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Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro, set the pro wrestling world on fire by debuting on AEW at Forbidden Door. He has been considered as one of the best talents in the business for years but never quite broke through into the main event picture in the WWE despite being on the verge of it on several occasions.
Now 41 years of age, this might be his last chance to be a main event player and fortunately for 'The Swiss Superman', his move to AEW might have come at the perfect time for both him and the company.
Castagnoli's win over Zack Sabre Jr might just be the beginning of big things to come for him in Tony Khan's company.
Claudio Castagnoli Is The Perfect Fit For AEW's Style Of Wrestling
It would not be a stretch to say that WWE and AEW have distinct styles of presenting their product. While Vince McMahon's company leans more on character-work and storylines rather than strict in-ring action, their competition has managed to establish itself as the primary stop for straight-up professional wrestling.
At the end of the day, it is all about preference, but it does feel like Castagnoli is a much better fit for AEW's style than he was ever in the WWE.
Castagnoli is an incredible in-ring worker, arguably one of the best in the world, but not the strongest promo or character. That is perhaps the primary reason why he never managed to break through into the main event picture in the WWE. That will be much easier to do in AEW though, where the majority of the fans view the Swissman as someone who was let down by the WWE system rather than anything else.
AEW Need Main Event Level Stars Right Now
AEW's biggest problem right now is the number of top stars that they are missing. CM Punk got put on the shelf soon after winning the AEW World Championship. Rumors have suggested that Bryan Danielson could be out for a while. Who knows when Kenny Omega will make his return. And MJF is out for the moment due to storyline reasons.
Thus, there is a lack of main event level talent on AEW television at this point of time, and as a result they could certainly do with someone like Castagnoli, who has name value from his long run in the WWE as well as the ability in the ring to make a major impact at the top of the card in AEW.
Claudio Castagnoli Would Be Fresh As A Main Event Player
Castagnoli spent more than a decade in the WWE, and before that he was in Ring of Honor for a long time as well. Thus, it is safe to say that he is not a fresh face in mainstream pro wrestling.
Despite all his talents and longevity though, he has never gotten a real main event run in any major promotion. AEW will have the chance of rectifying that mistake. All they might need to do is give Castagnoli a mouthpiece. He has every other tool required to be a top star in any wrestling company in the world.
Although he is 41 years of age, a main event run from Castagnoli would be a breath of fresh air and something that we have never really seen before. There were multiple times during his stint in the WWE when it had looked like the opportunity was there, but the company just never pulled the trigger. Let's see if AEW decide to.
Castagnoli Has Arrived At The Perfect Time For AEW
AEW seem to be in a bit of a confusing period at this point of time. They were incredibly hot last year when CM Punk, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson debuted in the company in quick succession. Since then, things have stagnated a bit and there is not a lot of real excitement around the product currently.
The Forbidden Door pay-per-view is a brilliant example of that. It featured some terrific in-ring action but AEW did not do a good job of promoting the event or the Japanese stars involved, and as a result, it did not catch the attention of the casual fans.
Castagnoli is someone that they will know well though and if booked right, he can end up having a terrific run in the company. 'The Swiss Superman' might be just the shot in the arm that AEW need right now.