Former WWE star Claudio Castagnoli, the former Cesaro, is the latest star to join AEW when he was revealed as the mystery opponent for Zack Sabre Jr at Sunday’s AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event.
Right out of the gate, Claudio hit an uppercut then the neutralizer for 2. They went back and forth with a strong style bout. Zack countered the giant swing with a guillotine. Claudio eventually did the giant swing. Claudio with a powerbomb for the win.
Originally, NJPW had Sabre Jr. call out Danielson after his match at the Dominion event, but the match was never officially announced. Danielson confirmed on Wednesday’s Dynamite that he couldn’t wrestle at the show, but is getting a suitable mystery replacement to take his place. When this was announced, many fans speculated it could be Johnny Gargano or Cesaro.
Cesaro had been one of the top free agents in wrestling after he departed from WWE earlier this year as the two sides had been in talks about a new deal, but couldn’t come to an agreement on terms.
AEW President Tony Khan has spoken highly of the former WWE star. Earlier this month, it was reported that Cesaro had taken time off for family reasons with a young child.
What are your thoughts on Cesaro joining AEW? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
