AEW star Claudio Castagnoli thinks Vince McMahon’s criticisms of his charisma during his WWE days were wrong.
Back in 2014, Vince McMahon was a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast. During the podcast, McMahon talked on a number of big topics.
Two of the biggest stories that came out of that interview, where the firing of CM Punk, and some criticism McMahon had about Cesaro, now known as Claudio Castagnoli.
McMahon noted that he felt Cesaro was lacking charisma, verbal skills, and a connection with the audience. Many seemed to disagree with McMahon, including Castagnoli himself.
Speaking during an interview with Chris Van Vliet recently, Castagnoli offered his thoughts on his former boss’ comments.
“I thought he was wrong. Yeah, I feel that charisma comes in very different forms, shapes and sizes. Not everybody has that over-the-top Ultimate Warrior shaking the ropes and running around crazy, yelling and screaming charisma.
“Not that I’m sitting here telling you all how awesome my charisma is, but I felt like I had a connection with the fans, with the WWE Universe, whatever you want to call it, in the United States and all over the world.
“While other people were known for long promos that get translated into many other languages and doesn’t necessarily come across, mine was about the in-ring work and people can connect with that. It may take a bit longer, but I did connect with the fans and they were behind me.
“I don’t know if that was not what he was looking for, but the end effect brought me here and you get to see that.”
Castagnoli ran with WWE from 2011 to 2022. During that time, he had one run with the United States Title, five as RAW Tag Team Champion, and two as SmackDown Tag Team Champion. He also won the 2014 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Sadly, he never got the opportunity to hold a singles World Title despite many fans supporting him for such a push. Castagnoli would then debut with AEW in June of this year, and currently reigns as the Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Heavyweight Champion.
Quotes via 411Mania
