Claudio Castagnoli had a rather perfect debut at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, and William Regal is just the latest star to praise the former Cesaro and his professionalism. Tony Khan revealed last week that Castagnoli was already under contract before Bryan Danielson's injury forced him off the Forbidden Door card. The plan was to debut the Swiss Superman at the first ROH pay-per-view of the summer, Death Before Dishonor. The American Dragon's injury opened the door for Castagnoli to wrestle Zack Sabre Jr. on pay-per-view, though, and the timing was just right.
Always one of the most underappreciated wrestlers in WWE, Castagnoli was never really in line to be one of Vince McMahon's favorites, despite his apparent strength and capability in the ring. Now that he's in AEW, it seems like Castagnoli is finally receiving all of the praise that he never obtained during his time with The Other Company. Tony Schiavone recently spoke highly of Castagnoli, and Khan himself has admitted to being impressed as well.
Add William Regal to that already impressive list of Castagnoli fans. He spoke on his Gentleman Villain podcast recently and had the following to say with regards to the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club: "Incredible to have him, not only a part of AEW, but he’s one of my favorite people. I think he’s one of the great professionals of the world … We could do a whole podcast on my admiration for Claudio, and he’s a pro through and through, he’s incredible." Regal went on to speak about what makes Claudio so special. "Everything about him, the way he carries himself, what he’s gone through, how he’s got to this point in his life just getting to America … I really do think he’s quite possibly when I say the best professional, professional around today, and maybe as much as anybody, ever." (h/t to wrestlinginc.com for the transcription)
The injury to Danielson is obviously not great news and took some wind out of the sails of Forbidden Door. Having a talent like Castagnoli on the back burner proved wise for Khan, however, and inserting him into the Blackpool Combat Club almost made too much sense. Khan alluded to that fact during media availability ahead of the pay-per-view, and that turned out to be spot on.
With so many injuries to AEW's top wrestlers, there's a way forward for Castagnoli to be at the top of the card sooner rather than later. All Elite hasn't typically pushed ex-WWE wrestlers to the main event scene, but Claudio's momentum paired with injuries to the likes of Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Danielson, and Punk, creates a window of opportunity for AEW to strike while the iron is hot. Castagnoli is already a star, but the right booking in the coming weeks and months could put him on another level entirely. He was great during the Blood & Guts match and a down-the-line feud with Eddie Kingston will be incredible. It'll be interesting to see what's in the immediate future for Castagnoli as he settles in with AEW.
Sources: Gentleman Villain, wrestlinginc.com