The Death Riders captured the AEW World Trios Championships at All In: London 2024 but fans have been far from impressed with their reign. In an AEW Digital Exclusive, Claudio Castagnoli, one-third of the reign champions, blamed AEW’s roster for why the titles are rarely defended.
“You wanna know why these titles haven’t been defended in over two, three months, huh?… That’s because the pool is so shallow when it gets to the level that we are at. It’s absolutely pathetic!”
Since winning the titles, the Death Riders have defended the titles just six times, two of these title defenses coming in February 2025. Prior to that, fans would have to go back to the November 7, edition of AEW Collision to see the championships on the line.
These sporadic title defenses have only the issue fans have with the Death Riders and AEW’s top storyline. Many feel the group lacks a clear creative direction, and that their mission to ‘reshape’ AEW has been too vague without clear goals. Fans have also taken issue to the faction briefly aligning with the Learning Tree, a somewhat comedic group that the ultra-serious Death Riders should, in theory, be opposed to in their mission to change AEW.
With a lack of clear challengers and a “pathetic” pool of talent, it remains to be seen how much longer the Death Riders hold the Trios titles. While the group is finally defending the titles more, the lengthy reign has proven an issue for countless fans.
A world championship run may not be in the cards for Claudio Castagnoli at this stage of his career but he is not bogged down by this.
The former WWE star has remained one of the most popular wrestling stars in the sphere for the last decade. With his unparalleled skills in the ring, many veterans have expressed their amazement at the 43-year-old never getting a run at the top.
Many expected things to change when Castagnoli left WWE for AEW in 2022 but with the current depth of the Elite roster, it seems unlikely that Claudio will get a run with the world title anytime soon if at all.
Though he doesn’t seem to take this prospect negatively. During a recent interview with The Takedown, Claudio explained that everyone in wrestling should aspire to be a world champion. He has realized, however, that the single-minded focus on it could be detrimental sometimes:
“Everybody should aspire to be the World Heavyweight Champion. I think I may have realized as I’m getting older, that that single-minded focus can actually be a big detriment to me. Not everybody is the main character. Not everybody can be the hero of the story. So to me, it is how can I make the most impact?”
Claudio later explained that he is grateful to have blessings of names such as Bryan Danielson and Mick Foley who believe he should be a world champion, but he feels that he doesn’t need a belt to be a champion.
Claudio turned on his longtime friend Bryan Danielson at All Out 2024. He has since become part of the new faction led by Mox, alongside Marina Shafir, and PAC.
Players of AEW Fight Forever can now bring the Big Swing, European Uppercuts, and more to the game with the inclusion of Claudio Castagnoli as DLC.
First announced in 2020, AEW Fight Forever is the promotion’s first console video game follows on from the company’s mobile games ‘AEW Elite: General Manager‘ and ‘AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.’ Fight Forever’s development would take longer than many fans expected, before hitting shelves and online stores in June of last year.
Giant Swing in the Ring
In a YouTube video, it was confirmed that the newest DLC will bring Claudio Castagnoli to the popular game. The Swiss wrestler narrates over footage of himself in the game to a remix of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
The Blackpool Combat Club member mentions that he is coming to the game with a bunch of new skins for characters as well as the rare ‘Gold Attire.’ This unique attire is available for all playable characters but can only be unlocked by winning the AEW World Championship 20 times in the game.
AEW Fight Forever’s Roster
Many fans weren’t happy when AEW Fight Forever was released that the playable character roster was noticeably smaller than expected (and far smaller than WWE’s 2K games.)
The Blackpool Combat Club hoped to channel the intensity of the Road Warriors at the AEW Revolution 2024 pay-per-view.
The much-anticipated tag-team match with FTR was the fifth match on the main card and the seventh match of the evening if you include the pre-show. The Blackpool Combat Club was represented by Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley and wasted no time in paying tribute to the legendary tag team. During their entrance, the duo wore spiked shoulder pads similar to what fans had seen for years from Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal.
After weeks of back & forth violence, the rematch goes down now as Moxley & Castagnoli of the BCC make their way to the ring.
While the action started slow between these two methodical teams, it quickly descended into a brawl, including one spot where Moxley mocked Cash Wheeler after sending him outside the ring, telling him “I don’t think you’re sh*t!”
While it was the BCC with the Road Warrior homage, FTR attempted to hit the Doomsday Device on Castagnoli, who was able to escape. The BCC duo would hit a successful Doomsday Device later on.
The finish of the match saw Mox hit the Death Rider on Dax, who was able to kick out. Moxley then slapped on the rear choke and Wheeler’s attempts to interfere were thwarted by Castagnoli. This would see the Blackpool Combat Club get the win.
