Fan-favorite Cesaro could be Samoa Joe's mystery opponent for the Owen Hart Cup
The Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament bracket is almost complete except for a surprise name yet to be revealed. So far, the mystery man is being referred to as the "Joker."
Speculations about the identity of the Joker are running wild among AEW fans, and the most speculated name is former WWE Superstar Cesaro.
This week's Dynamite consisted of many star-power matches and good segments. In an exciting episode that saw IMPACT star William Morrissey (Big Cass in WWE) make his AEW debut against Wardlow, two qualifier matches for the men’s Owen Hart Tournament took place.
The first qualifier of the night saw Jeff Hardy defeat Bobby Fish in an overall good match to advance into the tournament. Ray Fenix and Dante Martin delivered an instant classic in the second qualifier that made the crowd go ballistic. Fenix went on to register an impressive win.
The bracket so far and the Cesaro conundrum
With some highly anticipated matches, like Jeff Hardy vs. Darby Allin and Adam Cole vs. Dax Harwood, the most hyped match remains Samoa Joe vs. the Joker. Joe recently inked a deal with AEW and is running wild.
In a shocking turn of events, Cesaro silently exited WWE on February 24, 2022. The athlete is now the hottest free agent in pro wrestling. Claudio Castagnoli, aka Cesaro, parted ways with WWE after failing to come to mutual terms of agreement for a new contract, ending his 11-year tenure.
❤️ https://t.co/AZDCfnJQTA
Fan theories about Cesaro appearing on AEW disguised as a cameraman
The Twitterverse recently brought up an interesting theory as photos of a muscular cameraman from AEW were compiled from February to this week's Dynamite. Many speculated that this jacked-up cameraman could be Cesaro hiding in plain sight.
The muscled up cameraman that has been appearing since February was back tonight. Kinda looks like Cesaro doesn’t he? #AEWDynamite https://t.co/lmMNZUkxdb
A slight resemblance can be observed in his physique if one looks closer. However, the photos are blurry and not conclusive enough. It's hard because the cameraman is cladded with an all-black outfit, a hat, and a mask.
Why Cesaro is rumored to face Samoa Joe and the history between them
The Swiss Cyborg wasn't released from WWE. Instead, his contract expired. Hence, there's no 90-days non-compete clause, and he's free to debut for any promotion.
Cesaro and Samoa Joe have a deep history since their indie days. They wrestled several times in various independent shows. They also had a great rivalry during their Ring of Honor days for the CZW invasion of ROH storyline back in 2006.
#RAW EXCLUSIVE: Take a second look at @WWECesaro vs. @SamoaJoe through WWE.com's Super Slow-Motion cameras! @ILikeSamiZayn https://t.co/NN6TrbmJiG
After a backstage segment ignited their old rivalry, Joe and Cesaro wrestled a great match in WWE. It led to an amazing singles match for the 2017 King of the Ring Tournament, where Joe came victorious.
Anticipation and other potential prospects
During a media call for Revolution, AEW owner Tony Khan opened up about his interest in signing the former WWE star:
"I do like him a lot, and I have to say that I met him many years ago, and he's a real gentleman Claudio. I have a ton of respect for him as a pro wrestler, I think he's a great athlete, he's a phenomenal athlete let's be honest his strength is tip top. He has very few peers in the power department and also mentally he puts great matches together, he's got great psychology and just a great guy. So yeah I mean it's always something I would be open to".
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During his WWE stint, Claudio was highly regarded as one of the most talented and underutilized performers. The 41-year-old wasn't given a top championship opportunity despite being an amazing in-ring worker and quite over with fans as management doubted his promo skills. Every time it seemed like he was being given a push, it fizzled out.
Cesaro indeed feels like a perfect fit for AEW's style. Cesaro vs. Joe seems like a fantastic buzz-creating match for the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament. His potential addition to the AEW roster ignites the potential of several dream match set-ups.
Lord.
Please.
Let the Joker in the tourney be Cesaro.
Please.
I'll behave for the rest of 2022. #AEWDynamite
God could you imagine the stupid shit Fenix would pull out if its Cesaro lol twitter.com/AEW/status/152…
Which person would you rather see face Samoa Joe next week? #AEWDynamite https://t.co/hyQJPwRFTl
So does anyone *not* want the Joker facing Samoa Joe in the Owen Hart Tournament to be Cesaro / Claudio Castsgnoli? Because the timeline seems pretty decided. And we agree! #AEWDynamite https://t.co/BYsG56faDN
While other marvelous performers like Miro and Johnny Gargano are also touted to be Joe's mystery opponent for the quarterfinal match, Cesaro seems to be the frontrunner in social media speculations. It'll be good news for wrestling fans if he takes his talents to the AEW ring.