Cesaro In WWE: Where Did It All Go Wrong
WWE's 10-step guide to ruining one of the best pro wrestlers on the planet.
Cesaro's WWE contract ticked down and the workhorse pro wrestler extraordinaire officially left the company on 24 February. Neither side was able to come to terms on a renewal, which means the Swiss star's near 11-year run has come to a sudden (and totally unsatisfying) end.
Where did it all go wrong?!
That's a tough question - Cesaro is definitely one of the best workers on the planet today, and the dude can work top-tier bouts in his sleep. The answer is also a multi-layered one, because it's not all WWE's fault. Yes, the summary line may blast the promotion for dropping the ball constantly, but there are two sides to every story.
WWE are mainly to blame though. They're the ones who repeatedly shoved Cesaro into scenarios that didn't suit his skillset, and they're the folks who directly failed to follow up on any successes with something that'd take him to the next level.
This isn't a new concern either. Cesaro had been wobbling in WWE for a long time, and there will be some who hope he's now AEW or Japan-bound ASAP.
Here's how things went to sh*t.
10. Yodelling
Are you not sports entertained?!
Countless wrestlers have spoken about Vince McMahon's need to take workers out of their comfort zone. The WWE overseer's thinking is fairly simple, and boils down to hoping stars "show some personality". If they don't have much of that, then the company's creative division will compensate.
Or, in the case of Cesaro, it'll make them weave in embarrassing yodels. In 2013, the man's Swiss heritage became a focal point when he started yodelling on his way to the ring. It was supposed to be grating, but it only made him look like a total fool and felt like a waste of time.
This was one of the first missteps for Cesaro in WWE. McMahon's apparent desire to strip wrestlers down and build them back up again went awry here. The fact he thought Antonio (yes, he had a first name back then) Cesaro would get over as a heel by yodelling says it all.