"A series of unfortunate events" - Former WWE Superstar speculates Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman's pairing nixed plans for his own push
Claudio Castagnoli discussed his short-lived time as a Paul Heyman guy in WWE and what could have put their arrangement to an end.
Claudio had just won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30. He was still a part of the Real Americans alongside Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) and Zeb Colter (Dutch Mantel).
The very next night on RAW, the Swiss Superman declared himself to be a Paul Heyman guy. Many felt that the partnership could have led to a major push within the company.
Despite their promises, their arrangement lasted just four months. Claudio explained to Insight's Chris Van Vliet that Brock Lesnar and Heyman's pairing could have been the catalyst for change in his own partnership:
"I can speculate. I think Paul said the same thing, that he was put out there to talk about Brock Lesnar ending the streak and I was the tool because I could wrestle. It was an excuse for him to go out there and talk about Brock. Brock came back and I stopped being with Paul. It was a series of unfortunate events for me. Looking back, it was a great learning experience. I got the chance to wrestle great guys and to be out there with Paul Heyman and watch him do his thing." (H/T Fightful)
While acknowledging the situation as a "series of unfortunate events," Castagnoli remained with a positive outlook and described it all as a learning experience.
In case you missed it, you can check out the AEW Dynamite results here.
Claudio won his first world title only months after leaving WWE
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Despite having all of the fundamentals, there never came an opportune time for the Swiss Superstar during his days as Cesaro in WWE. In his time with the promotion, he captured the United States title and several tag title reigns. However, Claudio departed WWE earlier this year when his contract expired.
Claudio made his AEW debut at Forbidden Door. Since then, he participated in and won Blood & Guts before securing the ROH World title at Death Before Dishonor. The title win marked his first world championship in wrestling, and came just months after he departed WWE.
Did Claudio Castagnoli deserve a longer run with Paul Heyman? Is he better off with AEW? Let us know in the comments below