Claudio Castagnoli Discusses Maintaining Friendships With WWE Stars

Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro in WWE, has dedicated over twenty years to the world of professional wrestling. With such an expansive history where he impacted numerous promotions over the years, Claudio has formed friendships with wrestlers around the world that come from different walks of life. Over half of his time in the business has been spent with WWE, and it was clear through backstage documentaries on the WWE Network that he had cultivated genuine, caring friendships with stars like Sheamus and Drew McIntyre. "Sheamus is still my friend. I still have Seth Rollins, my friend," Claudio told Dallas Morning News this week. "There's still a lot of people there that are my friends that I still talk to. That stuff never changes. To me, friendship is extremely important."

Fellow crossover stars that transitioned from WWE to AEW, like Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, were easy to rekindle a connection with when Claudio signed to wrestle with AEW, leading to the forming of their Blackpool Combat Club stable on television. Their natural chemistry together made for entertaining television and, more importantly, memorable matches. "I just fit perfect. And that's because of friendship, and that's because of the bond we forged over the years," Claudio said.

Despite William Regal betraying Mox and costing him the AEW World Title, it appears the members of BCC intend to stay united in some capacity after Claudio's appearance with Wheeler Yuta during "Dynamite" on November 30. But there's no telling what the long-term future holds for "The Swiss Superman," and whether he's working alongside friends in AEW or friends back in WWE, Claudio is cherishing the moments as they come. "You spend 150-200 days on the road [in WWE]; those people become very, very close to you," Claudio said.