Claudio Castagnoli
Encyclopedia
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss
professional wrestler
. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
under the ring name Antonio Cesaro. He is best known for his work on the American
independent circuit
in promotions
such as Chikara, Ring of Honor
, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
and in Japan
for Pro Wrestling Noah
.
Castagnoli is an accomplished tag team wrestler, having won many championships with his partner Chris Hero
as the Kings of Wrestling
, as well as with his compatriot Ares
as Swiss Money Holding
. He has held Chikara's Campeonatos de Parejas
with each partner once. With Ares, he is an 8-time Tag Team Champion having held the titles of Chikara, German Stampede Wrestling, International Pro Wrestling: UK, the Swiss Wrestling Federation and Westside Xtreme Wrestling.
With Hero he is a 6-time Tag Team Champion, having held the titles of Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling
, Juggalo Championship Wrestling
, and Ring of Honor
, where their 364-day reign is the longest. They were also voted as the Tag Team of the Year by Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers.
He has also won a number of singles titles, most notably the PWG World Championship
once. Particularly in America, Castagnoli emphasises his European origin as part of his wrestling gimmick to proclaim a superior intellect and fashion sensibility.
from fellow Swiss wrestler SigMasta Rappo, and made his debut on December 24, 2000 in Essen, Germany for the German
westside Xtreme wrestling. Castagnoli first used a Japan
ese gimmick before becoming a Swiss banker along with Ares
, together known as the "Swiss Money Holding
" (SMH).
While performing in England, Castagnoli received training from Dave Taylor. In Switzerland, Castagnoli met Chris Hero
and Mike Quackenbush, who invited the SMH to perform in the United States. They competed in IWA Mid-South
and Chikara and received training from Hero before returning to Europe. In 2004 Castagnoli received a United States Permanent Resident Card in a green card lottery
and moved to the United States and began making regular appearances for Ring of Honor
and Chikara, while Ares remained in Switzerland and formed the new Swiss Money Holding with Marc Roudin.
's Sweet 'n' Sour International. The following year Castagnoli teamed up with Arik Cannon
to form AC/DC. The team entered the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix and ended up winning the tournament after Chris Hero turned on his partner Mike Quackenbush in the finals of the tournament. Together, Castagnoli, Cannon and Hero would form the stable known as the Kings of Wrestling. Cannon would leave the promotion at the end of 2005 and together Hero and Castagnoli entered the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix. In the tournament Castagnoli and Hero defeated Equinox
and Hydra, Sumie Sakai
and RANMARU, the North Star Express (Ryan Cruz and Darin Corbin), Incoherence (Hallowicked
and Delirious
), and finally Team Dragondoor (Skayde
and Milano Collection A.T.) to become the first Chikara Campeones de Parejas
.
On November 17, 2006 at the Chikara show Brick in Reading Pennsylvania, Castagnoli and Hero lost the Chikara tag titles to Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus
and Gran Akuma
) in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Following the match, Hero and Team F.I.S.T. turned on Castagnoli and engaged in a beat down.
In November 2006 it was revealed that Castagnoli had signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment
, having impressed them with an appearance on Raw
(as a police officer
in a backstage segment) and a successful tryout for Deep South Wrestling. Shortly after, Castagnoli was released from his WWE contract. Reports stated that this was due to Visa problems with Castagnoli, although he disputed those reports.
to form the Kings of Wrestling superstable, which would later be joined by Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer
and Shayne Hawke
. On September 22, 2007, at Cibernetico & Robin the Kings of Wrestling faced Los Luchadores in the annual torneo cibernetico
match. The Kings won the match with Hero, Castagnoli and Mitch Ryder as the survivors, but since the match could only have one winner, they were forced to face each other. Castagnoli forced Hero to tap out and then pinned Ryder to win not only the match, but also his freedom from the Kings of Wrestling. On December 9, 2007, at Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly Castagnoli defeated Hero to finally end their long feud. After the match Hero left the company and Castagnoli took over his training duties at the Chikara Wrestle Factory.
In 2008 Castagnoli started a new feud, this time with Brodie Lee
. On September 7 Castagnoli defeateed Lee in the first steel cage match in Chikara history to win the feud. On October 19, 2008, Castagnoli won a 7-on-7 Global Gauntlet match where Chikara wrestlers faced off with wrestlers from Big Japan Pro Wrestling
.
and Dave Taylor as Team Uppercut. The team advanced to the finals of the tournament, where they were defeated by F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Akuma and Taylor). After the tournament Eddie Kingston
, whose team The Roughnecks Castagnoli and his team had eliminated on their way to the finals, claimed that he had been embarrassed and disrepected by Castagnoli. On May 24, 2009, Kingston, who had claimed technical superiority over Castagnoli, pinned him cleanly with an Oklahoma roll. After Castagnoli defeated Kingston via countout at the 2009 Young Lions Cup, the two of them were booked in a "Respect Match" on November 22, 2009, at the season eight finale Three-Fisted Tales, where the loser of the match had to show respect to the winner. Castagnoli won the match, but instead of showing respect, Kingston laid him out with a spinning back fist, after claiming that both Castagnoli and his former partner (Chris Hero) are shady and deserve respect from no one. At the conclusion of the show Ares revealed himself as the man who had been stalking UltraMantis Black
, at which point Castagnoli turned rudo
by attacking Mike Quackenbush. After beating the entire tecnico
roster Castagnoli aligned himself with Ares, Tursas, Pinkie Sanchez, Tim Donst
, Sara Del Rey
and Daizee Haze
to form the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes
.
After picking up the three points needed in order to challenge for the Campeonatos de Parejas in just one weekend, Castagnoli and Ares defeated The Colony
(Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) on March 20, 2010, to win the titles, making Castagnoli the first two-time Campeon de Parejas in Chikara history. In April Castagnoli, Ares and Tursas defeated the teams of The Osirian Portal
(Amasis and Ophidian) and Sara Del Rey, Team Perros del Mal (El Alebrije
, Cuije and El Orientál), Team Big Japan Wrestling (Daisuke Sekimoto
, Kankuro Hoshino and Yuji Okabayashi) and The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant and Green Ant) over a three day tournament to win the 2010 King of Trios. On October 23 Castagnoli represented BDK in the torneo cibernetico match, where they faced a team composed of Chikara originals. He eliminated himself from the match by low blowing Eddie Kingston, but his plan did not work out as Kingston came back to eliminate Tursas and win the match. At the season nine finale on December 12, Castagnoli and Ares lost the Campeonatos de Parejas to Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush. On March 13, 2011, Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston finally faced each other in a grudge match fifteen months in the making, with Castagnoli emerging victorious after hitting Kingston with a chain. In May, Castagnoli entered the 12 Large: Summit to determine the first ever Chikara Grand Champion
. During the Chikarasaurus Rex weekend on July 30 and 31, Castagnoli was involved in two main event matches, both of which were also a part of the 12 Large: Summit. After losing to Mike Quackenbush on Night 1, Castagnoli suffered an upset loss against his BDK stablemate Sara Del Rey on Night 2, after which he turned on not only Del Rey, but also Daizee Haze as she was standing up for her regular tag team partner. At the following event on August 27, Castagnoli was defeated by Icarus, eliminating him from contention in the 12 Large: Summit.
, where he teamed up with Chris Hero to once again form the Kings of Wrestling. Eventually, on September 10, 2005 they defeated The Tough Crazy Bastards of Necro Butcher
and Toby Klein
to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship
. While feuding with BLKOUT, Castagnoli and Hero lost the titles to Eddie Kingston and Joker
.
In September the Tag Team Titles were vacated when Joker left the company and on October 14, 2006, at Last Team Standing Castagnoli and Hero defeated Human Tornado
and Justice Pain in the finals of a tournament to regain the titles. With their victory Castagnoli and Hero held the tag team titles of three of the top American independent companies simultaneously (CZW, Chikara and ROH).
