Claudio Castagnoli retains ROH World Championship at AEW Battle of the Belts III
Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli successfully defended his title at AEW Battle of the Belts III against Konosuke Takeshita.
The Swiss star stood against DDT Pro Wrestling star Takeshita, who earned his opportunity after great showings against Castagnoli's Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Jon Moxley and acquaintance Eddie Kingston.
#AEWBattleOfTheBelts III.@Takesoup delivers every single match 👏 #AEWBattleOfTheBelts III https://t.co/ekWNhOK77S
At various points in the match, Takeshita looked like he could take the title away from the AEW star, with several convincing near falls. However, Castagnoli endured an onslaught before mounting a comeback that ended with a Ricola Bomb to retain the title.
We really don't know how @ClaudioCSRO did this #AEWBattleOfTheBelts III https://t.co/tTGtO6sAX6
The former WWE star has been the ROH Champion since Death Before Dishonor, where he captured the title from Jonathan Gresham in the show's opener. He made his All-Elite debut at Forbidden Door, replacing Bryan Danielson against NJPW's Zack Sabre Jr. and joining the Blackpool Combat Club.
He stood with the BCC, Eddie Kingston, and Ortiz against the Jericho Appreciation Society at Blood & Guts.
Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta appeared to express intentions for the ROH Tag Titles when they came out to stare the FTR down following their title defense at Death Before Dishonor.
What did you make of AEW Battle of Belts III? Let us know in the comments section below.