Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli may have found new success outside of WWE, but the wrestler’s former employer isn’t making things easy.
In 2012, Castagnoli debuted on WWE’s main roster as Antonio Cesaro, though his first name would be dropped soon enough.
Just under a decade after his main roster debut, Cesaro would opt not to re-sign with WWE in early 2022 and would debut for AEW later that year.
Trademark Opposition
On March 14, 2022, Castagnoli filed a trademark for the term CSRO, for the following uses.
G & S: Hats; Shirts; Socks; Sweatshirts; Hooded sweatshirts
G & S: Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.
PW Insider reports that WWE is opposing Castagnoli’s registration of the filing, and requested a 90-day extension on filing their opposition.
Given that the initial complaint was made by WWE on February 28, they will have until Monday, May 29, if their request is approved.
PW Insider did not disclose the reason for WWE’s opposition, though it is believed that the CSRO term is too close to WWE’s ‘Cesaro’ term for the promotion’s liking.
Though most professional wrestlers may prefer to “layeth the SmackDown” on their opponents, Da Party opted for a different approach.
In a music single released at midnight, the quartet of WWE NXT Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods, Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, AEW‘s Adam Cole, and former WWE Superstar Tyler Breeze, laid down the bars. The respective single marks the musical debut of the foursome, as they previously connected in the professional wrestling and gaming worlds.
Each spent time in WWE, with Woods standing as the sole talent to remain with the company, but it was on Wood’s popular Up Up Down Down YouTube Channel where they truly bonded. Now, Da Party lends their voices to the music stylings of “Can’t Stop Da Party.”
Also featuring the voice of Harley Cameron, the dance track “Can’t Stop Da Party” is now available on major music streaming services, including Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music.
Prior to the song’s official launch, Da Party shared some behind-the-scenes photographs from their recording session in the studio.
Harley Cameron, much like her co-contributors, is a professional wrestler, but she’s also made some moves in the music business as well. In October, she dropped a cover of “I Put a Spell on You” alongside WWE Superstars Shotzi and Scarlett. The trio previously released another song entitled “Indestructible” in 2021.
2021 also marked the premiere of “The IInspiration,” named after the Australian tag team of Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay. The duo used it as their theme song in IMPACT Wrestling. Lee and McKay were featured, alongside Cameron, in the corresponding music video for the song as well.
Fans of Xavier Woods’ popular UpUpDownDown YouTube channel will soon get to hear the group’s single ‘Can’t Stop Da Party.’
Da Party consists of Woods, former WWE Superstar and current trainer Tyler Breeze, Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and AEW’s Adam Cole.
On Twitter, Cole shared an image of the four members and said it is just two more days before the track’s release.
Given that the tweet was released yesterday, that means that ‘Can’t Stop Da Party’ will drop at some point tomorrow.
Fans can find out more information on how to purchase the track by clicking here.
Harley Cameron
Harley Cameron, who has performed with Shotzi and Scarlett, will feature in the track set to be released on Monday.
All four members of Da Party have proven themselves in the ring, and while Woods can hold his own on the trombone, none are known for their singing.
In addition to the foursome, the track will feature Harley Cameron, who is a wrestler/singer.
Cameron worked with Shotzi and Scarlett last October for a cover of ‘I Put a Spell on You’ and produced the theme song for The IInspiration in Impact Wrestling.
Da Party
The quartet of Woods, Breeze, Castagnoli, and Cole were highlights of UpUpDownDown for years, but the group’s run was cut short by factors outside of their control.
Breeze was released from WWE in 2021, and Cole would choose not to re-sign with the company shortly after.
In October 2022, members of Da Party teased a reunion and in November, streamed on Twitch for their first time playing together since Cole’s departure.
Claudio Castagnoli has spoken about the reports regarding William Regal’s wrestling status as he is expected to leave AEW to make a return to WWE.
Castagnoli became a member of the Blackpool Combat Club at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door when he replaced Bryan Danielson against Zack Sabre Jr and made his promotional debut. Regal founded BCC alongside Jon Moxley and Danielson.
Regal is reportedly leaving AEW and returning to WWE as his AEW contract reportedly expired in December, where he will be working in a backstage role again.
