The former Cesaro is indeed All Elite, as Claudio Castagnoli debuted with AEW during Forbidden Door, joining Blackpool Combat Club in the process.
Claudio Castagnoli has become the latest name to become All Elite after debuting as the mystery opponent for Zack Sabre Jr. during AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door. He’s also now the newest member of The Blackpool Combat Club.
Claudio fulfilled the role of Bryan Danielson, who had been removed from Forbidden Door after being medically unclear to wrestle. Though not outright confirmed, Danielson vs. Sabre Jr. was one of the most anticipated matches for Forbidden Door.
#ZSJ's opponent is none other than Claudio Castagnoli @ClaudioCSRO, the newest member of the #BlackpoolCombatClub, here at #ForbiddenDoor! Order the PPV right now! #AEWxNJPWpic.twitter.com/uZdC9x5eFG
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 27, 2022
In the days preceding Forbidden Door, Claudio Castagnoli had been anticipated as the mystery opponent for ‘The Technical Wizard’. Fightful Select reported prior to Forbidden Door going on-air that promotional material had been made for Claudio’s participation in this year’s Blood & Guts match, with a second update stating that he had been seen backstage.
‘The Swiss Superman’ hasn’t been seen since being let go from WWE on 24 February. He’d been signed to the promotion since 2011, amassing one reign as WWE United States Champion, alongside a multitude of Tag Team Championship reigns. Prior to this, he was one of the top stars on the independent circuit.
His official signing is yet to be confirmed by either AEW or Tony Khan via the standard ‘Welcome to the team’ tweet. Claudio will now wrestle on Wednesday’s Dynamite broadcast alongside Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Wheeler YUTA, Ortiz, and Santana against The Jericho Appreciation Society in the second annual Blood & Guts match.