Who Has Rocked the Pads?
The BCC isn’t the first set of wrestlers outside the Road Warriors to have donned the iconic spiked shoulder pads. For WrestleMania 13 in 1997, Ahmed Johnson donned the pads to team with the Road Warriors for their Street Fight with the Nation of Domination. In 1998, Droz joined the group as a third Road Warrior in a tasteless angle that saw Hawk deal with alcohol abuse and ‘fall’ off the titan tron.
It’d be close to a decade before fans saw somebody new don the pads. In 2005, Animal began teaming with Heidenreich as Hawk had passed away in 2003. Heidenreich donned the shoulder pads and the pair enjoyed a brief reign as WWE Tag Team Champions.
With the round-robin format, there have been plenty of matches from the AEW Continental Classic, which fans will have no trouble finding. On YouTube, the AEW account has created a playlist of every match from the tournament in the order they took place. The playlist starts with the kick-off match between Swerve Strickland and Jay Lethal.
The final two videos are from this week’s Dynamite and see Jon Moxley Vs. Swerve Strickland Vs. Jay White in the Gold League finals and Eddie Kingston Vs. Bryan Danielson in the Blue League finals. The playlist also features weekly updates of the rankings as well as promos and segments connected to the Continental Classic.
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.
“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.
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Claudio Castagnoli talked about how his AEW debut came together and what it was like the day of.
At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door, Claudio Castagnoli made his promotional debut against Zack Sabre Jr. He replaced Bryan Danielson in the match as Zack’s mystery opponent. He was also named Bryan’s replacement for the Blood & Guts match.
As Claudio’s debut was a secret, Claudio now says that he was hidden and had to have a private plane fly him in for the show.
The new Blackpool Combat Club member revealed how his debut came together.
Being Hidden During Forbidden Door
(via AEW)
Castagnoli said:
“Yeah, so yes, on a special flight, no, on a hotel, kind of right to the arena. And I was kind of hiding. Well, they were like, ‘well, we put you on,’ like, I’ll just go to the locker room.
“They’re like, ‘No, no, you can’t do that.’ I’m like, ‘okay,’ so I was kind of in hiding, but I saw a lot of the guys. And a lot of the friends that came said hello. So it was pretty cool.”
Claudio Castagnoli on being hidden during Forbidden Door
He added, “Yeah, I mean, I, you know, they said maybe some vague texts to some good friends. Like, you know, maybe you come over here, you know? Because I know you, I wanted to say hello. And some people had an idea. So they came and say hello. So it was great. Yeah.”
Claudio was then asked about having to go through the airport and trying to have his location remain a secret.
The former Cesaro revealed, “Yeah, I may not have been at a public airport. So I didn’t have that problem.
“No, yeah, no, I was, it was kind of a private thing. And then I was whisked to the arena. And then I was there for the rest of the day. It couldn’t have worked out any better I thought.”
Acting As Bryan Danielson’s Replacement
At Forbidden Door, Claudio served as Bryan Danielson’s replacement. He spoke about how the debut and match came together and his feelings regarding being the replacement.
“Yeah. And, yeah, obviously very, very sad and upset to hear about Bryan being hurt. But I’m very flattered to be I mean, you know, if it’s somebody who plays Bryan, and you think of me, I’m like, it’s a very flattering compliment.
“And also, you know, Bryan is a very good friend. So of course, I jumped in at a heartbeat, you know, help him and Blackpool Combat Club, which are all my friends anyway. You know, fits perfect again, just worked out.
“So perfect. I was very excited that that was the beginning,” Castagnoli said.
Claudio was also asked if his Forbidden Door debut was the original plan or not.
He responded, “It was not. There was something in the works. But then it was like, ‘Can you start next week?’ That kind of thing. And I was like, ‘Yeah, of course. That’s … I’m a professional, right?”
Hugging Tony Khan
After the AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, at the post-show media scrum, Claudio and AEW Owner Tony Khan shared a hug. Many wrestling fans had opinions on the hug, but Claudio thinks that people will always find something to complain about.
He said:
“It’s so strange because that was after Forbidden Door, the press conference. And it was literally like, it was like a quick hug.
“It was just like, I was done and it was just like, you know when you like see your friend and you give like a high five and then like a pat on the back kind of hug? And like it was screen captured.
“And I guess people remembered it. Hey, it’s just a few bros hugging you know.
“… If people want to complain, they’ll find something to complain about the picture or whatever.“
Believes It Should Just Be Taken As A Positive
“And if people like it, they’ll hopefully find something you like about because but I would rather be somebody that appreciates something and says something positive and likes it you know?