“I mean, I guess we have to … we have to wait and see. You know, we’re still talking, I think we have to have a little group meeting to figure out what’s next, or if there’s a next. So yeah, I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
Claudio also talked about what it means to him to work with Regal since he arrived in AEW. He said he never stopped learning from Regal and he was the reason he got into WWE in the first place. He was also the man to end Regal’s in-ring career.
Claudio is set to challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title at ROH Final Battle this Saturday.
On Monday, another video was posted by each member. Breeze said he was calling because it’s been a long time and “we haven’t played anything.” The rest of the group offered suggestions such as Halo, Elden Ring, and League of Legends. Breeze stopped them and told them, “we know what we’re playing.” The camera cuts to each one and they all look overjoyed with Breeze’s suggestion.
“Da Party” will finally reunite on Sunday, November 20 at 10 PM (no timezone given, but East Coast is assumed) on Twitch. The Twitch handles for @TheSweetZLive, @ClaudiosCafe, and @TheChugs.
A “Da Party” reunion was teased a year ago with many assuming it would take place on Wood’s G4 show. Sadly, G4 has shut down. Luckily for “Da Party” fans, Twitch will be the host. This will be their first time playing together since “Chuggs” (Cole) left WWE for AEW last year.
“Prince Pretty” (Breeze), “Mr. OP” (Cesaro), and “Chugs” (Cole) would regularly play Uno together on Woods’s UpUpDownDown YouTube channel. It was dubbed “Da Party Day”. For many viewers, it was a way to cope during the pandemic.
When Cole signed with AEW, “Da Party” as fans knew it was over. They posted a heart-wrenching farewell to “Chugs”.
Last November, they teased a reunion. Fans assumed that it would be on Woods’s G4 show. Unfortunately, G4 has shut down just months after it was relaunched.
Claudio Castagnoli was part of many great as well as embarrassing moments during his WWE run. One such moment people don’t remember very fondly is when Castagnoli and Sheamus known as The Bar lost the Raw Tag Team Championships to Braun Strowman and 10-year-old Nicholas at WrestleMania 34.
Castagnoli opened up about this loss during his recent appearance on Insight. However, while a lot of people hated WWE for putting the tag team in the situation, the former WWE star explained why he thought the moment to be cool:
“I thought it was really cool. [It’s] what I love about wrestling, right? All the kinds of different matches. The roller coaster ride it takes you on. That WrestleMania needed a match like that where it’s just fun. Every show needs fun matches. WrestleMania, everybody is nervous, everybody’s hyped. It’s WrestleMania.”
‘That Was Very Cool’: Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli claimed that the match was fun for them too. It’s something that people remember till this date:
“Once everything was figured out, that match was so much fun. We were just able to go out there and enjoy it. We had the float, it’s called the thing, right? With all the guys with the big head coming out with us. So it was a crazy, awesome entrance. The match was just fun. Like I said earlier, it’s all about moments. If you’re a kid, and you’re watching WrestleMania, that could be you, right?
So that was very cool to be in that match for that matter and the fact that people still talk about it to that day. Because there was some bangers on that card. A lot of people always ask like, ‘So Nicholas?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know right?’ So I’m very proud to be part of that match.”
Claudio Castagnoli did a lot of amazing things in WWE, including saving the job of Tyler Breeze with an uppercut.
The AEW star recently appeared on the Insight podcast. During the Q&A session of the show, Tyler Breeze sent a video message. He asked Castagnoli to tell the story of how an uppercut saved his job. Revealing the story behind it, the former US champion recalled how his first match in FCW was against Breeze:
“Oh, I think what he’s talking about, he makes this joke. He was there in FCW when I just got there. I wrestled my first match against him ever on FCW TV. It was just kind of supposed to be a get over match. Because I don’t think they were very high on him at that time, which I didn’t know.
The uppercut he was talking about is when I popped the guy up and uppercut him on the way down. He just took it like a madman and went super high in the sky. I took his head off.”
