When Antonio Cesaro finally made it to WWE TV in 2012, the question on fans' lips was 'what took so long?'. The artist formerly known as Claudio Castagnoli had been a standout on the American independent and international scene and with his size and look appeared to be tailor-made for WWE. Well, it wasn't like WWE hadn't already tried to sign him before. The company actually offered him a developmental contract in November 2006. Cesaro had what was described as a 'very good trout' in front of WWE officials. The then-current RoH Tag Team Champion was bound for Deep South Wrestling. But something happened and the deal was taken off the table a few weeks later. Rumours at the time suggested that it was something to do with 'visa issue's but Cesaro refuted that. Whatever the case was, Cesaro was forced to go back to the indies and Japan. He would have to wait another six years for his next WWE shot.