After news broke that WWE was interested in Castagnoli, he and Hero dropped the CZW World Tag Team Titles to the BLKOUT of Sabian
and Robbie Mireno on November 11, 2006. Castagnoli has not returned to the company since the loss.
debut on July 16, 2005, at Fate of an Angel. The rest of the year he would feud with Pure Champion
Nigel McGuinness
. On December 17 at Final Battle 2005 McGuinness defeated Castagnoli in a match for the title and as a result Claudio could no longer challenge for the title as long as McGuinness was the champion. At the beginning of 2006 Castagnoli's partner from other promotions, Chris Hero, along with other Combat Zone Wrestling wrestlers invaded ROH and started a cross-promotional war. Castagnoli initially sided with ROH, but on April 22, 2006, at The 100th Show turned on the company and assisted Hero, Super Dragon
and Necro Butcher in defeating Team ROH (Samoa Joe
, B.J. Whitmer
and Adam Pearce
) in a six man main event match. On July 15, 2006, at Death Before Dishonor 4 Team ROH defeated Castagnoli, Hero, Necro Butcher, Nate Webb
and Eddie Kingston in a Cage of Death match to end the feud. However, due to having a contract with ROH prior to his turn, Castagnoli was allowed to stay in the company, while the rest of Team CZW were forced out. Hero would return to the company during the August tour of United Kingdom and on September 16 he revealed that he had stolen the ROH World Tag Team Titles
from champions Austin Aries
and Roderick Strong
in order to get himself and Castagnoli a match for them. That match took place on September 16, 2006, at Glory By Honor V Night 2, where the Kings of Wrestling defeated Aries and Strong to become the new Ring of Honor tag team champions.
With the news of WWE showing interest in Castagnoli, the Kings of Wrestling dropped the ROH World Tag Team titles to Christopher Daniels
and Matt Sydal on November 25, 2006, at Dethroned. On December 23 at Final Battle 2006 the Briscoe Brothers
(Jay and Mark) defeated Castagnoli and Hero in what was scheduled to be their last match together. After the match Castagnoli announced that he would not be leaving for WWE after all and promised great things for the Kings of Wrestling in 2007. Hero shook Castagnoli's hand, but left with his manager Larry Sweeney who promised Hero big things in 2007, thus ending the Kings of Wrestling.
Respect is Earned on May 12, 2007, teaming with Matt Sydal to challenge the Briscoe Brothers for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Despite losing the match, Castagnoli was granted a rematch with the partner of his choosing. He chose former partner Chris Hero, but the duo lost to the Briscoes on June 9.
Success would occur in ROH singles competition on July 28, 2007, as Castagnoli won Ring of Honor's Race to the Top Tournament, a 16 man, two night event. He defeated Hallowicked, Mike Quackenbush and Jack Evans
, before defeating El Generico
in the finals. He faced Takeshi Morishima
for the ROH World Championship
at Death Before Dishonor V: Night One on August 10, but lost. He received a second shot, this time a three-way match with Brent Albright
, later that month, but was again unable to win the title. On December 29, 2007, one year after Hero had abandoned Castagnoli, the two of them faced each other at the second ROH pay-per-view Rising Above, where if Castagnoli won the match, he would get five minutes with Larry Sweeney, but if he would lose the match, he would have to join Sweet 'n' Sour Inc. Castagnoli ended up winning the match, but was defeated by Sweeney the following night at Final Battle 2007, when Sweet & Sour, Inc. member Daniel Puder
interfered in the match.
On June 28, 2008, Castagnoli scored one of his biggest victories in Ring of Honor. In their first ever meeting in the company he pinned Bryan Danielson following an elevated European Uppercut. On July 26, 2008 in Detroit, MI, Castagnoli received a ROH World Title
shot against Nigel McGuinness, but lost when McGuinness pinned him following the Jawbreaker Lariat. On August 2, 2008 in New York City Castagnoli failed in another title shot against McGuinness. Along with Bryan Danielson and ROH World Tag Team Champion Tyler Black
he competed in a Four Man Elimination Match. He wound up being the first eliminated by Danielson and afterwards snapped and beat Danielson down setting him up to be eliminated by the eventual winner McGuinness. After turning heel Castagnoli started referring to himself as "Very European", joined Prince Nana
's heel stable The Embassy and feuded with Brent Albright.
, ROH's first live pay-per-view, Castagnoli reunited with his former Kings of Wrestling partner Chris Hero as they attacked the new ROH World Tag Team Champions, the Briscoe Brothers. The two would adopt Shane Hagadorn as their manager and Sara Del Rey as an associate. On April 3, 2010, at The Big Bang!
Castagnoli and Hero defeated the Briscoes to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the second time. At the following pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor VIII
, on June 19 Castagnoli and Hero successfully defended their titles against the Briscoes in a No Disqualification match. In July Ring of Honor announced the return of Tag Wars, where twelve tag teams would compete in three blocks to determine, which three would get to challenge the Kings of Wrestling in the final Ultimate Endurance match. On August 28 the Kings of Wrestling defeated The Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Kory Chavis), The All Night Express (Kenny King
and Rhett Titus
) and the Briscoes in the Ultimate Endurance match to win the 2010 Tag Wars and retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On September 2 it was announced that Castagnoli had signed a contract with Ring of Honor, which makes the company number one priority in his independent bookings.
At the following pay–per–view, Glory By Honor IX
on September 11, the Kings of Wrestling picked up a major victory by defeating Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team
(Charlie Haas
and Shelton Benjamin
) in a non–title match. On December 18 at Final Battle 2010
the Kings of Wrestling ended their feud with the Briscoe Brothers in a six man tag team match, where Jay, Mark and their father Mike defeated Castagnoli, Hero and Shane Hagadorn. On January 4, 2011, Castagnoli and Hero became the longest reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions by breaking the previous record of 275 days, set by the Briscoe Brothers. On February 26 at 9th Anniversary Show
, Castagnoli and Hero successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship against The All Night Express. On April 1 at Honor Takes Center Stage
, the Kings of Wrestling lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, ending their reign at 363 days. Castagnoli and Hero received their rematch for the ROH World Tag Team Championship on August 13 at the first Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings under the Sinclair Broadcast Group
banner, but were unable to regain the belts from Haas and Benjamin.
, losing to Joey Ryan. On September 2, 2006, Castagnoli entered his first Battle of Los Angeles tournament, but ended up being eliminated in the first round by Jack Evans. On October 21, 2006, at Horror Business Castagnoli and Hero attempted to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship
to hold four different sets of Tag Team titles simultaneously, but were unable to dethrone the champions Super Dragon and Davey Richards
. They would have another attempt at the titles during the 2007 DDT4 tournament, but were defeated in the first round by the Briscoes. In August 2007, Castagnoli competed in his second Battle of Los Angeles. He defeated Doug Williams
in the first round, but lost to PAC
in the second round.
In late 2007 Chris Hero was feuding with Human Tornado and when his scheduled tag team partner Eddie Kingston turned on him in a mystery tag team partner match and sided with Tornado instead, Castagnoli came out and took Kingston's place as Hero's partner. However, when Hero went to tag Castagnoli, he nailed him with a European uppercut, turned heel and joined Tornado and Kingston. On January 5, 2008, at All Star Weekend 6 - Night One Tornado, Castagnoli and Kingston defeated Hero, Necro Butcher and Hero's girlfriend/valet Candice LeRae in a six person tag team match to earn Tornado a match with LeRae. On March 21, 2008, Hero defeated Castagnoli in a grudge match. On July 6, 2008, at PWG's fifth anniversary show Life During Wartime Castagnoli wrestled his last match at the time for the promotion, defeating Phoenix Star.