‘Showed Everybody How Good He Actually Was’: Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli explained that after the match, people asked him how Tyler Breeze was to work with. The praise Castagnoli gave him helped change the perspective about Breeze and saved his job:
“But after that match, everybody was like, ‘How’s it to work with him.’ I’m like, ‘He’s great’, They all [are] like ‘Hey, he’s really good. he’s really good.’ Then fast forward three months and he was FCW champ or something.
What that’s alluding to is [that] I uppercutted his head off, but saved his job in the process. Because they were not high on him before and then afterwards, they were rightfully so very high on him after. So I don’t think I did anything. I think he did everything. He just showed everybody how good he actually was.”
Claudio Castagnoli dared to leave his well-earned position in WWE and try something new with AEW. According to the former US champion, his motivation was keeping himself sharp and making sure that he still got it.
The former WWE star recently appeared on The Kurt Angle Show. He was first asked about his WWE departure and Castagnoli explained that it was time for him to try something new:
“I kind of felt that it was time to try something new. To look for a new challenge. Towards the end [of my run] my mind was made up. I’m always happy and grateful. I was happy and grateful [in WWE]. But I also knew where I was thought of, you know what I mean?
So I was just looking for something different at this point, and to me when I look at AEW, there’s so many guys that I want to be in the ring with that I have not necessarily been in the ring with.”
‘I Want To See If I Still Got It’: Claudio Castagnoli
(via AEW)
Claudio Castagnoli then explained the philosophy he learned from John Cena. He mentioned that he wants to surround himself with people who can push him to do better and he wants to retire while he can still wrestle competently:
“There’s so many young people there that I was like, ‘This is amazing. I wanna be part of that.’ I really want to because again you’re only as good as your last match. You need to surround yourself with people, and I always have, that push you and are better than you. To me it was like I looked at it and I was [like] ‘Okay, I wanna go to AEW, and I want to wrestle of all those young guys. I want to see if I still got it.’
Because when people ask me like ‘When you think it’s time for you to retire? Certain age, this or that’ it’s whenever I get in that ring and I feel like I [have] lost two steps. I never want people to think, ‘Oh man I wish he would have [retired]’ I’m like ‘No, I wanna go out when I still can do what I can.'”
You can watch Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:
Claudio Castagnoli got to wrestle some of the biggest names in the wrestling world during his time with WWE. One of them was John Cena, who the former WWE star got the chance of sharing the ring with during Cena’s US open challenge run.
Castagnoli recently joined The Kurt Angle show. When asked about his experience with John, the AEW star claimed that he has nothing but good things to say about the Cenation Leader. He also revealed the philosophy he has learned from the 16-time world champion:
“I’ve nothing but good things to say about John. John is an awesome person. He has a very high standard for himself. He’s one of those people that doesn’t just say how you should do it or say how it should be done. He shows you.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “He does it every day. He lives it. You know what I mean?
If he tells you to watch all the matches, he’s sitting there at the monitor watching all the matches. If he tells you, ‘You should work out.’ He is there working out early in the morning. [He’s] somebody I deeply respect. That’s kind of how I tried to do my career. Whatever I would say, I just do it. If people wanna take notice that’s good. If not, I feel like I don’t want to park it all around.”
‘Absolutely Amazing’: Claudio Castagnoli
Speaking about their matches as part of the US open challenge, Claudio Castagnoli mentioned how Cena was already a legend at that point. However, he still worked hard and tried to prove himself with every match:
“Being in the ring with him for that open challenge was awesome. Because he was a legend at that point, and still every match he wants to go out there and prove it. He’s the one that said it. I probably had it always kind of in my brain but he’s the one that said that ‘You’re only as good as your last match.’
That kind of stuck with me because every time you go through that curtain, you want to prove yourself to everybody. So with him to have that open challenge and him working so hard and having such a fun match with me was absolutely amazing.”
You can watch Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:
Claudio Castagnoli had a crazy first week in AEW. He made his debut at the Forbidden Door PPV defeating Zack Sabre Jr. and went on to compete in the Blood and Guts match only days later. Castagnoli gave fans a number of memorable moments during his very first week, including a giant swing on Chris Jericho from the top of the Blood and Guts cage.
