Claudio Castagnoli On Vince McMahon Saying He Lacked Charisma: I Thought He Was Wrong

Claudio Castagnoli has a different type of charisma. 

In 2014, Vince McMahon appeared on Steve Austin’s podcast on WWE Network. During the conversation, McMahon discussed what young talent was lacking and why they hadn’t grabbed the brass ring. When it came to Claudio (Cesaro in WWE), McMahon said, while he had the physical tools, he had a lack of charisma and verbal skills. 

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet at Starrcast V, Claudio was asked about Vince’s comments.

“I thought he was wrong. I feel charisma comes in different forms, shapes, sizes. Not everybody has that over the top Ultimate Warrior, shaking the ropes, crazy yelling, screaming type of charisma. Not that I’m sitting here telling you how awesome my charisma, but I felt I had a connection with the fans in the United States and all over the world. While other people are known for long promos that are translated in many languages and doesn’t always come across, my stuff was about the in-ring work and people can connect with that. It may take a bit longer, but I did connect with a lot of fans and they were behind me. I don’t know if it’s not what he was looking for, but in the end, it brought me here and you guys are here to see me,” said Claudio. 

While Claudio would have success as a multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion and United States Champion, he never won a World Title in WWE. 

Claudio left WWE in February 2022 after his contract expired and would eventually find himself in AEW. He is the reigning ROH World Champion, winning the title from Jonathan Gresham at ROH Death Before Dishonor. 

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