“Like, that was a great picture. It was a great night, there was a great view, we hugged awesome, right? Like, isn’t that great? Right?
“Yeah, successful show successful pay-per-view in Chicago, New Japan and AEW coming together, who people didn’t think that was going to be possible, and so many awesome matches on that show.
“I was just watching the whole show like what I could and it was fantastic. So just take a positive here.”
Watch Steve Fall’s full conversation with Claudio Castagnoli right here:
SEScoops recently got to speak with Wheeler Yuta. Jaychele Nicole spoke to him about Claudio Castagnoli making his debut and joining the Blackpool Combat Club. You can read about that here.
AEW and Ring of Honor breakout star Wheeler Yuta recently spoke with Jaychele Nicole for SEScoops this past week to discuss all the recent happenings with the Blackpool Combat Club ahead of his Death Before Dishonor match with Daniel Garcia.
Watch the full interview here, with highlights below:
Claudio Castagnoli Joining BCC
At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door, Claudio Castagnoli made his debut against Zack Sabre Jr. He replaced Bryan Danielson in the match as Zack’s mystery opponent.
He was also named Bryan’s replacement for the Blood & Guts match. He received one of the biggest pops at Forbidden Door and lit the wrestling world ablaze with his debut.
Claudio was also announced as the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club.
(via AEW)
The youngest member of the Blackpool Combat Club, Wheeler Yuta, spoke with Jaychele Nicole for SEScoops to talk about his reaction to BCC gaining a new member.
Yuta had the following to say:
“Yeah, Claudio was someone that I’ve always really had a lot of respect for as a wrestler. He’s, he’s incredible. Yeah, he, he’s someone that I’ve really, really appreciated and knowing that he ended Regal’s career and it only made sense that he would be someone that could fit in with our club, he does our style.”
Wheeler Yuta on Claudio Castagnoli joining BCC
“He can do so many things. He’s absolutely incredible. So, it’s really great to have him now as a mentor as someone that I can talk to on my team and hopefully learn from and it’s been just great to have him here so far.”
Career-Defining Match With Moxley
Yuta also talked about his career-defining match with the now Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.
Moxley inducted Yuta into the Blackpool Combat Club following their match on the April 8 episode of AEW Rampage in Boston, Massachusetts. For ROH Death Before Dishonor, AEW will be returning to Massachusetts but this time heading to Lowell.
Yuta reflected on the match and how he feels about returning to the area.
“Yeah, I’m really excited to be back in that area. Massachusetts will be in Lowell for Death Before Dishonor. And then right after that, we’ll be in Worcester for Dynamite. So I’m really excited for both of those.
“Before I got to AEW, I made a lot of my mark on the independents around that area. So it was really cool to have that match with Moxley in that crowd. Seeing a lot of familiar faces was really, it was really nice.
“And yeah, that was really the career-defining match. For me. It’s what sort of kick-started where we’re going now and I’m really excited for what the future holds, but it wouldn’t happen without that match,” the ROH Pure Champion said.
Yuta on his match with Jon Moxley
He continued to talk about working with Moxley and being in the ring with him, “Yeah, there’s something different when Moxley comes out. It’s kind of a surreal experience. And I felt that both from being in the ring watching it happening and then also as him as my teammate, so it’s very, it’s very comforting to have him on my side now instead of against me, but no, Moxley just brings things to another level. And he did that for me. He did that for me.
“And that match you mentioned before and I think he’s done that for a lot of people. He just had a match with Takeshita recently, that was awesome. And Moxley just, he’s got another gear that he’s trying to sort of impart that wisdom on me now.
“So I think that’s my next thing is to find that next step that next level and guys like Moxley, Danielson, Castagnoli they all have. So that’s what I need to find.”
Training With The Blackpool Combat Club
(via AEW)
He also was able to pull back the curtain and talk about what it is like to train with the Blackpool Combat Club.
He said, “Yeah, those training classes are a weekly occurrence. So we’re there every week. It’s Regal, it’s Bryan, it’s the BCC and we’re running class, we’re training, we’re learning.
“And yeah, that’s something they really instill is you have to prepare. So every little piece of information they can give me I try to get and we do that every week.”
Yuta continued and shared some lessons he’s learned from the group so far:
“Yeah, there’s, there’s countless like little techniques that they’ve shown me and I could go on for days about that. But I think the main thing that we’ve we’ve talked about is just the mindset of knowing that when you’re in the ring, you’re trying to hurt that guy.
“For us in the Blackpool Combat Club, our thing’s we’re trying to leave a mark on you, trying to leave a scar.