The former WWE star recently appeared on AEW Unrestricted podcast. Speaking about the giant swing he delivered from the top of the cage, Claudio Castagnoli mentioned that it was Chris Jericho’s idea:
“He suggested it. He was like ‘We need to do it at the top of the cage.’ I’m like, ‘Sure, let me go up there and see’ Because it was my first time in that cage or especially on top of that cage. So the place where he suggested, I was like ‘Yes, that is possible,’ but in my mind his body would be almost over the cage for a second there. He was like ‘It’s fine I trust you.’ I am like ‘Yes, I trust myself too but accidents can happen.’ The highest priority is that my opponent is safe.”
‘Alright, We’re Done’: Claudio Castagnoli
However, the roles were reversed as soon as they got onto the top of the cage. Per Claudio Castagnoli, this time it was Jericho who was concerned about the success of the spot and wanted to be done with it:
“When we went and did it though. As soon as I did like one rotation I was like, ‘oh yeah, this is fine. We’re good. I can do this for a long time.’ But that’s when then Chris on the other hand was like, ‘No, no, we’re done. This is good. This is good.’ Because all he saw was obviously you know, being 20, 30 feet up in the air, seeing the crowd below him. He was kind of like, ‘Alright, we’re done.'”
Thankfully both the stars were unscathed coming out of the spot. You can relive the amazing moment from Blood and Guts below:
Both Claudio Castagnoli and Brodie Lee came from nothing and became big stars in wrestling. The two shared a lot of steps in this journey and Castagnoli has a lot of fond memories of working with the late star.
The AEW star shared some of these memories during his appearance on AEW Unrestricted podcast. He was asked about his experience of having the first ever Steel Cage match in the history of Chikara with Brodie. Replying to it, the BCC member first recalled how Lee used to stay with him everytime he visited the Philly area:
“Oh, it was awesome. Back then, Brodie came down from Rochester all the time to the Philly area for Chikara and Ring of Honor. Towards the end of my Ring of Honor run he was there. Every time Brodie came into town, he stayed at my place.
I remember one of my first paychecks from Japan, I bought a new bed. I could finally afford it. I saved my old mattress though, so he could sleep on it. Because he would just sleep on the couch. So then he had like his own bed.”
‘We Always Had A Laugh’: Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli then mentioned how they had a lot of fun working together. The cage match between the two was no different:
“We always had a laugh. We always had fun when we had our matches because we would always try to do something crazy.
To have the steel cage match, the first ever was a lot of fun. He still accused me every time he’s got the chance to of whipping him into the cage too hard and thus, he got color which was a big no no at the super PG Chikara. He would remind me every single time that I made him bleed. It was because I was shutting him too hard. Not so sure about that.”
Though things didn’t end there as the company also taped this week’s episode of Rampage after the Wednesday night show went off air.
During one of the segments on the taping, ROH world champion Claudio Castagnoli came out alongside ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta.
Castagnoli first mentioned how it was great to come out before the crowd as the ROH champion, especially with Ricky Steamboat in attendance.
Claudio Castagnoli’s Next Challenger
(AEW)
The former WWE star then issued an open challenge for next week. Dustin Rhodes came out to accept this challenge, and officially became the #1 contender for the title. This match will take place on the August 26 Rampage.
Claudio Castagnoli won the ROH championship by defeating Jonathan Gresham at the Death Before Dishonor PPV. He previously defended his title successfully against Konosuke Takeshita.
Apart from this, the Rampage episode also featured matches such as Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Private Party, Buddy Matthews vs Serpentico and The Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. The Trustbusters in a first-round trios title tournament match.
AEW announced the Battle of the Belts III for this Saturday night featuring the first title defense of the new ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and more.
All three of the championship matches announced for the show were taped in advance from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Friday.
The first match of the show was Wardlow defending his TNT championship against Jay Lethal. The champion retained the title after pinning Lethal with a powerbomb.
Thunder Rosa then defended her AEW women’s championship against Jamie Hayter. Toni Storm was in the champion’s corner for this bout.
This Battle of the Belts III match saw Rosa successfully defending her title. This extended her reign to 144 days.
