Claudio Castagnoli is a professional wrestler from Switzerland. In the ring, he is known as Antonio Cesaro. During his sports career, he managed to establish himself as a team wrestler. But he also won a large number of titles in solo appearances against rivals. Castagnoli constantly recalls his European origin and often shines with a sharp mind, and not just an excellent physical shape.
First steps in sports
Claudio Castagnoli was born in 1980 on December 27th. He studied wrestling in his homeland, in Switzerland. His coach was fellow countryman SigMasta Rappo. Castagnoli debuted in 2000 on September 24th. For the first time, an athlete entered the ring at the Westside Xtreme Wrestling in Germany. Then he spoke no longer alone, but with Ares. The duo of two wrestlers was known as the Swiss Bank. A little later Castagnoli went to England, where he began training with Dave Taylor. For a short period of his performances in the ring, Claudio managed to make acquaintance with Chris Hiro, with whom he subsequently trained a lot. In addition, he met Mike Quakenbush, who made an offer to the Swiss Bank to conduct its spectacular entry into the United States. In 2004, Claudio Castagnoli caught luck by the tail, winning the Green Card. He managed to become a US citizen. The wrestler begins to enter the ring in Chikara, while his partner Ares returns to Switzerland.
Claiming the World Championship
In 2007, Castagnoli and his partner at that time (Matt Saidal) opposed the Briscoe brothers. Two wrestling teams vied for the world team title in Ring of Honor. But Claudio failed to win. He was given a second chance. In another speech against the Briscoe brothers, he participated already with Chris Hiro. And again, his team lost the battle. After some time, Claudio Castagnoli decides to perform solo and achieves little success. In 2008, the athlete won a big victory in RING. The first battle he fought against Brian Danielson, whom he put on his shoulder blades using a European uppercut. A little later, the wrestler has another chance to win the world title of ROH. He goes into a fight with Nigel McGuinness, but loses the match. He still had chances for a rematch, but Claudio could not win. After he began to call himself "very European."
Participation in WWE
In September 2011, there was a great chance for Claudio Castagnoli. WWE invited him to sign a contract. On September 17, the athlete made his debut under the new pseudonym Antonio Cesaro. At the beginning of his performances in the ring, he was not very lucky. There were a lot of losses that could break a fighter. But he walked confidently forward. On August 19, 2012, a show called Summer Slam was held. It was here that Castagnoli won the US title in WWE, defeating his opponent Marella. A little later, at the Raw tournament, which was broadcast on TV, Cesaro defended his title for the first time in his professional career.
Recent Wrestler Achievements
In 2016, another Summer Slam began, at which a series of Cesaro vs. Shamus fights took place. When the score was 3-3, both athletes received quite serious injuries. After some time, Mick Foley, who is the manager of Raw, announced that the fight between Cesaro and Seamus ended in a draw. And this meant that together they would fight for the title of team champions. Their rivals were the team New Day. This meant that a new period began in the professional career of Claudio Castagnoli. Athlete training has become even more active and frequent. But still, Cesaro and Sheimus managed to defeat New Day only once. They took over in 2016 at the Hell In A Cell. In the next two bouts against New Day, Castagnoli did not show brilliant results, so his team lost. The wrestler does not give up and is preparing for new revenge against this "capricious" group.