“So whether it’s, you know, a literal scar that you see on your forehead, or maybe it’s a limp, maybe it’s something that you get up every day and you go, ‘Oh, wow, I wish those guys hadn’t done that.’ That’s the mindset. So that’s what we really try to focus on. And that’s, that’s been the biggest lesson they’ve taught me.”
Participating In Blood & Guts
Lastly, Yuta reflected on participating in Blood & Guts a few weeks back. He talked about preparing for and recovering from the brutal match.
He said, “Yeah, the recovery was definitely hard, just a lot of kind of waiting for things to heal. But getting prepared for that match was just knowing that you’re going into a fight, knowing that you’re gonna have to, you’re gonna have to hurt people, you’re gonna get hurt, it’s not going to be fun. You’re just going to have to go in there and give it all you got. So just having that mentality going in, I think was the biggest thing.
“We’ve done all the physical preparation, we’ve done everything we can do. So going into that match, it was just the mental preparation of knowing not to be scared by the structure, just knowing you’re gonna get hurt, but you’re going to hurt people. And I think that’s how we want.”
The Blackpool Combat Club has become a real favorite among AEW fans. The faction features some of the company’s best-liked stars in Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and most recently Claudio Castagnoli, not to mention up and comer Wheeler Yuta, and the foundation of William Regal standing in their corner. Together, they tap into a combination of a hard-nosed but technically sound style, real life bonds, and an undeniable cool factor.
Now that Moxley reigns as interim AEW Champion, it feels like only a matter of time before CM Punk will clash with him to decide an undisputed champ after he returns from injury. Might that be the gateway, though, to a much longer story in which Punk crosses paths with the other members of Mox’s faction?
Punk Defeats Moxley in the AEW Championship Unification Match
When CM Punk returns from injury, it stands to reason that he would win a title unification match over whomever reigns as the interim champ. After all, Punk was a major score for AEW to sign in the first place, and every indication is that Tony Khan wholeheartedly believes in him as a standard-bearer for the company. So, we can expect Punk to pick up where he left off when he is able to return to action.
It’s hard to predict where creative will go in the months ahead, and, all the more so, recent months have demonstrated that fans can’t take anything for granted when it comes to wrestling injuries. If he stays healthy and there aren’t major creative shifts, though, it seems likely Jon Moxley will hold the interim title until he can face Punk.
Rather than a one-off confrontation between Punk and Mox for who gets to call himself champion, it be a multi-match feud, and also the starting point for Punk fighting his way through more of The Blackpool Combat Club.
CM Punk Successfully Defends The AEW Championship Against Bryan Danielson
Since CM Punk and Bryan Danielson both arrived in AEW in late summer 2021, it became an instant dream scenario that the two might reprise the classics they previously put on together in ROH and WWE rings.
Danielson worked in the AEW Championship picture immediately upon his debut, challenging Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, while Punk bided his time, getting the ring rust off before he had his first title opportunity at Double or Nothing.
Moving forward, Danielson is the kind of talent who will never feel out of place in a main event scenario, and there’s every potential for him to put on a classic against Punk in one of his first major AEW Championship defenses. Adding on some ongoing animosity between Punk and the stable Danielson and Jon Moxley have been such an integral part of would only enrich their issue.
CM Punk Passes The Torch, Dropping The AEW Championship To Claudio Castagnoli
CM Punk worked his WWE debut opposite Darby Allin and went onto PPV feuds opposite Eddie Kingston, MJF, and Hangman Page—each less established stars who more than held their own, but also benefited from the rub of feuding with Punk.
In facing Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, Punk would be taking a step away from this trajectory, working fellow WWE alumni and wrestlers who have won world titles in their pasts. Punk can get back to giving back to the business in a feud with Claudio Castagnoli to wrap up his engagement with The Blackpool Combat Club.
There remains an open questions whether talents who defect from WWE to AEW are better off. Christian Cage, Toni Storm, Keith Lee, Miro, Samoa Joe, Ruby Soho, and others are among the big names who remain in a gray area of making a big splash when they arrive, and then moving into the background.
Castagnoli could wind up being the case to prove AEW’s willingness and ability to elevate underappreciated talents. He’s long overdue to be booked as a top guy, and it would make a major statement for him to get a legit main event push and world title reign after beating Punk in the classic match this duo is more than capable of putting together.
There’s no shortage of great promos, storylines, and matches awaiting CM Punk opposite The Blackpool Combat Club in the months to come. It could be a testament to the faction, Punk, and AEW on the whole to see their collaborative effort ultimately elevate the uber-talented Claudio Castagnoli to new career heights.
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.
