When Bryan Danielson teased a replacement for Forbidden Door, there were a handful of names thrown around. Though at the top of the list for many fans was who emerged from the tunnel on the pay-per-view before a red hot Chicago crowd at the United Center. It was Claudio Castagnoli, the former WWE superstar Cesaro, who walked to the ring with a hero’s welcome.
Social media was abuzz watching this goosebump-inducing moment. Tweets flooded timelines from not only fans but those in the business across company lines. The universally positive reaction was indicative of the man himself, who built an impressive body of work and garnered much-deserved respect in the process.
I remember meeting Castagnoli in 2012 at an FCW-NXT show in Miami when the WWE developmental brand held shows as part of the local fair there. The outdoor atmosphere provided a fun and festive atmosphere for young and emerging talent to work in front of a unique crowd. Hours before showtime, interviews were set up for me. Stephen Keirn, who was a large part of the brand at the time, and other PR folks would decide based on who had the biggest upside. Naturally, a Jason Statham-looking doppelganger was among them. The impressive Swiss superstar honed his skills working all over the world and earned a name for himself in Ring of Honor.
He couldn’t have been more professional, expressing his goals set out working for WWE. Fast forward to a few weeks later when Cesario would get the call-up. I could see a future world champion in the making. The latest addition to the main roster went through it all starting with a love interest in Aksana. Cesaro began collecting gold along the way including a lengthy United States championship reign.
He’d return to NXT for an acclaimed feud against Sami Zayn where the two tore the house down at NXT TakeOver: ArRIVAL. It helped set the tone for what audiences would come to expect from these events. Then there was his time in The Real Americans, the Andre the Giant Battle Royal win at WrestleMania, being chosen as a “Paul Heyman Guy,” and an amazing tag title run with Tyson Kidd. And who could forget how he answered that open challenge against John Cena.
The Cesaro section continue to grow, but Vince McMahon wasn’t completely sold. The Chairman told “Stone Cold” Steve Austin during a WWE Network interview that he felt Cesaro basically wasn’t grabbing that brass ring. Rather than complaining about the comments, he used it as fuel to continue on putting in the work and turning heads with stellar matches. The fan favorite was randomly paired alongside Sheamus, which turned into one of the most celebrated and successful tag teams of the era. They were certainly raised The Bar.
Throughout the years there were points viewers thought Cesaro was finally going to swing into the upper echelon of WWE. There were so many starts and stops, but there was always the hope there would be followthrough. The most example was the win over Seith Rollins at WrestleMania 37 leading into the main event against Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Backlash. WWE never pulled the trigger, and Cesaro had clearly reached the ceiling there with no signs that would change any time soon.
Through the ups and downs, the one constant for Cesaro was being that reliable workhorse. Someone who could make everyone better by just sharing the ring with him. One of those few talents you won’t hear anyone say a bad word about. And in speaking to him from that one day at the fair more than 10 years ago and a few other times during his WWE journey, I can say Castagnoli has always kept that fire to compete and deliver with the lights on bright.
Enter All Elite Wrestling where Castagnoli tests his skills with new challenges and some familiar ones. If Forbidden Door and that banger against Zack Sabre Jr. is any indication, the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club will fit in just fine. And dare I say just getting started.
