Tony Khan Comments On Length Of Claudio Castagnoli’s AEW Contract
It seems like it was forever ago that Claudio Castagnoli road in on the white horse to wrestle (and defeat) Zack Sabre Jr. at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door, followed by him taking part in the second-ever Blood & Guts match just days later on "AEW Dynamite." And according to AEW owner and CEO Tony Khan, it's the type of stuff you can expect to see from Castagnoli in AEW for a long time.
"This is a long-term thing," Khan said during his weekly pilgrimage to Busted Open Radio Wednesday afternoon. "This is a long-term, multi-year agreement, and I'm very excited about it. I think there's a huge future for Claudio Castagnoli here [in AEW]. I cannot wait for that, and I was just thrilled he came in. The timing of his arrival could not have been any better, with Bryan Danielson out injured ahead of Forbidden Door and Blood & Guts. I felt, and Bryan Danielson also felt, there was only one wrestler we believed that could step in and fill Bryan Danielson's shoes, particularly in two very different matches, but both hugely important [matches].
"Bryan Danielson was going to go one-on-one with Zack Sabre Jr., and it was Claudio that stepped up and had that match, which was a great, great match. It turned into a great debut for Claudio in AEW. And then he stepped up again, leading off the Blood & Guts two-ring cage match last week on Dynamite. Huge thanks to Claudio; he was the first person in the Blackpool Combat Club to get in that double cage. He fought the whole way through and he pulled out the win in the end. I think that's emblematic of how hugely important Claudio's going to be in AEW going forward."
Castagnoli is currently not scheduled for tonight's episode of "AEW Dynamite," but he will surely have his eye on at least one match, as fellow Blackpool Combat Club member Jon Moxley will defend the AEW Interim World Championship against the House of Black's Brody King.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open Radio and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription