Former WWE star declined offer from major company before joining AEW

Former WWE and current AEW star recently revealed how he chose to sign with All Elite Wrestling over competing in the NJPW's G1 Climax.

The star in question is none other than Claudio Castagnoli, who signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2022. The former WWE star made his AEW debut at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door PPV, where he successfully defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

In an interview with Denise Salcedo about the ongoing AEW Continental Classic tournament, Claudio revealed that he almost competed in the G1 Climax before inking a deal with All Elite Wrestling:

“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,” [H/T:Ringsidenews]

​

​

​

---

Former WWE star Claudio Castagnoli wants to see Sheamus in AEW

AEW star Claudio Castagnoli recently mentioned his former tag team partner Sheamus as the star he would like to see in All Elite Wrestling.

The two men used to be in a tag team known as The Bar in WWE and won multiple tag titles during their run. The duo split up in 2020, returning to singles competition.

In an exclusive interview with WrestleTalk, Castagnoli praised Sheamus and spoke about the possibility of the former United States Champion signing with AEW:

"I love him. I love Sheamus. He’s awesome. Any company that has him has a tremendous asset. He’s just an absolute workhorse. One of the hardest workers in and outside the ring that I know. Absolute maniac in the best sense of the word. So I think it’s always, whatever is best for my friends, for them, and it’s also just fun to see what will happen. But yeah, love Sheamus," Castagnoli said. [H/T ewrestlingnews]

Do you want to see Sheamus sign with All Elite Wrestling? Let us know in the comments below.

​