It was announced on August 12, 2010, that Castagnoli would return to the company for the annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament on September 4. Castagnoli made it to the semifinals of the tournament, defeating Ricochet
and Roderick Strong, before losing to the eventual winner of the entire tournament, Joey Ryan. When Davey Richards was after the tournament stripped of the PWG World Championship
, Castagnoli and the three other Battle of Los Angeles semifinalists, Brandon Gatson
, Chris Hero and Joey Ryan, were placed in a four–way match to determine a new champion. On October 9, 2010, at The Curse of Guerrilla Island, Castagnoli defeated Gatson, Hero and Ryan to win the PWG World Championship, his first major singles title in the United States, for the first time. At the following event on December 11, 2010, Castagnoli and Hero were scheduled to face PWG World Tag Team Champions, ¡Peligro Abejas! (El Generico and Paul London
), in a non–title match, but prior to the match the champions agreed to put their belts on the line as long as Castagnoli agreed to give the victor a shot at the PWG World Championship, if the Kings of Wrestling were unsuccessful in winning the titles. After Castagnoli had agreed to the stipulation, ¡Peligro Abejas! defeated him and Hero to retain the World Tag Team Championship and earn El Generico a shot at his title. On January 29, 2011, during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend, Castagnoli made his first successful defense of the PWG World Championship, when he defeated El Generico. On March 4, 2011, Castagnoli and Hero entered the 2011 DDT 4 tournament, defeating the Cutler Brothers (Brandon and Dustin Cutler) in their first round match. However, in the semifinals of the tournament the Kings of Wrestling suffered an upset loss against the Nightmare Violence Connection (Akira Tozawa
and Kevin Steen
), when Tozawa rolled Hero up for the win. On April 9, Castagnoli successfully defended the PWG World Championship against Battle of Los Angeles winner, Joey Ryan. On May 27, during the first night of All Star Weekend 8, Castagnoli successfully defended the PWG World Championship against his long time tag team partner Chris Hero. The following night, Castagnoli defeated Low Ki
to retain the title. On July 23 at PWG's eighth anniversary show, Castagnoli defeated Hero in a rematch for the PWG World Championship. After the match Castagnoli accepted a challenge from Kevin Steen and ended up losing the title to him, ending his reign at 287 days. On August 20, after both Castagnoli and Hero were eliminated from the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles in the first round, they challenged PWG World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks
(Matt and Nick Jackson), to a match for the title. The match, which took place later that same evening, saw the Kings of Wrestling once again fail to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship.
on February 15, 2008, when he teamed up with Chris Hero in a losing effort against Jun Akiyama
and Kentaro Shiga
. He primarily wrestled in the promotion as Chris Hero's tag team partner and in January 2010 the Kings of Wrestling entered the Global Tag League, where they ended up losing all of their matches. Castagnoli and Hero returned to Noah on November 19, 2010, for a three week long tour. The team went undefeated in tag team matches, before being defeated on December 5, the final day of the tour, by Takuma Sano and Yoshihiro Takayama
in a match for the GHC Tag Team Championship
. The Kings of Wrestling returned to Noah in April 2011 to take part in the 2011 Global Tag League, where they managed to win two out of their seven round robin matches, finishing seventh out of eight teams in the block. On May 15 he traveled to Germany to challenge Takashi Sugiura
's GHC Heavyweight Title
on "Genesis in Germany", co-promoted by local Westside Xtreme Wrestling
and NOAH. However he was unsuccessful losing after Olympic Slam.
, at the promotion's second event, defeating Bobby Fish. At the following show on May 1 Castagnoli was defeated by Chuck Taylor.
in one half of the main event at MXW Pro Wrestling
's Capital Collision show in Albany, NY. In April 2007, Castagnoli represented Chikara in the inaugural King of Europe Cup
, a sixteen-man tournament held in Liverpool, England
. He lost in the opening match against CZW's representative and former partner, Chris Hero.
During the Summer of 2007 Castagnoli competed in the Reclaiming the Glory
tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
under the Terry Funk
bracket. He defeated Pepper Parks in the first round qualifiers and Sicodelico, Jr.
in the second, before losing to Brent Albright in the semi-finals on August 12 in Charlotte
.
Later in September, Castagnoli competed in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
's Ted Petty Invitational 2007 tournament. He defeated Nigel McGuinness in the first round, Davey Richards in the quarter-finals, and Brent Albright in the semi-finals to compete in a three way elimination match, with finalists Mike Quackenbush and IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
Chuck Taylor. He was first eliminated by the eventual winner, Quackenbush, being pinned following a Quackendriver II. Castagnoli replaced Fergal Devitt
in the 8-man NWA Australian Title Tournament which was held in November 2007.
under the new ring name Antonio Cesaro. He made his FCW debut at a live event
on September 17, in a loss against Seth Rollins
. He made his television debut on the October 24 episode of FCW TV, defeating Mike Dalton with the Ricola Bomb.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
under the ring name Antonio Cesaro. He is best known for his work on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
in promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
such as Chikara, Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
.
Castagnoli is an accomplished tag team wrestler, having won many championships with his partner Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
as the Kings of Wrestling
Kings of Wrestling
The Kings of Wrestling is a professional wrestling stable that wrestles on the independent circuit, formed in Chikara, but also appearing in other promotions. It originally included Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Arik Cannon, Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor, Icarus, Gran Akuma...
, as well as with his compatriot Ares
Marco Jaggi
Marco Jaggi is a Swiss professional wrestler and wrestling trainer, known by his ring name Ares , who primarily competes in European and American independent promotions. For much of his career, Jaggi teamed with Claudio Castagnoli and Marc Roudin as part of Swiss Money Holding...
as Swiss Money Holding
Swiss Money Holding
The Swiss Money Holding is a professional wrestling tag team originally composed of Ares and Claudio Castagnoli, and later joined by Marc Roudin in late-2004. Their in-ring personas parodied Swiss bankers from the United Bank of Switzerland...
. He has held Chikara's Campeonatos de Parejas
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas
The Campeonatos de Parejas is a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based promotion Chikara.-History:The Campeonatos de Parejas were introduced in February 2006...
with each partner once. With Ares, he is an 8-time Tag Team Champion having held the titles of Chikara, German Stampede Wrestling, International Pro Wrestling: UK, the Swiss Wrestling Federation and Westside Xtreme Wrestling.
With Hero he is a 6-time Tag Team Champion, having held the titles of Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling
CZW World Tag Team Championship
The CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. It was created and debuted on February 13, 1999 at CZW's Opening Night event, where Jon Dahmer...
, Juggalo Championship Wrestling
JCW Tag Team Championship
The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Nine teams, comprising a total of eighteen wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of thirteen title reigns....
, and Ring of Honor
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
, where their 364-day reign is the longest. They were also voted as the Tag Team of the Year by Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers.
He has also won a number of singles titles, most notably the PWG World Championship
PWG World Championship
The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship...
once. Particularly in America, Castagnoli emphasises his European origin as part of his wrestling gimmick to proclaim a superior intellect and fashion sensibility.
Europe (2000–2004)
Castagnoli received his initial training in his homeland of SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from fellow Swiss wrestler SigMasta Rappo, and made his debut on December 24, 2000 in Essen, Germany for the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
westside Xtreme wrestling. Castagnoli first used a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese gimmick before becoming a Swiss banker along with Ares
Marco Jaggi
Marco Jaggi is a Swiss professional wrestler and wrestling trainer, known by his ring name Ares , who primarily competes in European and American independent promotions. For much of his career, Jaggi teamed with Claudio Castagnoli and Marc Roudin as part of Swiss Money Holding...
, together known as the "Swiss Money Holding
Swiss Money Holding
The Swiss Money Holding is a professional wrestling tag team originally composed of Ares and Claudio Castagnoli, and later joined by Marc Roudin in late-2004. Their in-ring personas parodied Swiss bankers from the United Bank of Switzerland...
" (SMH).
