During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Claudio Castagnoli talked about how his AEW debut came together and what it was like the day of.
At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door, Claudio Castagnoli made his promotional debut against Zack Sabre Jr. He replaced Bryan Danielson in the match as Zack’s mystery opponent. He was also named Bryan’s replacement for the Blood & Guts match.
As Claudio’s debut was a secret, Claudio now says that he was hidden and had to have a private plane fly him in for the show.
The new Blackpool Combat Club member revealed how his debut came together.
Being Hidden During Forbidden Door
Castagnoli said:
“Yeah, so yes, on a special flight, no, on a hotel, kind of right to the arena. And I was kind of hiding. Well, they were like, ‘well, we put you on,’ like, I’ll just go to the locker room.
“They’re like, ‘No, no, you can’t do that.’ I’m like, ‘okay,’ so I was kind of in hiding, but I saw a lot of the guys. And a lot of the friends that came said hello. So it was pretty cool.”
Claudio Castagnoli on being hidden during Forbidden Door
He added, “Yeah, I mean, I, you know, they said maybe some vague texts to some good friends. Like, you know, maybe you come over here, you know? Because I know you, I wanted to say hello. And some people had an idea. So they came and say hello. So it was great. Yeah.”
Claudio was then asked about having to go through the airport and trying to have his location remain a secret.
The former Cesaro revealed, “Yeah, I may not have been at a public airport. So I didn’t have that problem.
“No, yeah, no, I was, it was kind of a private thing. And then I was whisked to the arena. And then I was there for the rest of the day. It couldn’t have worked out any better I thought.”
Acting As Bryan Danielson’s Replacement
At Forbidden Door, Claudio served as Bryan Danielson’s replacement. He spoke about how the debut and match came together and his feelings regarding being the replacement.
“Yeah. And, yeah, obviously very, very sad and upset to hear about Bryan being hurt. But I’m very flattered to be I mean, you know, if it’s somebody who plays Bryan, and you think of me, I’m like, it’s a very flattering compliment.
“And also, you know, Bryan is a very good friend. So of course, I jumped in at a heartbeat, you know, help him and Blackpool Combat Club, which are all my friends anyway. You know, fits perfect again, just worked out.
“So perfect. I was very excited that that was the beginning,” Castagnoli said.
Claudio was also asked if his Forbidden Door debut was the original plan or not.
He responded, “It was not. There was something in the works. But then it was like, ‘Can you start next week?’ That kind of thing. And I was like, ‘Yeah, of course. That’s … I’m a professional, right?”
Hugging Tony Khan
After the AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, at the post-show media scrum, Claudio and AEW Owner Tony Khan shared a hug. Many wrestling fans had opinions on the hug, but Claudio thinks that people will always find something to complain about.
He said:
“It’s so strange because that was after Forbidden Door, the press conference. And it was literally like, it was like a quick hug.
“It was just like, I was done and it was just like, you know when you like see your friend and you give like a high five and then like a pat on the back kind of hug? And like it was screen captured.
“And I guess people remembered it. Hey, it’s just a few bros hugging you know.
“… If people want to complain, they’ll find something to complain about the picture or whatever.“
Believes It Should Just Be Taken As A Positive
“And if people like it, they’ll hopefully find something you like about because but I would rather be somebody that appreciates something and says something positive and likes it you know?
“Like, that was a great picture. It was a great night, there was a great view, we hugged awesome, right? Like, isn’t that great? Right?
“Yeah, successful show successful pay-per-view in Chicago, New Japan and AEW coming together, who people didn’t think that was going to be possible, and so many awesome matches on that show.
“I was just watching the whole show like what I could and it was fantastic. So just take a positive here.”
Watch Steve Fall’s full conversation with Claudio Castagnoli right here:
SEScoops recently got to speak with Wheeler Yuta. Jaychele Nicole spoke to him about Claudio Castagnoli making his debut and joining the Blackpool Combat Club. You can read about that here.
