Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro, made his entrance to professional wrestling with All Elite Wrestling on their first-ever show in June. The former WWE superstar appeared in a mystery opponent spot for Zack Sabre Jr. at the co-promoted pay-per-view event that was formerly called the “Forbidden Door.” Bryan Danielson did not medically clear by the event and instead will have a return later this summer as part of All Elite’s television programming.
Castagnoli, who last tasted success outside of the WWE in 2011 and had a big victory over NJPW’s Shinya Tanahashi, said that he was excited to be joining the AEW considering the company has taken him under their wing.
“Sometimes the stars align for a perfect moment,” Claudio said. “It’s what happened tonight. I hope [Bryan Danielson]’s alright, I know Bryan will be back. It’s just a perfect fit, I just talked to [Jon Moxley] and we’ve been going back 10-12 years, a long time. We used to ride together, work out together and we still do and we talk. It just fits yanno and at the end of the day, I’m always looking for new challenges and here in AEW, it’s like I’m a kid in a candy store.”