While performing in England, Castagnoli received training from Dave Taylor. In Switzerland, Castagnoli met Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
and Mike Quackenbush, who invited the SMH to perform in the United States. They competed in IWA Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
and Chikara and received training from Hero before returning to Europe. In 2004 Castagnoli received a United States Permanent Resident Card in a green card lottery
Diversity Immigrant Visa
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally mandated lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. The lottery is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms...
and moved to the United States and began making regular appearances for Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
and Chikara, while Ares remained in Switzerland and formed the new Swiss Money Holding with Marc Roudin.
Kings of Wrestling (2003–2006)
Castagnoli and Ares made their Chikara debuts on May 7, 2003, at the 2003 Tag World Grand Prix, out of which they were eliminated after drawing with the SuperFriends (Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush). Castagnoli returned to Chikara in 2004 as a member of Larry SweeneyLarry Sweeney
Alexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney...
's Sweet 'n' Sour International. The following year Castagnoli teamed up with Arik Cannon
Arik Cannon
Arik Cannon is a professional wrestler known for competing in companies such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling and Wrestling Society X.-Career:...
to form AC/DC. The team entered the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix and ended up winning the tournament after Chris Hero turned on his partner Mike Quackenbush in the finals of the tournament. Together, Castagnoli, Cannon and Hero would form the stable known as the Kings of Wrestling. Cannon would leave the promotion at the end of 2005 and together Hero and Castagnoli entered the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix. In the tournament Castagnoli and Hero defeated Equinox
Vin Gerard
Vince "Vin" Gerard Durling is an American professional wrestler currently competing in the American-based promotion Chikara.-Equinox:...
and Hydra, Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai
born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara....
and RANMARU, the North Star Express (Ryan Cruz and Darin Corbin), Incoherence (Hallowicked
Hallowicked
Hallowicked is a professional wrestler, who performs primarily in the Chikara, Dragon Gate USA and Evolve Wrestling professional wrestling promotions. Throughout his career he has also worked for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling...
and Delirious
Delirious (wrestler)
Hunter Johnston is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Delirious. He is currently wrestling for Ring of Honor, International Wrestling Cartel, Chikara, Pro Wrestling Noah, and Jersey All Pro Wrestling...
), and finally Team Dragondoor (Skayde
Skayde
Jorge Rivera Serrano is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known for Lucha Libre. He has been a tecnico throughout his wrestling career. He is currently training wrestlers at Arena Xalapa.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Milano Collection A.T.) to become the first Chikara Campeones de Parejas
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas
The Campeonatos de Parejas is a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based promotion Chikara.-History:The Campeonatos de Parejas were introduced in February 2006...
.
On November 17, 2006 at the Chikara show Brick in Reading Pennsylvania, Castagnoli and Hero lost the Chikara tag titles to Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus
Icarus (wrestler)
Icarus is a professional wrestler, who performs primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he is a former Campeon de Parejas and King of Trios winner...
and Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma is a professional wrestler who currently works for Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, where he uses the ring name AKUMA. He has also worked for the Florida based Full Impact Pro. In Chikara, he was a member of the Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with...
) in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Following the match, Hero and Team F.I.S.T. turned on Castagnoli and engaged in a beat down.
In November 2006 it was revealed that Castagnoli had signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, having impressed them with an appearance on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
(as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in a backstage segment) and a successful tryout for Deep South Wrestling. Shortly after, Castagnoli was released from his WWE contract. Reports stated that this was due to Visa problems with Castagnoli, although he disputed those reports.
Going solo (2007–2009)
Castagnoli returned to Chikara on February 16, 2007, under a mask and the ring name "Very Mysterious Ice Cream", as a part of Los Ice Creams. Afterwards Castagnoli started feuding with his former partner Chris Hero. On April 22, 2007, at Rey de Voladores Hero defeated Castagnoli and as per stipulation of the match Castagnoli was forced to re-join the Kings of Wrestling. The following month Hero, Castagnoli and Larry Sweeney joined forces with Team F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Akuma and Chuck TaylorChuck Taylor (wrestler)
Dustin Howard is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chuck Taylor. He is currently competing most notably in Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Evolve Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA...
to form the Kings of Wrestling superstable, which would later be joined by Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer
Max Boyer
Maxime "Max" Boyer is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his time in the Chikara and International Wrestling Syndicate professional wrestling promotions...
and Shayne Hawke
Shayne Hawke
Shayne Hawke is an Canadian professional wrestler. Hawke is best known for his work with Chikara and International Wrestling Syndicate.-Early career:...
. On September 22, 2007, at Cibernetico & Robin the Kings of Wrestling faced Los Luchadores in the annual torneo cibernetico
Torneo cibernetico
A Torneo Cibernetico is a type of elimination tag-team match that frequently appears in Lucha Libre promotions.The match is a 16-man elimination tag team match consisting of 2 teams of 8. It uses standard Lucha Libre tag-team rules with elimination occurring with a pinfall, submission,...
match. The Kings won the match with Hero, Castagnoli and Mitch Ryder as the survivors, but since the match could only have one winner, they were forced to face each other. Castagnoli forced Hero to tap out and then pinned Ryder to win not only the match, but also his freedom from the Kings of Wrestling. On December 9, 2007, at Stephen Colbert > Bill O'Reilly Castagnoli defeated Hero to finally end their long feud. After the match Hero left the company and Castagnoli took over his training duties at the Chikara Wrestle Factory.
In 2008 Castagnoli started a new feud, this time with Brodie Lee
Brodie Lee
Jon Huber is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Brodie Lee, who performs primarily in the Chikara, Dragon Gate, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling professional wrestling promotions...
. On September 7 Castagnoli defeateed Lee in the first steel cage match in Chikara history to win the feud. On October 19, 2008, Castagnoli won a 7-on-7 Global Gauntlet match where Chikara wrestlers faced off with wrestlers from Big Japan Pro Wrestling
Big Japan Pro Wrestling
Big Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests.-History:...
.
Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (2009–2011)
Castagnoli entered the 2009 King of Trios teaming with Bryan DanielsonBryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
and Dave Taylor as Team Uppercut. The team advanced to the finals of the tournament, where they were defeated by F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Akuma and Taylor). After the tournament Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston
Edward "Eddie" Moore is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston. He is best known for competing in Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Ring of Honor...
, whose team The Roughnecks Castagnoli and his team had eliminated on their way to the finals, claimed that he had been embarrassed and disrepected by Castagnoli. On May 24, 2009, Kingston, who had claimed technical superiority over Castagnoli, pinned him cleanly with an Oklahoma roll. After Castagnoli defeated Kingston via countout at the 2009 Young Lions Cup, the two of them were booked in a "Respect Match" on November 22, 2009, at the season eight finale Three-Fisted Tales, where the loser of the match had to show respect to the winner. Castagnoli won the match, but instead of showing respect, Kingston laid him out with a spinning back fist, after claiming that both Castagnoli and his former partner (Chris Hero) are shady and deserve respect from no one. At the conclusion of the show Ares revealed himself as the man who had been stalking UltraMantis Black
UltraMantis Black
UltraMantis Black is a professional wrestler, who performs primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he is the leader of the Order of the Neo–Solar Temple, while also regularly commentating on matches in which he is not competing...
, at which point Castagnoli turned rudo
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
by attacking Mike Quackenbush. After beating the entire tecnico
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
roster Castagnoli aligned himself with Ares, Tursas, Pinkie Sanchez, Tim Donst
Tim Donst
Timothy "Tim" Donst is an American professional wrestler, performing primarily in Chikara, where he is a former Young Lions Cup holder. He is known for his amateur wrestling background, which became the focal point of his persona....
, Sara Del Rey
Sara Del Rey
Sara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as...
and Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze is an American professional wrestler. Whilst wrestling for many companies Daizee Haze is also the head trainer for the Shimmer Women Athletes promotion.-Training and Gateway Championship Wrestling:...
to form the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes
Bruderschaft des Kreuzes
Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes is a professional wrestling stable in the Chikara promotion.-Background :...
