AEW Move Puts Claudio Castagnoli One Step Closer Stardom
SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath-the-surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Claudio Castagnoli: “I’m going to take people on a ride they won’t ever forget”
The moment Claudio Castagnoli burst onto the screen at Forbidden Door, he presented a wildly promising proposition for wrestling fans.
Finally, it is time to watch Castagnoli become a main-event fixture and, eventually, world champion.
“It’s been a long journey, but the fans have stayed with me,” Castagnoli says. “I’m going to take people on a ride they won’t ever forget.”
In his first non-WWE appearance in 11 years, Castagnoli debuted for AEW at Forbidden Door against New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Zack Sabre Jr. The beginning of the match was electric, with the artist formerly known as Cesaro drilling Sabre with a European uppercut before hitting the Neutralizer for a near-three count. The encounter then turned into a chess match, with Castagnoli ultimately winning the bout, then later coming to the aid of new champ Jon Moxley to close out the show.
Just three days later, Castagnoli utilized the grand stage of the “Blood and Guts” match on Dynamite to further cement his absolute brilliance in the ring. His work stood out in the match, and there was no moment more gripping than when he performed his signature swing atop the cage on Chris Jericho.
“I found out it’s a lot of fun to swing Chris Jericho on top of that cage,” Castagnoli says. “He didn’t enjoy it as much.”
The moment was a fantastic visual, capturing the excitement and unpredictability of AEW, and served as a building block for Castagnoli’s pursuit of his place on top of the company.
“People say I speak five languages, but that’s not true,” the Swiss native says. “I speak six. What I do in the ring is a universal language. No matter what country it’s broadcast in, people can understand it. You don’t need subtitles. This is real, it’s me.
“Everything feels real and authentic. That’s the important part. With the amount of content out there now, if something is not authentic, then it doesn’t feel right. No matter what I do, it has to be authentic.”
A perfectionist with his work, Castagnoli initially did not believe the swing on the cage was going to work. Before the match, he climbed on top of the cage to get a better feel for it, yet worried that the risk outweighed the reward.
“I’m very safety-conscious, and I didn’t think it was possible,” Castagnoli says. “Other people had a lot of faith in me, and I knew how cool it would look, but everyone’s safety was paramount to me. We decided to go through with it when we knew it would be safe. Once I got up there and started swinging, any remaining doubt went away.”
Castagnoli is back in action on Wednesday night, wrestling his first singles match on Dynamite against former friend and foe Jake Hager. The two were tag team partners in WWE as The Real Americans, then worked eight televised singles matches against each other in 2014 following their split. The match on Dynamite marks their first one-on-one encounter since 2015.
“I have a very unique history with Jake Hager,” Castagnoli says. “There’s a story attached with so many wrestlers in AEW. Eddie Kingston started talking a whole lot less crap now that I’ve shown up. Did anyone else notice that? With Hager, we traveled across the United States together. We trained together. Now we’re both here in AEW. Last time we faced off, he won. And he’s a great athlete and MMA fighter, but I’m the better pro wrestler. I’m going to prove that on Dynamite.”
Castagnoli’s current position stands in stark contrast to the majority of his run with WWE. Even though he consistently connected with crowds, Castagnoli was used primarily as a tag team specialist or on the middle of the card. He was rarely afforded the opportunity to cut promos backstage or in the ring, which equates to a kiss of death for those with main-event aspirations. His final match was an under four-minute defeat to Happy Corbin on the Feb. 11 edition of SmackDown.
Castagnoli exited the company two weeks later once his contract expired. It is still mystifying that Vince McMahon and his team did not harness his potential as a star, especially after an outrageously compelling showing against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37 in April 2021, WWE’s first show with fans since March ’20. But Castagnoli’s fate was doomed when his ensuing title match against Roman Reigns at Backlash in May ’21 took place back in the sterile ThunderDome, where there was no crowd to voice its approval of his impressive display. After he was a healthy scratch at January’s Royal Rumble, he decided it was time to rewrite his future.
“It can be hard to take the high road, but that’s the road I am going to take,” Castagnoli says, opting not to criticize his former employer. “All the memories, they matter. I’m grateful for everything I have accomplished and I’m grateful for all those opportunities. And they make me work so much harder to get where I want to be.
“Once I left, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go, I just didn’t know if it would happen. That was also time for me to take a break mentally, recharge, and come back better. My goal is always to be better than I was yesterday, to be better tomorrow than I am today. I want to be even better now than people remember.”
