Claudio Castagnoli has addressed his WWE departure earlier this year, explaining why he chose to leave the company.
Castagnoli became a free agent in February, after he and WWE were unable to come to terms on a new contract. He debuted for AEW at the Forbidden Door NJPW crossover show in June.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Castagnoli opened up about his exit. Noting that he wanted to do something different after over a decade in WWE, Castagnoli said:
“I’m always happy and grateful, but I also kinda knew where I was thought of. So, I was just looking for something different.
“When I look at AEW. there’s so many guys that I want to be in the ring with that I haven’t necessarily been in the ring with.”
Castagnoli is currently the ROH World Champion. On the September 7 edition of Dynamite, Daniel Garcia defeated Castagnoli’s Blackpool Combat Club teammate Wheeler Yuta to win the ROH Pure Championship.
Praising both stars, Castagnoli said:
“Those guys, they’re like 24 years old. It’s insane. Imagine how good they’re gonna be when they’re 30.
There’s so many young people there that I was like ‘this is amazing. I want to be part of that.’ You’re only as good as your last match and you need to be doing stuff with people that push you and are better than you. I want to wrestle those young guys and I want to see if I still got it.”
Castagnoli most recently defended his ROH World Title against Dax Harwood on the September 9 episode of Rampage.
Stay up to date with AEW win/loss records for 2022 using our tracker right here.
Transcription via Wrestling Inc.
Check out WrestleShop.com for all your favorite WrestleTalk merch, the WrestleTalk Magazine, wrestling shirts for grown-ups, and more!
Trending
- Bo Dallas WWE Faction Debut Update
- Two Championship Matches Confirmed For WWE King & Queen Of The Ring
- Released WWE Star Reveals New Ring Name
- WWE Star Confirmed To Have ‘Legitimate’ Injury
- Drew McIntyre Responds After Missing CM Punk On WWE Raw
- WWE Star Breaks Character After Surprise Fan Reaction
- Retired WWE Name Spotted Doing In-Ring Training
- WWE Star Confirms Imminent Departure
- WWE Star Drops Big Judgment Day Tease
- Report: WWE Denied ‘First Choice’ Host City For Major Event