.
After picking up the three points needed in order to challenge for the Campeonatos de Parejas in just one weekend, Castagnoli and Ares defeated The Colony
The Colony (professional wrestling)
The Colony is a professional wrestling stable wrestling for Chikara. Their gimmick is, as their name suggests, a colony of ants.-Debut:After being trained by both Mike Quackenbush and Chris Hero, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant debuted as Team Colony at the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix, where they lost in...
(Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) on March 20, 2010, to win the titles, making Castagnoli the first two-time Campeon de Parejas in Chikara history. In April Castagnoli, Ares and Tursas defeated the teams of The Osirian Portal
The Osirian Portal
The Osirian Portal was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Amasis and Ophidian. The team mainly competed in Chikara, where they held the Campeonatos de Parejas, and Combat Zone Wrestling . They have also made appearances in Ring of Honor and several other independent promotions based...
(Amasis and Ophidian) and Sara Del Rey, Team Perros del Mal (El Alebrije
El Alebrije (wrestler)
El Alebrije is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre as part of the group called Los Invasores. He best known for his work in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he worked for 12 years as El Alebrije, along with his...
, Cuije and El Orientál), Team Big Japan Wrestling (Daisuke Sekimoto
Daisuke Sekimoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX. He is a former six-time BJW Tag Team Champion, as well as a former NWA United National Heavyweight Champion in ZERO1-MAX...
, Kankuro Hoshino and Yuji Okabayashi) and The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant and Green Ant) over a three day tournament to win the 2010 King of Trios. On October 23 Castagnoli represented BDK in the torneo cibernetico match, where they faced a team composed of Chikara originals. He eliminated himself from the match by low blowing Eddie Kingston, but his plan did not work out as Kingston came back to eliminate Tursas and win the match. At the season nine finale on December 12, Castagnoli and Ares lost the Campeonatos de Parejas to Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush. On March 13, 2011, Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston finally faced each other in a grudge match fifteen months in the making, with Castagnoli emerging victorious after hitting Kingston with a chain. In May, Castagnoli entered the 12 Large: Summit to determine the first ever Chikara Grand Champion
Chikara Grand Championship
The Chikara Grand Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Chikara promotion. The first champion was crowned on November 13, 2011, at the High Noon pay-per-view, when Eddie Kingston defeated Mike Quackenbush at the conclusion of a six-month long, twelve-person...
. During the Chikarasaurus Rex weekend on July 30 and 31, Castagnoli was involved in two main event matches, both of which were also a part of the 12 Large: Summit. After losing to Mike Quackenbush on Night 1, Castagnoli suffered an upset loss against his BDK stablemate Sara Del Rey on Night 2, after which he turned on not only Del Rey, but also Daizee Haze as she was standing up for her regular tag team partner. At the following event on August 27, Castagnoli was defeated by Icarus, eliminating him from contention in the 12 Large: Summit.
Combat Zone Wrestling (2004–2006)
In late 2004 Castagnoli made his way to Combat Zone WrestlingCombat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
, where he teamed up with Chris Hero to once again form the Kings of Wrestling. Eventually, on September 10, 2005 they defeated The Tough Crazy Bastards of Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
and Toby Klein
Toby Klein
Toby Klein is a professional wrestler well known for deathmatches in Combat Zone Wrestling and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South. He is a member of the Tough Crazy Bastards with Necro Butcher, due to their very similar styles in that their characters are both wild brawlers.-Career:Toby...
to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship
CZW World Tag Team Championship
The CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. It was created and debuted on February 13, 1999 at CZW's Opening Night event, where Jon Dahmer...
. While feuding with BLKOUT, Castagnoli and Hero lost the titles to Eddie Kingston and Joker
Joker (wrestler)
Joker is an American independent professional wrestler who works for the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion, IWA Mid-South, Chikara and UWA Hardcore Wrestling.-Career:...
.
In September the Tag Team Titles were vacated when Joker left the company and on October 14, 2006, at Last Team Standing Castagnoli and Hero defeated Human Tornado
Human Tornado
Craig Williams , better known by his ring name, Human Tornado, is an American retired professional wrestler. His character was that of a stereotypical 1970s blaxploitation street pimp. He performed primarily on the Californian independent circuit, most prominently for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, the...
and Justice Pain in the finals of a tournament to regain the titles. With their victory Castagnoli and Hero held the tag team titles of three of the top American independent companies simultaneously (CZW, Chikara and ROH).
After news broke that WWE was interested in Castagnoli, he and Hero dropped the CZW World Tag Team Titles to the BLKOUT of Sabian
Sabian (wrestler)
Sabian is an American professional wrestler, currently performing for Combat Zone Wrestling, where he was a founding member of The Blackout / BLKOUT with Ruckus. In addition to CZW, he also competes for several other American independent promotions, most notably Chikara.-Debut:Born in...
and Robbie Mireno on November 11, 2006. Castagnoli has not returned to the company since the loss.
CZW Invasion (2005–2006)
Castagnoli made his Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
debut on July 16, 2005, at Fate of an Angel. The rest of the year he would feud with Pure Champion
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
. On December 17 at Final Battle 2005 McGuinness defeated Castagnoli in a match for the title and as a result Claudio could no longer challenge for the title as long as McGuinness was the champion. At the beginning of 2006 Castagnoli's partner from other promotions, Chris Hero, along with other Combat Zone Wrestling wrestlers invaded ROH and started a cross-promotional war. Castagnoli initially sided with ROH, but on April 22, 2006, at The 100th Show turned on the company and assisted Hero, Super Dragon
Super Dragon
Daniel Lyon , better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor...
and Necro Butcher in defeating Team ROH (Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, B.J. Whitmer
B.J. Whitmer
Benjamin Whitmer is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, B.J. Whitmer. He is best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between January 2003 and March 2008...
and Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is the current NWA World Heavyweight Champion in his fourth reign and the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also a former PWG Champion....
) in a six man main event match. On July 15, 2006, at Death Before Dishonor 4 Team ROH defeated Castagnoli, Hero, Necro Butcher, Nate Webb
Nate Webb
Nathan "Nate" Webb is an American professional wrestler and semi-pro football player, best known for his appearances in Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Ring of Honor and MTV's Wrestling Society X. On April 22, 2008, Webb was notified that he had made the roster...
and Eddie Kingston in a Cage of Death match to end the feud. However, due to having a contract with ROH prior to his turn, Castagnoli was allowed to stay in the company, while the rest of Team CZW were forced out. Hero would return to the company during the August tour of United Kingdom and on September 16 he revealed that he had stolen the ROH World Tag Team Titles
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
from champions Austin Aries
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
and Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
in order to get himself and Castagnoli a match for them. That match took place on September 16, 2006, at Glory By Honor V Night 2, where the Kings of Wrestling defeated Aries and Strong to become the new Ring of Honor tag team champions.
With the news of WWE showing interest in Castagnoli, the Kings of Wrestling dropped the ROH World Tag Team titles to Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
and Matt Sydal on November 25, 2006, at Dethroned. On December 23 at Final Battle 2006 the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
(Jay and Mark) defeated Castagnoli and Hero in what was scheduled to be their last match together. After the match Castagnoli announced that he would not be leaving for WWE after all and promised great things for the Kings of Wrestling in 2007. Hero shook Castagnoli's hand, but left with his manager Larry Sweeney who promised Hero big things in 2007, thus ending the Kings of Wrestling.
World Championship contender (2007–2009)
Castagnoli wrestled on Ring of Honor's first pay-per-viewPay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
Respect is Earned on May 12, 2007, teaming with Matt Sydal to challenge the Briscoe Brothers for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Despite losing the match, Castagnoli was granted a rematch with the partner of his choosing. He chose former partner Chris Hero, but the duo lost to the Briscoes on June 9.
