Booker T Believes Current AEW Star Would Have Loved To Stay In WWE

Claudio Castagnoli joined All Elite Wrestling in June, making a surprise appearance at the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view, then ultimately aligning with the Blackpool Combat Club that consists of reigning Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, current Ring of Honor Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, Bryan Danielson, and William Regal. A few weeks later, Castagnoli went on to capture the Ring of Honor World Championship for the first time in his career by defeating Jonathan Gresham at ROH Death Before Dishonor. While Castagnoli is seemingly having a successful run so far, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T believes that the Swiss superstar would love to be elsewhere.

"I'm sure Claudio would have loved to have stayed in the WWE," Booker T said on his "The Hall of Fame" podcast. "Circumstances didn't work out. If Triple H would have been in power, would things have been different? Perhaps. You know what I mean? We can only speculate on that right there, but I do know Claudio is a player. I do know Cesaro would have been a guy that, as far as I'm concerned, if I'm booking, if I'm promoting, he's high on my list as far as guys that's, you know, around the world championship."

Castagnoli, who never won a world championship in the Stamford-based company, was released by WWE in February, bringing the curtain down on his 11-year run. Although the Swiss-born wrestler did not reach the top of the mountain in the promotion, he did have major success in the tag team division, winning the "Raw" Tag Team Championship five times and the "SmackDown" Tag Team Championship twice. As far as singles accolades go, Castagnoli is a former United States Champion, and he also won the inaugural André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Hall Of Fame podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.