The main event of the show was Claudio Castagnoli defending his ROH title against NJPW’s Konosuke Takeshita. This was Castagnoli’s first title defense after winning the championship at Death Before Dishonor.
The two reportedly put on a great match that the audience enjoyed. Castagnoli ultimately came on top and defeated the Japanese star to keep his championship.
AEW Battle Of The Belts III is scheduled to air on TNT this Saturday at 8pm ET/7pm CT & 8pm PT.
Claudio Castagnoli would love to have a match with Kazuchika Okada down the line.
Castagnoli recently took part in a media scrum at Starrcast V. During the scrum, Castagnoli discussed the possibility facing New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kazuchika Okada.
The Ring Of Honor (ROH) Champion said a match with Okada would mean a lot to him, especially given their past.
“I would just pick Okada. Mainly because I’ve known Okada for over 10 years, actually. When he wrestled at Chikara, he stayed at — me and Chris Hero had a house that a lot of the guys stayed, including Okada, and then I saw him again when he was training in Mexico.
“So, I think I have a picture of me and him when I still had hair and when he was not ‘The Rainmaker’ yet. So I think there’s definitely a lot of history there. So yeah, definitely. He would be one of many guys that we want to face.“
Castagnoli has been on quite the roll since leaving WWE. He competed in WWE for over 10 years as Cesaro where he was one of the company’s most promising stars. However, he was arguably underutilized throughout his run, with many seeing World Championship potential in the Swiss powerhouse.
Throughout his 11 years with WWE, Castagnoli only won one singles title – the United States Championship. However, he signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in June after his WWE contract expired in February.
He then won the ROH World Title from Jonathan Gresham at Death Before Dishonor in July. As for Okada, he has been one of Japan’s biggest stars for years. He’s a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and also does work for AEW.
A match between Okada and Castagnoli down the road is certainly a possibility in the near future.
Last month saw the AEW debut of former WWE star Cesaro, now using his real name again, Claudio Castagnoli. Following Bryan Danielson’s injury, Bryan handpicked Claudio as a mystery opponent for Zack Sabre Jr at AEW and NJPW’s joint show Forbidden Door.
Castagnoli also ended up taking Danielson’s spot as a member of the Blackpool Combat Club in the Blood and Guts match a few days later against the Jericho Appreciation Society. But was this always the plan for Claudio Castagnoli’s All Elite Wrestling debut?
During the Death Before Dishonor media scrum, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated asked Tony Khan if the original plan was to debut him at the Ring of Honor PPV.
“It was the original plan. Yeah, it was originally. He was going to debut here and it would have been a different build to the pay-per-view than what we did. And I think in a way that, you know, everything worked out perfectly.”
Tony goes on to say:
“So originally my vision when we spoke, was that Claudio was going to come back at Ring of Honor and he would debut and he would be a mystery wrestler and I think there would have been a lot of anticipation for who was going to be.
Tony Khan on original plan for Claudio Castagnoli
“But I also think that it would have been a great delivery and I honestly think that like, you know, if the fans had gotten drawn to the possibility of who could be associated with Ring of Honor, who is a name that is so important to the history of Ring of Honor and also, was certainly, I believe the best free agent wrestler in the world, then I believe it would have been a lot of fans assuming, hoping, wishing, wanting to see it be Claudio.
“But things change and I also knew when we spoke, there was a possibility that you would come in, as the alternate replacing Bryan Danielson as Zack Sabre Jr’s opponent at Forbidden Door, and also replacing Bryan Danielson in the Blood and Guts match. And so everything’s worked out great.”
Last night Claudio Castagnoli competed against ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham in the opening match of ROH’s Death Before Dishonor.
Claudio Castagnoli can finally call himself a world champion.
Castagnoli challenged Jonathan Gresham in the PPV opener for Death Before Dishonor. While many expected the bout to headline the card, commentator Ian Riccaboni explained that there was a coin toss to determine what would be the main event.
FTR vs. The Briscoes for the ROH World Tag Team Championships won the toss.
It was clear that the crowd heavily backed Claudio in this one and they got exactly what they were hoping for.