Success would occur in ROH singles competition on July 28, 2007, as Castagnoli won Ring of Honor's Race to the Top Tournament, a 16 man, two night event. He defeated Hallowicked, Mike Quackenbush and Jack Evans
Jack Evans
Jack Edward Miller is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jack Evans. He currently performs for the Mexican-based promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he is the current World Cruiserweight Champion and a former World Tag Team Champion. He is the cousin...
, before defeating El Generico
El Generico
Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...
in the finals. He faced Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and has performed for Ring of Honor in the United States in the past. He is a former Ring of Honor World champion...
for the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
at Death Before Dishonor V: Night One on August 10, but lost. He received a second shot, this time a three-way match with Brent Albright
Brent Albright
Brent Alan Albright is an American professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on Friday Night SmackDown! as Gunner Scott...
, later that month, but was again unable to win the title. On December 29, 2007, one year after Hero had abandoned Castagnoli, the two of them faced each other at the second ROH pay-per-view Rising Above, where if Castagnoli won the match, he would get five minutes with Larry Sweeney, but if he would lose the match, he would have to join Sweet 'n' Sour Inc. Castagnoli ended up winning the match, but was defeated by Sweeney the following night at Final Battle 2007, when Sweet & Sour, Inc. member Daniel Puder
Daniel Puder
Daniel Puder is an American professional mixed martial artist, who is currently undefeated in MMA competition, holding a a record of eight wins and zero losses...
interfered in the match.
On June 28, 2008, Castagnoli scored one of his biggest victories in Ring of Honor. In their first ever meeting in the company he pinned Bryan Danielson following an elevated European Uppercut. On July 26, 2008 in Detroit, MI, Castagnoli received a ROH World Title
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
shot against Nigel McGuinness, but lost when McGuinness pinned him following the Jawbreaker Lariat. On August 2, 2008 in New York City Castagnoli failed in another title shot against McGuinness. Along with Bryan Danielson and ROH World Tag Team Champion Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
he competed in a Four Man Elimination Match. He wound up being the first eliminated by Danielson and afterwards snapped and beat Danielson down setting him up to be eliminated by the eventual winner McGuinness. After turning heel Castagnoli started referring to himself as "Very European", joined Prince Nana
Prince Nana
Prince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.-Professional wrestling career:...
's heel stable The Embassy and feuded with Brent Albright.
Kings of Wrestling reunion (2009–2011)
On December 19, 2009, at Final Battle 2009Final Battle 2009
Final Battle 2009 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on December 19, 2009 from the Manhattan Center in New York City...
, ROH's first live pay-per-view, Castagnoli reunited with his former Kings of Wrestling partner Chris Hero as they attacked the new ROH World Tag Team Champions, the Briscoe Brothers. The two would adopt Shane Hagadorn as their manager and Sara Del Rey as an associate. On April 3, 2010, at The Big Bang!
ROH The Big Bang!
The Big Bang! was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on April 3, 2010 from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Castagnoli and Hero defeated the Briscoes to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the second time. At the following pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor VIII
Death Before Dishonor VIII
Death Before Dishonor VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. There had been seven events entitled Death Before Dishonor in the past with this being the event's first time on pay per view...
, on June 19 Castagnoli and Hero successfully defended their titles against the Briscoes in a No Disqualification match. In July Ring of Honor announced the return of Tag Wars, where twelve tag teams would compete in three blocks to determine, which three would get to challenge the Kings of Wrestling in the final Ultimate Endurance match. On August 28 the Kings of Wrestling defeated The Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Kory Chavis), The All Night Express (Kenny King
Kenny Layne
Kenny Layne is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kenny King. King currently wrestles for Ring of Honor. He was a contestant in the second season of WWF Tough Enough.-Early life:...
and Rhett Titus
Rhett Titus
Everett Lawrence Titus is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rhett Titus. A student of the ROH Wrestling Academy, Titus has been competing for Ring of Honor , as well as various independent promotions, since 2006.-Career:Titus began training at the ROH Wrestling...
) and the Briscoes in the Ultimate Endurance match to win the 2010 Tag Wars and retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On September 2 it was announced that Castagnoli had signed a contract with Ring of Honor, which makes the company number one priority in his independent bookings.
At the following pay–per–view, Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City...
on September 11, the Kings of Wrestling picked up a major victory by defeating Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team
The World's Greatest Tag Team
The World's Greatest Tag Team is the professional wrestling tag team of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, who currently perform as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment , they started out captained by Kurt Angle, during which time they were known as...
(Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
and Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
) in a non–title match. On December 18 at Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, with the first taking place in 2002, but only the second to be...
the Kings of Wrestling ended their feud with the Briscoe Brothers in a six man tag team match, where Jay, Mark and their father Mike defeated Castagnoli, Hero and Shane Hagadorn. On January 4, 2011, Castagnoli and Hero became the longest reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions by breaking the previous record of 275 days, set by the Briscoe Brothers. On February 26 at 9th Anniversary Show
9th Anniversary Show
9th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor . It took place on February 26, 2011, at the Frontier Park Field House in Chicago. It was the ninth annual event in the Anniversary Show chronology, with the first taking place in 2003 after the company...
, Castagnoli and Hero successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship against The All Night Express. On April 1 at Honor Takes Center Stage
Honor Takes Center Stage
Honor Takes Center Stage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor . It took place over two consecutive days, on 1 and 2 April, 2011, at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, with the 1 April show at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and the 2 April show at a special matinee time of 1pm...
, the Kings of Wrestling lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, ending their reign at 363 days. Castagnoli and Hero received their rematch for the ROH World Tag Team Championship on August 13 at the first Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings under the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
banner, but were unable to regain the belts from Haas and Benjamin.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2005–2008, 2010–2011)
On August 6, 2005, Castagnoli made his debut for Pro Wrestling GuerrillaPro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
, losing to Joey Ryan. On September 2, 2006, Castagnoli entered his first Battle of Los Angeles tournament, but ended up being eliminated in the first round by Jack Evans. On October 21, 2006, at Horror Business Castagnoli and Hero attempted to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship
PWG World Tag Team Championship
The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion...
to hold four different sets of Tag Team titles simultaneously, but were unable to dethrone the champions Super Dragon and Davey Richards
Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...
. They would have another attempt at the titles during the 2007 DDT4 tournament, but were defeated in the first round by the Briscoes. In August 2007, Castagnoli competed in his second Battle of Los Angeles. He defeated Doug Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
in the first round, but lost to PAC
Ben Satterly
Benjamin "Ben" Satterly is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Pac , who is currently working for Dragon Gate, and Dragon Gate USA. He is noted for his exceptional high flying style which has earned him the nickname "The Man That Gravity Forgot"...
in the second round.
In late 2007 Chris Hero was feuding with Human Tornado and when his scheduled tag team partner Eddie Kingston turned on him in a mystery tag team partner match and sided with Tornado instead, Castagnoli came out and took Kingston's place as Hero's partner. However, when Hero went to tag Castagnoli, he nailed him with a European uppercut, turned heel and joined Tornado and Kingston. On January 5, 2008, at All Star Weekend 6 - Night One Tornado, Castagnoli and Kingston defeated Hero, Necro Butcher and Hero's girlfriend/valet Candice LeRae in a six person tag team match to earn Tornado a match with LeRae. On March 21, 2008, Hero defeated Castagnoli in a grudge match. On July 6, 2008, at PWG's fifth anniversary show Life During Wartime Castagnoli wrestled his last match at the time for the promotion, defeating Phoenix Star.
It was announced on August 12, 2010, that Castagnoli would return to the company for the annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament on September 4. Castagnoli made it to the semifinals of the tournament, defeating Ricochet
Ricochet (wrestler)
Trevor Mann is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Ricochet. He currently performs mainly for the American promotion Dragon Gate USA and its parent promotion, Japanese Dragon Gate. In both promotions he is a member of the Blood Warriors stable...
and Roderick Strong, before losing to the eventual winner of the entire tournament, Joey Ryan. When Davey Richards was after the tournament stripped of the PWG World Championship
PWG World Championship
The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship...
