Claudio Castagnoli's AEW Debut Was PERFECT - Monster Push Imminent?
The former Cesaro's grand AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door arrival couldn't have gone any better.
Claudio Castagnoli was unveiled as Zack Sabre Jr.'s mystery opponent at AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door last night, defeating the cocky English technician, joining the Blackpool Combat Club, becoming #AllElite, and emerging as the show's centrepiece in a busy evening.
The former Cesaro drew a monster pop on arrival. Then, having shockingly left WWE in February, the 41-year-old defeated Sabre Jr. in his first match in over four months, continually leaning on his superior strength and power even when his opponent's surgical technical onslaught effectively took one of his arms away from him.
Later, Castagnoli became Forbidden Door's standout star. A pre-Blood and Guts brawl between the Blackpool Combat Club (and affiliates Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz) and the Jericho Appreciation Society broke out following Jon Moxley's Interim AEW World Championship triumph over Hiroshi Tanahashi. Claudio arrived last, cleaning house with an uppercut flurry before spinning Angelo Parker dozens of times, sending the JAS scarpering - and the crowd home happy.
Tony Khan hit Twitter with the #AllElite announcement after the show:-
Welcome to the team, @ClaudioCSRO!
AdvertisementClaudio Castagnoli is ALL ELITE!See you this Wednesday Night for #AEWDynamite #BloodAndGuts!Thank you to everyone all around the world who watched #ForbiddenDoor tonight! pic.twitter.com/dlzNwOwdoH
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) June 27, 2022
Castagnoli's night one presentation suggests an imminent mega-push for the ultra-talented Swiss star, who was recently linked with what would have been a sensational WWE return. He joins the rest of the BCC, Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz in AEW's second Blood and Guts match on this Wednesday's Dynamite.