Claudio Castagnoli Taking The High Road Regarding WWE Departure, Knew He Wanted To Join AEW

After being with WWE for over a decade, Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro in WWE) departed the company in February when his contract expired. 

Claudio would eventually make his way AEW, making his first appearance at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door as Bryan Danielson’s replacement against Zack Sabre Jr. 

Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Claudio expressed gratitude for his time in WWE. 

“It can be hard to take the high road, but that’s the road I am going to take,” Castagnoli said, opting not to criticize his former employer. “All the memories, they matter. I’m grateful for everything I have accomplished and I’m grateful for all those opportunities. And they make me work so much harder to get where I want to be. Once I left, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go, I just didn’t know if it would happen. That was also time for me to take a break mentally, recharge, and come back better. My goal is always to be better than I was yesterday, to be better tomorrow than I am today. I want to be even better now than people remember.“

Claudio picked up a victory over ZSJ in his debut and then helped lead the Blackpool Combat Club to victory in Blood & Guts against the Jericho Appreciation Society. 

“I came to AEW for new challenges,” Castagnoli said. “That’s why I fit perfectly in the Blackpool Combat Club. Like [William] Regal said, ‘You either step up or get stepped on.’ I loved coming in with the BCC because I’ve known those guys for such a long time, and I know they have my back no matter what. It feels like everything here is clicking in AEW. It doesn’t feel like it’s only been a couple weeks. I’m extremely excited to find out what the future holds.”

Claudio is set to take on Jake Hager on the July 13 episode of AEW Dynamite. 

Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Dynamite beginning at 8 p.m. ET followed by a post-show podcast following the conclusion of the show.