Claudio Castagnoli hit the Ricola Bomb to cap off one heck of an opening match. Claudio scored the pinfall and he now lays claim to a world title for the first time in his career.
This marks the end of Jonathan Gresham’s 225-day reign as the ROH World Champion.
SEScoops’ Steve Fall and Jaychele Nicole are both in attendance for ROH Death Before Dishonor and have provided some clips of the celebration:
One great thing about AEW is that they don’t ignore the history of any wrestler, doesn’t matter which company it is from. This was evident during the most recent Blood and Guts match with Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager. The duo were once a very popular tag team in WWE. They got to share a moment together during the bout, reminding people of their history.
The newest AEW signee recently had an interview with NBC Sports Boston. He was asked if their moment together was designed to remind people of the history of The Real Americans. Replying to it, Claudio mentioned how it’s one of the things that excited him about AEW. He explained that it’s cool that the promotion rewards people for being invested:
‘That’s The Beauty About It’: Claudio Castagnoli
“That was another fantastic thing, when I wanted to join AEW, was look at everybody there. I have history with pretty much everybody. If not, there is something we can do, there is something that we can create here. It was one of those [moments]. Blood and Guts, me and Hager ended up in the ring. And why not?
There is history there, why ignore it? That’s the beauty about it. I feel a lot of times stuff gets ignored because [officials think] ‘I don’t know, people don’t remember.’ No, people remember.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “Especially wrestling fans. They have such good memories. They come up to me with stuff that I have forgotten.
He continued, “It’s one of those easter eggs. If you don’t know please go look it up and if you know this is for you. I mean it’s not that big of an easter egg because I feel like it’s pretty well known. That was the cool part. It’s just there is history with everybody and with Hager there is definitely that history. I thought it was fun and that people get to have fun with it. [They] chanted, probably pissed off Jericho, chanted it again. [it] made me happy. It’s very cool to see that people are invested [and] that people are rewarded for being invested.”
You can check out Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Claudio Castagnoli talked about feeling like there was a ceiling above him in WWE and his decision to join AEW.
Claudio’s Ceiling In WWE
WWE.com
On February 24, a report emerged that Claudio’s, at the time Cesaro’s, WWE contract had expired and that he had left the company.
During his time in WWE, Claudio only held one singles championship, and that was the United States Championship in 2013. As Cesaro, he held seven tag team titles in WWE.
He was also the winner of the inaugural André the Giant Memorial Trophy at WrestleMania XXX. Even though he accomplished more than some ever will in WWE, many believe that he never got to fulfill his full potential.
Claudio spoke with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about having a ceiling in WWE.
He was asked if he thinks that there was anything he could’ve done to make it to the next level in WWE.
He responded, “Well, if I would know an answer, we probably wouldn’t have that discussion, right? It’s just one of those things that I do not have the answer to. There’s obviously a lot of speculation going on. But, again, I said if I would have known I would have obviously done it.
“You know, like you said it was a lot of one step forward, two steps back, but I feel that’s how life is for many people. And you have to just keep going and learn from those experiences and then like, learn from it, and then make decisions based on that. that’s why I’m where I’m at now, and I’m very happy.”
Claudio Castagnoli on hitting a ceiling in WWE
Reflecting On His Time In WWE
(via WWE)
“I’m also very grateful, like you said, like for, you know, John Cena that I shared the ring with him, the experiences and the respect they have for him, and I would like to think he has for me.
“That’s something that I’ve built over the past 10-15 years, and it’s the same with the fans, you know, like, I am there, and they accepted me, you know what I mean?
“Like, I’m not the guy that just, you know, just say, like a formula. They know, I’ve been in Ring of Honor, I’ve been on the indies before, you know, the United States to do this.
“And they also know that every single time I step in the ring, I always give it 100% no matter if the match is two minutes or 35 minutes, I want to make it the best match possible.
“And that it’s very important to me that it’s authentic. I don’t have like an answer to that question. I don’t know if anybody does. But if that journey brought me to where I am today, I’m very happy and extremely grateful to have been on that journey.
“And I’m very happy, very grateful to be here today.”
The Decision To Join AEW
(via AEW)
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.
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.
