reading it repeatedly for a full 8 hours I’ve come to the conclusion
No human being can possibly comprehend this stipulation.

It’s impossible. @NASA @AlbertEinstein @TheTweetOfGod

Plz help! https://t.co/f4eKGSrBZY
— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™️ (@The_MJF) October 1, 2024

“I do think the 20-minute time limit is the perfect amount for that championship,” Castagnoli said. “It's the perfect amount for the Continental Classic, paying homage to that tournament.”

Claudio was one of 12 participants in the inaugural Continental Classic that began last November, but failed to make it to the final match that was ultimately won by Eddie Kingston at AEW World's End.

MORE: 10 Best AEW Dynamite Matches Of All Time

The round-robin style tournament consisted of two groups of six wrestlers, each fighting to earn enough points to advance on to the knockout rounds. Not too dissimilar from the FIFA World Cup. Just like it soccer, a victory was worth three points and draw worth only one.

Each match carried with it, you remembered correctly, a 20-minute time limit.

While honoring the title's origins, Castagnoli believes the time cap also adds certain layers of strategy and gamesmanship that are fairly unique to Continental Championship defenses.

"If you're the champ, you can just stall it out, as Okada so wisely demonstrated. So, it makes it harder to win, but it also makes it so much better when you do,” Castagnoli said. Confident that he'll be crossing paths with the Rainmaker again real soon. “I have no doubts that on the right day, in the future, I'll take the Continental Championship.”

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