Note On Reaction of Talent in WWE To Claudio Castagnoli Signing With AEW

As previously reported, Claudio Castagnoli made his AEW debut at Forbidden Door, defeating NJPW wrestlers Zack Sabre Jr. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the move was said to be a shock to talent in WWE.

The reason they were shocked was because of the size of the offer WWE gave him. It was said to be a big deal with a lot of the talent. The belief was that AEW was no longer trying to match offers from WWE and talent believe that AEW must have either matched or topped WWE’s offer to get the former Cesaro. Castagnoli would have made a “very substantial” amount of money in WWE if he stayed, although it’s unknown if he would have been pushed.

Tony Khan has said in the past that he was a fan of Castagnoli’s wrestling and his in-ring intelligence. The WON speculates that it’s possible Claudio went to AEW to show he was a top talent before his age prevented it.