Claudio also talked about his decision to join AEW after his departure from WWE.
The Blackpool Combat Club member said:
“Obviously [I’ve been] following AEW for a while. And when it came to making time for me to just kind of take a step back and look, and I felt that I was a better fit at AEW. There was a lot more for me to do with AEW when it comes to challenges when it came to, you know, people I want to work with.
“They’re just, there’s so much, so many people that I haven’t wrestled either at all or in a very, very long time.
Claudio on signing with AEW
Taking The Next Step In His Career
Image: @JJWilliamsWON
“So I was just kind of like that’s what I want to do. That’s what I’ll have fun doing. And that’s always for me, I always kind of felt that whenever it was time to move on, I moved on.
“It was the same when I was in, you know, before when I was in Ring of Honor and I felt like now it’s time to make the step to WWE. And that’s what they did. Now, I was like, ‘Okay, I feel now is the time to make the next step.’ And I did and I’m very happy I did.”
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.
Several WWE stars were reportedly “shocked” at All Elite Wrestling (AEW) signing Claudio Castagnoli (formerly known as Cesaro).
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that the reason they were shocked was based off of the large offer WWE had made to Castagnoli before he signed with AEW. While this wasn’t a big deal with fans, it certainly was for the talent.
The feeling going around is that AEW must’ve matched or topped WWE’s offer, which came as a surprise considering the belief was that AEW was no longer doing that.
Castagnoli could’ve made a substantial amount of money in WWE, however, the likelihood of a push was very small.
Also, at 41-years-old, Meltzer speculated Castagnoli is likely looking to prove once and for all he can be a top guy before he begins to physically decline with age.
AEW president Tony Khan has noted before that he was a big fan of Castagnoli’s in-ring work and IQ.
Talent Benefitting from Competition between WWE & AEW
With both AEW and WWE willing to pay out the big bucks for more talent, wrestlers have more leverage now than ever before. At one point, WWE was offering talents big money just to keep them locked away, only to have them be released mid-contract.
The landscape of professional wrestling has certainly changed quite a bit in recent months, with the likes of Cody Rhodes leaving AEW for WWE in a big money deal; and the likes of Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and now, Claudio Castagnoli, leaving WWE for AEW, it’s a clear indication that it’s a seller’s market at the moment in regards to talent.
All the fun is only likely to continue, with big names like Sasha Banks, Naomi, and Io Shirai also set to hit free agency soon. With both WWE and AEW seemingly financially stable, the madness doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T doesn’t understand how Claudio Castagnoli never received a push in WWE.
The two-time WWE Hall Of Famer recently took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to offer his thoughts on Castagnoli joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW), making his debut at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view (PPV).
Castagnoli had been with WWE since 2011 prior to signing with AEW, and never really received the big push many fans believed he deserved. As for Booker T, he can’t explain why WWE never decided to pull the trigger on the Swiss star.
“Cesaro was always my guy. I always felt like him and I had a whole lot in common. Being around for a long time, working your ass off, and waiting on someone to pull your name, and say, ‘This is the guy.’ That happened for me.
“There were many times we thought that was that moment for Claudio in the WWE, and it really never happened. I mean, me personally, I really don’t know why. But that’s one of the guys that I really feel that could have been made by just giving him a huge push and then after that, it really wouldn’t have mattered how we used him as long as we kept him at a certain tier.
“He was the guy that we could have made. Once you make a guy like that who can hold it, he’s made forever. I don’t think you’ve ever had to really worry about Claudio from an in-ring perspective, as well as if you put him in the right situation with the microphone, he delivers there as well. He’s one that I wouldn’t have wanted to lose.”
Of course, Castagnoli’s run with WWE as Cesaro certainly wasn’t uneventful. He racked up seven tag team title runs, a reign as WWE United States Champion, and an Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal victory.
However, he lacked a real big run as a singles star despite many seeing World Champion potential in the now 41-year-old. Now, he’ll join a stacked roster in AEW; which includes names such as Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, The Hardys, and more.
It will be interesting to see if Cesaro receives his long-awaited run as World Champion now that he’s with AEW.
