At the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event last month, Claudio Castagnoli made his AEW debut by being introduced as Bryan Danielson’s hand-selected replacement to battle Zack Sabre Jr.
At the post-show news conference, Claudio said that his choice to join AEW was the result of the stars coming together at the ideal time. His contract with WWE, which he had been with for years, expired earlier this year because the parties couldn’t come to an agreement on new terms.
Claudio said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso that he prefers to express his gratitude to the company rather than being negative about his time with WWE and subsequent departure.
“It can be hard to take the high road, but that’s the road I am going to take. All the memories, they matter. I’m grateful for everything I have accomplished and I’m grateful for all those opportunities. And they make me work so much harder to get where I want to be. Once I left, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go, I just didn’t know if it would happen. That was also time for me to take a break mentally, recharge, and come back better. My goal is always to be better than I was yesterday, to be better tomorrow than I am today. I want to be even better now than people remember.”
Castagnoli went on to say that he joined AEW in search of fresh challenges and that joining the Blackpool Combat Club was a pleasure because he knew everyone there well. He had the impression that AEW is working out perfectly for him.