, Castagnoli and the three other Battle of Los Angeles semifinalists, Brandon Gatson
Brandon Gatson
Brandon Gatson is an American professional wrestler, primarily working for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Empire Wrestling Federation...
, Chris Hero and Joey Ryan, were placed in a four–way match to determine a new champion. On October 9, 2010, at The Curse of Guerrilla Island, Castagnoli defeated Gatson, Hero and Ryan to win the PWG World Championship, his first major singles title in the United States, for the first time. At the following event on December 11, 2010, Castagnoli and Hero were scheduled to face PWG World Tag Team Champions, ¡Peligro Abejas! (El Generico and Paul London
Paul London
Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
), in a non–title match, but prior to the match the champions agreed to put their belts on the line as long as Castagnoli agreed to give the victor a shot at the PWG World Championship, if the Kings of Wrestling were unsuccessful in winning the titles. After Castagnoli had agreed to the stipulation, ¡Peligro Abejas! defeated him and Hero to retain the World Tag Team Championship and earn El Generico a shot at his title. On January 29, 2011, during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend, Castagnoli made his first successful defense of the PWG World Championship, when he defeated El Generico. On March 4, 2011, Castagnoli and Hero entered the 2011 DDT 4 tournament, defeating the Cutler Brothers (Brandon and Dustin Cutler) in their first round match. However, in the semifinals of the tournament the Kings of Wrestling suffered an upset loss against the Nightmare Violence Connection (Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, mainly performing for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions...
and Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently performing for various promotions on the independent circuit, most notably California-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor.-Professional wrestling career:...
), when Tozawa rolled Hero up for the win. On April 9, Castagnoli successfully defended the PWG World Championship against Battle of Los Angeles winner, Joey Ryan. On May 27, during the first night of All Star Weekend 8, Castagnoli successfully defended the PWG World Championship against his long time tag team partner Chris Hero. The following night, Castagnoli defeated Low Ki
Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki, Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion...
to retain the title. On July 23 at PWG's eighth anniversary show, Castagnoli defeated Hero in a rematch for the PWG World Championship. After the match Castagnoli accepted a challenge from Kevin Steen and ended up losing the title to him, ending his reign at 287 days. On August 20, after both Castagnoli and Hero were eliminated from the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles in the first round, they challenged PWG World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California...
(Matt and Nick Jackson), to a match for the title. The match, which took place later that same evening, saw the Kings of Wrestling once again fail to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship.
Pro Wrestling Noah (2008, 2010, 2011)
Castagnoli made his debut for Pro Wrestling NoahPro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
on February 15, 2008, when he teamed up with Chris Hero in a losing effort against Jun Akiyama
Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. Akiyama is known for his serious style and outstanding, time-tested work as a tag team wrestler...
and Kentaro Shiga
Kentaro Shiga
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. He returned from a two-year hiatus due to injury in 2005.-All Japan Pro Wrestling :...
. He primarily wrestled in the promotion as Chris Hero's tag team partner and in January 2010 the Kings of Wrestling entered the Global Tag League, where they ended up losing all of their matches. Castagnoli and Hero returned to Noah on November 19, 2010, for a three week long tour. The team went undefeated in tag team matches, before being defeated on December 5, the final day of the tour, by Takuma Sano and Yoshihiro Takayama
Yoshihiro Takayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...
in a match for the GHC Tag Team Championship
GHC Tag Team Championship
The Global Honored Crown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Scorpio & Vader defeated Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito in a tournament final...
. The Kings of Wrestling returned to Noah in April 2011 to take part in the 2011 Global Tag League, where they managed to win two out of their seven round robin matches, finishing seventh out of eight teams in the block. On May 15 he traveled to Germany to challenge Takashi Sugiura
Takashi Sugiura
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah. Sugiura, an accomplished amateur wrestler, joined NOAH's dojo in 2000, making his professional debut on December 23, 2000, and thus becoming the first wrestler to make his pro wrestling debut in NOAH. He has also...
's GHC Heavyweight Title
GHC Heavyweight Championship
The Global Honored Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on April 15, 2001 when Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Yoshihiro Takayama in a 16-man tournament final...
on "Genesis in Germany", co-promoted by local Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Westside Xtreme Wrestling, officially stylized as westside Xtreme wrestling «wXw», is a professional wrestling promotion based in Oberhausen, Germany...
and NOAH. However he was unsuccessful losing after Olympic Slam.
Evolve Wrestling (2010)
On March 13, 2010, Castagnoli made his debut for Evolve WrestlingEvolve (professional wrestling)
Evolve Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeast founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and current Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky, Full Impact Pro owner Sal Hamaoui, and independent wrestler Davey Richards...
, at the promotion's second event, defeating Bobby Fish. At the following show on May 1 Castagnoli was defeated by Chuck Taylor.
Other promotions
In November 2006, he wrestled Antonio ThomasTom Matera
Thomas "Tom" Matera is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Antonio Thomas. He is best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on the Raw brand as one half of The Heart Throbs....
in one half of the main event at MXW Pro Wrestling
MXW Pro Wrestling
MXW Pro Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion founded and operated by former ECW manager and color commentator Joel Gertner...
's Capital Collision show in Albany, NY. In April 2007, Castagnoli represented Chikara in the inaugural King of Europe Cup
King of Europe Cup
The King of Europe Cup is a European professional wrestling tournament in the style of the "King of Indies" and "Super 8" tournaments of the United States....
, a sixteen-man tournament held in Liverpool, England
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. He lost in the opening match against CZW's representative and former partner, Chris Hero.
Reclaiming the Glory
Reclaiming the Glory was a professional wrestling tournament held between June 2, 2007 and September 1, 2007. Promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance, the tournament was the result of the dissolution of the licensing agreement between the NWA and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
under the Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
bracket. He defeated Pepper Parks in the first round qualifiers and Sicodelico, Jr.
Sicodelico, Jr.
Aaron Rodríguez , better known by his ring name Sicodelico, Jr., is a Mexican professional wrestler. Rodríguez is the son of Sicodelico and the nephew of Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras, and the cousin of Alberto del Rio...
in the second, before losing to Brent Albright in the semi-finals on August 12 in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
Later in September, Castagnoli competed in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
's Ted Petty Invitational 2007 tournament. He defeated Nigel McGuinness in the first round, Davey Richards in the quarter-finals, and Brent Albright in the semi-finals to compete in a three way elimination match, with finalists Mike Quackenbush and IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky...
Chuck Taylor. He was first eliminated by the eventual winner, Quackenbush, being pinned following a Quackendriver II. Castagnoli replaced Fergal Devitt
Fergal Devitt
Fergal Devitt is an Irish professional wrestler currently contracted by New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is currently in his second reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion...
in the 8-man NWA Australian Title Tournament which was held in November 2007.
Florida Championship Wrestling (2011–present)
On September 16, 2011, it was reported that Castagnoli had signed a contract with WWE and would begin with the promotion working in its developmental territory Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
under the new ring name Antonio Cesaro. He made his FCW debut at a live event
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
on September 17, in a loss against Seth Rollins
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
. He made his television debut on the October 24 episode of FCW TV, defeating Mike Dalton with the Ricola Bomb.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Alpamare Waterslide (Side Death Valley driver)
- Inverted Chikara Special (Kneeling step–over head–hold armbar to a face down opponent followed by hooking the opponent's near leg) – Chikara
- Lasartesse Lift (Karelin lift transitioned into a side piledriver) – 2007
- Neutralizer (Over the shoulder single leg Boston crab with neckscissors) – PWGPro Wrestling GuerrillaPro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
; used as a regular move elsewhere - RicolaRicolaRicola Ltd./Ricola AG is a well known manufacturer of cough drops and breath mints in Switzerland. The company focuses primarily on using herbal ingredients. The head office of Ricola is located in Laufen, Basel-Country.-History:...