Before he signed any new contract, Castagnoli planned to be part of a powerlifting meet on June 27—the day after Forbidden Door. But with Bryan Danielson unable to wrestle against Sabre, a star was needed to step in, and his powerlifting date was postponed indefinitely when Castagnoli fully committed to AEW.
“I was trying to gain weight and be a powerlifter, and that was a very good challenge, but it needed to change once I needed to be in peak ring shape,” Castagnoli says. “Zack Sabre Jr. is a technical master, and that night in Chicago, that was magic. I proved I can still deliver in the ring.”
Now part of the Blackpool Combat Club, there will likely come a time when Castagnoli finds himself at odds with reigning AEW champ Jon Moxley.
“I came to AEW for new challenges,” Castagnoli says. “That’s why I fit perfectly in the Blackpool Combat Club. Like [William] Regal said, ‘You either step up or get stepped on.’ I loved coming in with the BCC because I’ve known those guys for such a long time, and I know they have my back no matter what.
“It feels like everything here is clicking in AEW. It doesn’t feel like it’s only been a couple weeks. I’m extremely excited to find out what the future holds.”
After 22 years in pro wrestling, Castagnoli found precisely what he had long been seeking. All he has ever needed was opportunity. The chance to be everything he ever wanted exists in AEW, where he intends to prove that he is the single most compelling, captivating pro wrestler in the world.
“This is my pursuit—the main event and the world heavyweight championship,” Castagnoli says. “I’ve seen that pursuit destroy people. Those sacrifices ate them up, always seeking one more run. I’ve never sacrificed my authenticity or integrity.
“My destiny is my journey. I want to take fans on that ride, and hopefully win the world title along the way.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- There was no bigger news this week than the Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the details of Vince McMahon’s non-disclosure agreements with four women. The news casts even more doubt on McMahon’s future in WWE.
- A match that was great initially, and somehow became even greater over time.
- The Thunder Rosa–Miyu Yamashita match from Dark was very good, including the element of surprise with the finish.
- Anthony Bowens and Max Caster have been extremely entertaining together as The Acclaimed, and their work together has made this new program with the Gunn Club worth watching.
- It certainly appears we are building to Jonathan Gresham against Lee Moriarty at next week’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view.
Kushida could be the next great star for Impact Wrestling
Imagine if Kenny Omega still wrestled as a junior heavyweight in New Japan Pro-Wrestling?
His future in New Japan looked bright after his match seven years ago at Wrestle Kingdom 10, where he dropped the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in a spectacular performance. Omega had presence, personality and style in the ring. While no one could have predicted his incredible rise to the top of the company, it was clear that he was destined for greatness. And, looking back, the same could be said for his Wrestle Kingdom opponent, Kushida.
Kushida also hungered for more. He was never given that opportunity in New Japan, where he remained a star of the junior division, and he took a risk signing with WWE in 2019. His time was spent in NXT, and there were some highlights, particularly his TakeOver match against Johnny Gargano in February 2021. But as someone who was signed by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Kushida’s future with the company was quickly called into question when Levesque had heart surgery and lost power inside the company. Kushida exited WWE after his contract expired in April, and returned last month to New Japan. Back in the junior heavyweight division.
Possessing an in-ring ability to craft outstanding stories and captivate viewers, Kushida’s chase of the IWGP world heavyweight title could be a remarkable story. His explosive style would work well with all the major players in the heavyweight title picture. For now, Kushida is currently feuding with Taiji Ishimori, who is the reigning IWGP junior heavyweight champ. They will, undoubtedly, have a great series of matches against one another, and Kushida has also challenged best friend/longtime tag partner Alex Shelley to a match for this summer.
Yet a new part of Kushida’s story needs to be told. And that is where Impact Wrestling factors into the equation.
Kushida will debut this weekend for Impact at its upcoming television tapings. He will wrestle Rich Swann, which is fitting—Swann is a former cruiserweight champion in WWE who went on to become world champ in Impact. There is endless potential for Kushida in Impact, where he could wrestle a wide array of opponents that includes Mike Bailey, Trey Miguel, Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin and Moose on his way to a world title bout against Josh Alexander.
There is no ceiling for Kushida in Impact, and he would make an outstanding addition to the top tier of its roster.
Tweet of the Week
Watching Big E return to win an ESPY would be an emotional—and well-deserved—moment.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
