"Maybe the last straw" - New AEW signee recalls former WWE star inspiring him to leave; wanting to differ from Cody Rhodes
AEW and ROH star Claudio Castagnoli has named Johnny Gargano as one of his influences when considering leaving WWE.
Formerly known as Cesaro in WWE, Castagnoli enjoyed a reign with the United States Championship and several tag team title runs before leaving at the end of his deal earlier this year. He made his AEW debut at Forbidden Door, replacing Bryan Danielson at the event and joining as the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club against Zack Sabre Jr.
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet at Starrcast V, The Swiss Superman discussed what drove him to leave WWE for AEW, naming Johnny Gargano's farewell promo as a leading influence.
"One of the things was Johnny Gargano's last promo in NXT where he said 'always bet on yourself.' That was like maybe the last straw. 'Yup, he's 100% right'. It was a lot of things leading up to it. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because a lot of people do. When Cody left the first time. he made that list of who he wanted to wrestle. After that, everybody made a list. It was the new favorite thing. I wanted to do it differently," Claudio said. (H/T Fightful)
I’m the one who knocks🚪 https://t.co/p0nGSUgSW0
He also went into detail about how he didn't want to follow the trend Cody Rhodes had set when he left WWE, listing his wish list of dream opponents instead opting for a surprise return.
Claudio Castagnoli divulged why he picked AEW over WWE
During the same interview, Castagnoli discussed what made him choose Tony Khan's promotion.
The key difference between the promotions is, of course, the vastly different rosters. That's something that the Swiss Superman tagged as crucial in his own decision, saying he wanted to wrestle more people on the All Elite roster.
"One of the things was, there are so many people that I want to be in the ring with at AEW and Ring of Honor. I have matches for the next years that I want to do. While there are still guys in WWE that I haven't wrestled that I want to wrestle, that number is less than at AEW. At my core, I always want to improve and get better and have new challenges, Castagnoli added. (H/T Fightful)
Who's excited for the era of @ClaudioCSRO as @ringofhonor World Champion?!
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Castagnoli appears to have made the right decision. Having made his debut in a dream clash against Zack Sabre Jr., he participated in Blood & Guts against the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Keeping up the momentum, Claudio recently won the ROH World Championship from Jonathan Gresham at Death Before Dishonor. He will have his first title at the upcoming Battle of the Belts III against DDT star Konosuke Takeshita.
What do you think of the Swiss Superman's All Elite run so far? Sound off in the comments below.