Claudio Castagnoli has spoken up about what bothers him most in pro wrestling, calling out people who choose the business as a career but don’t take the work seriously.
Speaking with Robbie Fox on My Mom’s Basement, the Death Riders member was asked about his biggest pet peeve in wrestling and pointed directly to a lack of commitment to the craft from some in the business.
“If I would have to pick one, it would probably be if you don’t take wrestling serious. I mean like not don’t do fun stuff or whatever, I mean whatever your craft is and if you choose that to be wrestling, take it serious. Treat it with respect and take your craft serious. That doesn’t mean you have to be serious technical wrestler or whatever, that can be anything. There’s many ways to succeed. But, I feel like if you want to be successful and if you do this, take it serious.
I think that would be the biggest pet peeve but I also understand if somebody just wants to do it once a month or whatever, like sure. But, if you want to be successful and you want to do it right, just take it seriously.”
Castagnoli was careful to clarify that he’s not saying everyone needs to work a technical style or stop having fun in the ring. In his view, there are plenty of ways to find success in the business, as long as a wrestler respects their own craft.
The sentiment is consistent with what Castagnoli has expressed in the past. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Swiss native said that celebrities and influencers can help bring in new fans, but stressed that wrestling itself still needs to remain at the center of the business.
On recent AEW programming, Castagnoli advanced to the semifinals of the Continental Challenge Cup but was defeated by Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite in Glasgow.
AEW All In: London takes place this Sunday, August 30, at Wembley Stadium.