Claudio Castagnoli Says He Was Extremely Close To Being In NJPW G1 Climax Before He Joined AEW

Claudio Castagnoli was close to being in the NJPW G1 Climax in 2022.

Claudio Castagnoli was close to being in the NJPW G1 Climax in 2022.

Claudio Castagnoli made his AEW debut at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2022, as he was revealed as Bryan Danielson’s replacement in his match against Zack Sabre Jr. In recent weeks, Castagnoli has been competing in the AEW Continental Classic, a tournament that has been compared to the NJPW G1 Climax.

In an interview with Denise Salcedo, Claudio Castagnoli was asked about the AEW Continental Classic. He noted that he was close to competing in the NJPW G1 Climax before he joined AEW in June 2022.

“I was very excited. [Laughs] Right before I joined AEW, I was extremely close, probably a couple days away before doing the G1 for New Japan. I always want to do the G1, and I still owe them one, I feel like. So to do the Continental Classic, I was super excited,” Castagnoli said.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door was held on June 26, 2022. The NJPW G1 Climax 32 began on July 16, 2022.

Castagnoli competed at NJPW Dominion on June 4, 2023, as he teamed up with Jon Moxley and Shota Umino to face Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Claudio Castagnoli previously stated that he will compete in the NJPW G1 Climax before he retires. Check out his comments here.

At AEW Worlds End, Castagnoli is set to compete in the All-Star 8-Man Tag Team Match. More information is available here.

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