Claudio Castagnoli – then known as Cesaro – was a very friendly man during his run in WWE.
A member of not one, not two, but three factions, working alongside Sheamus in the Bar, with Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger in the Real Americans – a funny faction for a man from Switzerland – and with Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura as part of the Artist Collective, Castagnoli consistently found himself surrounded by likeminded individuals whether wrestling for RAW or SmackDown and seemed to enjoy being part of a team or even just having a manager like Paul Heyman.
However, if there's one faction that Castagnoli never officially joined but has remained an important building block of his career to this very day, it's The Shield, who shared the ring with “The Swiss Superman” on dozens of occasions in one form or another over their shared time in WWE. Discussing his relationship with The Shield in an interview with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, Castagnoli thanked Moxley for calling him an extra member of the faction and noted how their relationship has grown since.
“For Jon to say we were like extra members is very kind. I was riding with Jon before he got called up with The Shield but was on the road for almost a year. Then we were all riding together when they became The Shield,” Claudio Castagnoli said. “So our ways have been intertwined for a long time. I learned a lot from Jon, and we have a lot of memories from the road. We were joking yesterday before the show about the two of us walking around Tokyo looking for a wrestling store on our first WWE tour in Japan. And now we’re here doing what we do best in NJPW.”
Working alongside Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club for almost a year now, having debuted at the original running of Forbidden Door as Zack Sabre Jr.'s surprise opponent, Castagnoli has become the Ring of Honor World Champion on two occasions and taken part in some of the most compelling matches of his career. Not too shabby for a 42-year-old who hadn't held championship gold since 2020.
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli are taking the BCC to Japan.
Despite having some travel issues that nearly cost the “Swiss Superman” his spot in the match, Claudio Castagnoli was able to join Jon Moxley and Shota “Shooter” Umino in a match NJPW Dominion, where the team went to war against Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Though the match didn't turn out as planned, Moxley let it be known that this wasn't a one-off, as he's going to be returning to the country early and often now that he has residency in the country.
“A couple kids, a couple trips to rehab later, here we are. Every single time I come back to Japan, I will give you my absolute best, just like Claudio will, just like Shooter will,” Moxley said. “I am so godd**ned glad to be back in Japan. This is a place where fighting spirit is revered, this is a place where fighting spirit pays off in the ring, in that magical moment where blood and sweat and will and guts and all that s**t mixes into one. It’s the greatest f**king drug in the world. I love that s**t. F**k yeah. We’ll wrestle again. I got f**king plans. I got a f**king resident card now. I know Okada has been f**king with the visa thing and trying to get our s**t stopped up. But I got the card now. I’ll come back whenever the f**k I want. Thank you, Japan.”
Moxley then turned his attention to Okada specifically, who got the pin on Umino in their match. Though Mox and company weren't able to get the win in Japan, the man formerly known as “The Lunatic Fringe” believes his BCC teammate, Bryan Danielson, will be able to secure the W at Forbidden Door.
“Congratulations, Okada. You beat a f**king 14-year-old. Real cool, man. You like picking on Shota, huh? You, rich kids, bullies, you guys, Ishii, Tanahashi, Okada, the cool kids. The guys they call the best in the world that can do no wrong,” Moxley said.
“Personally, me, I don’t have any time for you motherf**kers. I’m not very impressed with you at all. I am the most criminally and chronically undervalued, looked-over, just total piece of s**t. You guys are the best, apparently. That’s what a lot of people say. Well, far be it for me to disagree. Maybe my friend, my training partner, the man who has inspired a generation, Bryan F**king Danielson, the American Dragon, maybe he can teach you what I mean. But when I look at you, I have no impetus to show you one godd**ned bit of respect.”
Will the BCC dominate Forbidden Door like they dominated Double or Nothing? Only time will tell, but it's safe to say it's going to be a fight moreso than a friendly battle between friends.
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