Cesaro kept his WWE departure very quiet and it was only after he became a free agent that fans got to know about it. Nobody knew what he was planning for his future in the following months. Some even believed that he could ultimately return to WWE before he made his AEW debut as Claudio Castagnoli at Forbidden Door.
In the post-show media scrum, the former WWE star was asked about his inspiration behind joining the promotion. He first mentioned how the perfect opportunity for him arose due to Bryan Danielson’s injury. The newest AEW star explained that he is always looking for a challenge. AEW is the place where he felt like he could challenge himself:
A Kid In Candy Store
“Sometimes the stars align for a perfect moment. That’s what happened tonight. I hope Bryan is alright and I hope Bryan will be back. But it’s just perfect fit. I just talked to Mox. We’ve been going back for 10-12 years. I have known him [for] so long time.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “We used to ride together. We used to work out together. We still do. It just fits you know. At the end of the day, I’m always looking for new challenges. Here in AEW, it’s like I am a kid in a candy store.
“So here’s the other thing, you always look for a challenge. I mean, Zack Sabre Jr. on Sunday, and then Blood and Guts on Wednesday? That’s a challenge. That’s awesome. To me Blood and Guts, that’s like a staple, right? To be thrown right in there with my friends, with Mox, Yuta, it’s just amazing. That’s what gets you up in the morning, right? That’s what makes you work out every day. That’s what makes me tick. So I can’t wait. It’s awesome and what I love is that show is [on] free TV. Where do you get that on free TV? It’s awesome. So it’s like, to me that’s again, kid in a candy store.”
If you use the quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Claudio Castagnoli fka Cesaro in WWE made his surprise debut at Forbidden Door and joined the BBC. His free agency was a blessing in disguise for AEW and Tony Khan as a number of big names had to be removed from the PPV due to various injuries.
In the post-Forbidden Door media scrum, the AEW president told the story of how Castagnoli’s AEW debut came together. He revealed that he had contacted the former WWE star before he knew that Bryan Danielson will not be competing at the PPV. The original idea was for him to debut at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor PPV on July 23:
‘I Have Claudio Under Contract, Bryan’
“I asked him about coming in actually before I knew for sure that Bryan was out, but I had pretty good idea that Punk would be out. I could tell there were going to be a lot of changes. We already had a lot of injured people. I had no idea we’d have even more on the run up to the show.
“So I figured there was a chance that if Bryan made it back, that there was a good chance that probably he would have started at Death Before Dishonor. It would have been great moment there but I think for the crowd here this is something very special. As long as Bryan’s Okay, that’s the most important thing. I think he will be fine. It was great to have a great moment here at Forbidden Door. So things worked out perfectly.
“I was very fortunate. I talked to Bryan on the phone last weekend. He just wasn’t feeling 100%. As soon as he said that I said ‘We’re eight days from the pay-per-view. but if you’re not feeling 100% today, don’t even think about wrestling on the pay-per-view. Don’t even think about wrestling at Blood and Guts.’ I didn’t even want to take another chance as soon as he said that. So he mentioned Claudio, and, I said ‘it’s funny cause I have Claudio under contract, Bryan.’ I hadn’t told anybody. You’re the first person I mentioned it to.”
If you use the quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Claudio Castagnoli fka Cesaro is finally All Elite and the wrestling world is as excited to see the former WWE star join Tony Khan’s promotion as the fans.
Speculations had been high ever since Bryan Danielson announced that a mystery opponent will be replacing him in the match against Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door.
Many signs pointed toward the former WWE star making his AEW debut on the show. He got one of the loudest pops when he finally arrived.
Castagnoli went on to prove that he hasn’t lost any step during his time away from wrestling. He ended up winning the match by pinning Zack with a a powerbomb.
Wrestling World Is Excited For Claudio Castagnoli
The wrestling world reacted to this headline-making debut of the former champion. This included stars from both WWE and AEW roster.
Eddie Kingston, who previously claimed that Claudio Castagnoli did not have the balls to join AEW, reminded everyone of his old remarks:
Other names who reacted to this big Forbidden Door debut include people such as Renee Paquette, Bully Ray, Evil Uno and more. You can check out the reactions below:
