Corey Graves: Cesaro Should Be Viewed In The Same Vein As A Competitor Like Bruno Sammartino

Cesaro has found himself on a hot streak in recent times, picking up singles victories over Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan before qualifying for the Elimination Chamber on the February 12 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Cesaro has often been “underrated” and many believe he should regularly find himself in the World Title picture. He has never received a one vs. one match for any World Title during his time in the company with some pointing to his “lack of personality” as to why he’s not a bigger star.

Corey Graves believes Cesaro could be a major star if presented similar to Bruno Sammartino.

“It is my personal belief that with the right situation surrounding him, Cesaro could reach new and high levels of success if he was looked at in the same way fans looked at Bruno Sammartino. [Bruno] was a classy immigrant who came to the United States, his backstory is amazing, having to flee because of the Nazis. He lived a life. He comes to America and becomes the biggest star in pro wrestling. He wasn’t a flashy guy or known for captivating interviews. From the footage I’ve seen, he’s never really blown my mind with his ability to speak or talk them into the seats. He was just ‘the dude’ and the best wrestler in the world. He was promoted as such and treated as such, so the fans looked at him with that reverence. ‘This is the guy. He’s been the champion for years and years. No one can beat him because he’s just that good.’ Not because he had a cool entrance song or a great jacket or glitz and glamour and all the sizzle. He was all steak. Cesaro is all steak. If given the position and the reverence that he deserves as the best in-ring competitor in the world — maybe Daniel Bryan, good argument, not gonna have that right now — to me, Cesaro should be viewed in the same vein as a competitor/character like Bruno. It’s all in the presentation. He’s a star and everything about him is money aside from his speaking ability because he can’t portray something he’s not. He speaks five languages, he’s not a dumb guy. Not everyone has a larger than life personality, but their actions are larger than life. That’s Cesaro’s wheelhouse,” said Graves on WWE After The Bell.

Graves clarified that he wasn’t saying Cesaro would become a star on the level of Bruno or go down in a historical context like Bruno, just that he should be presented in a similar fashion.

Cesaro is set to compete in the Elimination Chamber on Sunday, February 21 where the winner will receive a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

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