Bomb (Straight jacket sitout powerbomb pin, sometimes from the top rope) - Roaring SwissSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Uppercut (Discus European uppercut) - Swiss Death / Very European Uppercut (Pop-up European uppercut)
- Signature moves
- Bicycle kick
- Cravate
- Delayed vertical suplex
- Elbow From the AlpsSwiss AlpsThe Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
(Diving elbow drop) - Giant swing
- Jim Breaks Special (Lifting wrist–lock)
- Match Killer (Horizontal back to belly suplex spun out into a sitout facebuster)
- Money Dive (Diving headbutt)
- Multiple European uppercut variations
- Diving, sometimes while springboarding
- Suicide dive transitioned into a horizontal
- Swiss Uppercut (Standing, sometimes to the throat or the back of the head of a falling or seated opponent)
- Ricola–Plex (Straight jacket suplex)
- Springboard rope walk into a super headscissors takedown
- Suicide dive
- Swiss Sleeper Holding (Bridging cobra clutch)
- UBSUBS AGUBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
Neckbreaker (Backbreaker rack flipped into a cutter) - UFO (Argentine backbreaker rack airplane spin, sometimes with no hands)
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "Double C"
- "The Most Money Making Man"
- "The Stalwart Swiss Powerhouse"
- "Very European"
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Jade ChungJade ChungJade Chung is a Canadian professional wrestler and wrestling manager who has appeared in Border City Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, the National Wrestling Alliance, Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla...
- SoCal Val
- Prince NanaPrince NanaPrince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.-Professional wrestling career:...
- Shane Hagadorn
- Sara Del ReySara Del ReySara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as...
- Jade Chung
- Theme musicMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "I've Got to Have ItI've Got to Have It"I've Got to Have It" is a song written by American rappers Jermaine Dupri, Nas, and American R&B singer Monica for the soundtrack of the comedy film ”Big Momma's House”. The song samples Peter Gabriel's 1986 single Sledgehammer. The song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack in June...
(Instrumental)" by Jermaine DupriJermaine DupriJermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
featuring NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and MonicaMonica (singer)Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten... - "We Are the ChampionsWe Are the Champions"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
" by QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
(as Kings of Wrestling, with Chris HeroChris HeroChris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
) - "1812 Overture1812 OvertureThe Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
" by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"... - "EngelEngel (song)"Engel" is a song by German Industrial metal band Rammstein. The song is released as the first single from their second album Sehnsucht...
" by RammsteinRammsteinRammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
(with Bruderschaft des KreuzesBruderschaft des KreuzesDie Bruderschaft des Kreuzes is a professional wrestling stable in the Chikara promotion.-Background :...
) - "KoW (Kings)" by Cody B. Ware, Emilio Sparks and J. Glaze (as Kings of Wrestling with Chris Hero)
- "Im Namen Der Bruderschaft" by Kenny Pickett (with Bruderschaft des Kreuzes)
- "I've Got to Have It
- Wrestlers trained
- Air 2 Style
- Andres Diamond
- Chris Bernardi
- Create-A-Wrestler
- Don Heavy
- FrightmareFrightmare (wrestler)Frightmare is a professional wrestler, who performs primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he is a former Young Lions Cup Champion. He has also worked for promotions such as Evolve Wrestling, International Wrestling Cartel, IWA East Coast and Jersey All Pro Wrestling...
- Green AntThe Colony (professional wrestling)The Colony is a professional wrestling stable wrestling for Chikara. Their gimmick is, as their name suggests, a colony of ants.-Debut:After being trained by both Mike Quackenbush and Chris Hero, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant debuted as Team Colony at the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix, where they lost in...
- Hellvetic Warrior
- Jakob Hammermeier
- Jonathan Barber (referee)
- Kobald
- Kodama
- Little Mondo
- Marc Roudin
- Marshal T
- Obariyon
- Steve Allison
- Tribun
- Tursas
- Vin Gerard
Vin GerardVince "Vin" Gerard Durling is an American professional wrestler currently competing in the American-based promotion Chikara.-Equinox:...
Championships and accomplishments
- Chikara
- Chikara Campeonatos de ParejasChikara Campeonatos de ParejasThe Campeonatos de Parejas is a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based promotion Chikara.-History:The Campeonatos de Parejas were introduced in February 2006...
(2 times) – with Chris HeroChris HeroChris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
(1) and AresMarco JaggiMarco Jaggi is a Swiss professional wrestler and wrestling trainer, known by his ring name Ares , who primarily competes in European and American independent promotions. For much of his career, Jaggi teamed with Claudio Castagnoli and Marc Roudin as part of Swiss Money Holding...
(1) - King of TriosKing of TriosKing of Trios is a three-night tournament promoted by the Chikara wrestling promotion. The tournament is a different take on the Tag World Grand Prix event that the company is known for annually promoting; in King of Trios, instead of tag teams, there are trios that will compete in six-man tag team...
(2010) – with Ares and Tursas - Tag World Grand PrixTag World Grand PrixThe Tag World Grand Prix was a tag team professional wrestling tournament promoted by the Chikara wrestling promotion.-2003:Tag World Grand Prix 2003 was the first Tag World Grand Prix tournament held by Chikara. The tournament ran over two nights, with the preliminary rounds being held on July 5,...
(2005) – with Arik CannonArik CannonArik Cannon is a professional wrestler known for competing in companies such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling and Wrestling Society X.-Career:... - Tag World Grand PrixTag World Grand PrixThe Tag World Grand Prix was a tag team professional wrestling tournament promoted by the Chikara wrestling promotion.-2003:Tag World Grand Prix 2003 was the first Tag World Grand Prix tournament held by Chikara. The tournament ran over two nights, with the preliminary rounds being held on July 5,...
(2006) – with Chris Hero - Torneo Cibernético (2007)
- Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas
- Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling
- CAPW Unified Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Combat Zone WrestlingCombat Zone WrestlingCombat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
- CZW World Tag Team ChampionshipCZW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. It was created and debuted on February 13, 1999 at CZW's Opening Night event, where Jon Dahmer...
(2 times) – with Chris Hero - Last Team Standing (2006) – with Chris Hero
- CZW World Tag Team Championship
- German Stampede Wrestling
- GSW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ares
- Juggalo Championship Wrestling
- JCW Tag Team ChampionshipJCW Tag Team ChampionshipThe JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Nine teams, comprising a total of eighteen wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of thirteen title reigns....
(1 time) – with Chris Hero
- JCW Tag Team Championship
- International Pro Wrestling: United KingdomInternational Pro Wrestling: United KingdomInternational Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom is a British professional wrestling promotion. Daniel Edler is the majority owner, chairman and founder of the company. The company was established in 2004 and since their foundation they have held monthly shows in Orpington, Kent...
- IPW:UK Tag Team ChampionshipIPW:UK Tag Team ChampionshipThe British Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and copyrighted by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom and Real Quality Wrestling. The IPW:UK title was established in 2005 and the RQW title was established in 2007...
(1 time) – with Ares
- IPW:UK Tag Team Championship
- Independent Wrestling Association: Switzerland
- IWA Switzerland World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling GuerrillaPro Wrestling GuerrillaPro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
- PWG World ChampionshipPWG World ChampionshipThe PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship...
(1 time)
- PWG World Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #44 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- Ring of HonorRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
- ROH World Tag Team ChampionshipROH World Tag Team ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
(2 times) – with Chris Hero - Race to the Top Tournament (2007)
- Tag Wars (2010) – with Chris Hero
- ROH World Tag Team Championship
- Swiss Wrestling Federation
- SWF Powerhouse Championship (2 times)
- SWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ares
- westside Xtreme wrestling
- wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- wXw Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Ares
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (2010) with Chris Hero