AEW's Claudio Castagnoli Accepts Challenge For A Match Against NJPW Star
The G1 Climax had barely ended before New Japan Pro Wrestling star Shingo Takagi made it clear what he wanted to do next; wrestle AEW star Claudio Castagnoli in a singles match at NJPW Destruction in Kobe on September 27. It's a wish that Takagi will have granted. Shortly after their Road to Destruction event in Tokyo Wednesday, New Japan took to X to post a video of Castagnoli accepting Takagi's challenge, while also insulting the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the process.
"Shingo, I don't speak Japanese, but I understood every word of my message to me," Castagnoli said. "It was 'Wah! Wah! Wah wah wah wah wah!' You want me to come to Kobe to teach you another lesson? No problem. But judging by what you said, that means you'll have another two years of bad luck coming afterwards. Be careful what you wish for little man. In Kobe, I'll show you who the boss is."
Shingo Takagi's challenge for 9/27 in Kobe has been answered!
A message from @claudioCSRO!#njdest pic.twitter.com/rFtmfyoFpO
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) September 9, 2026
Takagi's issues with Castagnoli stem from a July 2 tag team match on "AEW Collision," which saw Castagnoli and PAC defeat Takagi and Drilla Maloney. Takagi has subsequently blamed the loss, and Castagnoli, for sending him into a funk during the G1 tournament. Though Takagi did pick up several big wins in the tournament, including defeating eventual G1 winner Ryohei Oiwa, he would finish with only 8 points in a tie for fifth place; it was Takagi's lowest output in the G1 since 2023, when he finished with just 7 points.
This will be the first singles match between Castagnoli and Takagi, and their fourth in-ring encounter overall. In addition to the July "Collision" match, Castagnoli and Takagi were part of a six way match at Ring of Honor's Fifth Year Festival in 2006, won by Castagnoli, and a trios match on the June 26, 2024 edition of "AEW Dynamite," where Takagi and then LIJ teammates Hiromu Takahashi and Titan defeated Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, and Wheeler Yuta by DQ.