Claudio Castagnoli is very eager to compete with everyone in AEW.
Claudio Castagnoli arrived in AEW at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event in June and since then has competed in a wide variety of match types against an array of opponents of all sizes. From Blood & Guts to ROH World Title defenses on AEW Dark, Claudio prides himself on his ability to work with anyone in wrestling. Claudio credits AEW's roster and variety as one of the driving forces behind his decision to join the promotion following the expiration of his WWE contract.
Speaking to Kurt Angle on his podcast, The Kurt Angle Show, Claudio Castagnoli was overwhelmed when asked to name some members on the roster that he was looking forward to working against.
Claudio named everyone from names he's already shared a locker room with such as Chris Jericho, Miro, and Kenny Omega, to new faces such as The Lucha Brothers, Wardlow, and Daniel Garcia.
“Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta are definitely on my list. Yuta, obviously, less so because we're both in the Blackpool Combat Club together, so maybe teaming up with him,” Claudio began. “Oh my God, the Lucha Brothers. they're both amazing. I was in a Ladder Match with them. Then there's Andrade and RUSH, who are both amazing stars. I haven't wrestled The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in a long time. So, of course, I think that will be on a lot of people's lists. I haven't had a match with Chris Jericho that was like — I've faced him a lot on live events and maybe one or two TV matches but they were not very long, so that will be something else.
“There's a bunch of younger kids that I would definitely like to get in the ring with,” he continued. “Dante Martin, for example.”
When asked about Wardlow, Claudio joked that he is so big that when they see each other in the hallway, he has to walk sideways so that they can both fit. Claudio also stated that he would like to face Orange Cassidy because he's known him for such a long time and thinks that they could have fun together.
Speaking of names that he has known for a long time, Claudio also cited Miro as a great example of someone who has transformed since his time in WWE.
“Miro, I mean, the transformation that he made is absolutely awesome. The Redeemer, it's amazing. Every time I walk in the locker room, I'm like, ‘Okay, there's another bunch —’ you know, MJF, there's John Silver, who a lot of people say is kind of like the mini-me. So there are just so many people there that I want to be in the ring with and that's one of the big reasons why I picked AEW. Sorry, Kurt, I didn't give you one, I think I gave you almost the whole roster,” said Castagnoli.
Claudio most recently defended his Ring of Honor World Championship against Dax Harwood on the September 9 episode of AEW Rampage, coming away with yet another victory since joining AEW.
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