Gone are the days of the Cesaro Section, a revamped persona designed to finally grab the elusive brass ring, or anything to distract from Claudio Castagnoli’s pure wrestling ability.
Since he joined AEW last year, Castagnoli has been able to focus on doing exactly what he loves: wrestling.
“I don’t think you can necessarily compare (my time in WWE to AEW), and I don’t necessarily look at it as a fresh start,” Castagnoli tells Uproxx Sports. “I look at it more of a new chapter because everything I do now is built on what I’ve done. To me, it’s always time to reflect on the past, to learn from your mistakes and get better.
“I try to be better every day and try to represent the Ring of Honor World Championship and the promotion as good as I can by defending the Ring of Honor world title on any show, be it on AEW Dark, on Rampage, on Honor Club, showcasing the title in Japan,” he continues. “Just trying to bring the prestige back to the Ring of Honor World Championship. You’re looking at every single match as a new opportunity, (where) I have something to prove. If somebody watches Ring of Honor or me for the first time, I want to make them a fan of the product. I want to make them a fan of me or wrestling in general. Or at least respect it. And if I can do that, I’ve done my job well.”
The lessons of more than 20 years in wrestling have led Castagnoli to finally trust his instincts, doing more of what he wants, and moving on if things don’t go perfectly. Besides, shooting for perfection is a bit off-base in his eyes, as he says “it shouldn’t all be perfect, then it will be boring.”
He also calls it an “absolute blast” pulling double duty on both Ring of Honor and AEW, and working alongside the likes of Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.
“When I stepped in, it just felt like I fit right in. There was no trial period. There was no phase where I felt it was awkward. It felt right and perfect from that first moment,” Castagnoli says. “Being around people like Mox and Bryan, you just have to keep up. It’s extremely motivating and it’s an extremely good learning experience for me. That’s who I want to surround myself with, people who are better, people who keep me on my toes, and people who have that competitive edge. It’s been an absolute pleasure and that’s what translates in front of the camera. We’re trying to find ways to make everything better.”
Castagnoli is especially high on his Blackpool Combat Club running mate Wheeler Yuta. Unlike Danielson and Moxley, who he knew before he came to the promotion, Castagnoli met Yuta for the first time when he joined AEW. He’s complimentary of the way he’s grown as a wrestler and the attitude he shows as he works to get better and better, particularly when it comes to applying bits of advice and criticism to his craft.
Now, it’s gotten to the point where Castagnoli finds a main event-level jump inevitable for Yuta. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing — which is getting better listening, learning, and he will — he will find whatever that is that he needs to get to that next level,” Castagnoli says. “I’m sure he will find it sooner than later.”
Castagnoli will step into the ring alongside Yuta, Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, and Pac to take on Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Kota Ibushi in a Blood and Guts match on July 19 at TD Garden in Boston. While he wouldn’t get into specifics, Castagnoli says he’s been devising something creative for the live event’s namesake match, and once that’s over, his eyes are on his responsibilities as a champion and going across the pond — Castagnoli will defend the Ring of Honor title against fellow ROH mainstay Mark Briscoe before turning his attention to All In at Wembley Stadium in London.
At this point, All In has allegedly sold more than 70,000 tickets despite no matches being announced. The mere fact that it exists makes it one of the most exciting events in AEW history, and few people are looking forward to it more than Castagnoli.
“I’m very excited, I think it’s absolutely incredible because Europe, and especially England, have deserved a stadium show for a long time,” he says. “And I’m really happy AEW is giving it to them and I’m really happy I’m going to be part of it. It’s absolutely amazing. Some people were kind of snickering and like, ‘Oh, they’re going to try to run Wembley.’ We’re not trying, we are running it very successfully. There’s so many tickets sold already, so it’s amazing. I can’t wait.”
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/claudio-castagnoli-interview-aew-roh-blackpool-combat-club/
