Claudio Castagnoli joins Blackpool Combat Club
In the wake of Bryan Danielson’s absence due to injury, Zack Sabre Jr. took on a mystery opponent at Forbidden Door on June 26th in Chicago. ZSJ was cocky as he walked to the ring, seemingly unperturbed by the uncertainty. When Claudio Castagnoli’s music hit and the United Center erupted in the cheers of 16,529 people, ZSJ still maintained his poise, shouting what could only be assumed were unkind words at Castagnoli as the fan-favorite entered the ring for his AEW debut. When referee Bryce Remsburg called for the bell, Castagnoli wasted no time and rushed at ZSJ, rocking the competitor with a stiff European uppercut. Castagnoli hit the Neutralizer and covered ZSJ for what appeared to be a quick end to the match, but ZSJ stayed alive. Reeling from the fast start, ZSJ rolled out of the ring, only to be thrown from barricade to barricade by Castagnoli. ZSJ eventually managed to duck his charging opponent, causing Castagnoli to take a hard, steel guardrail to the shoulder.
As the men returned to the ring, ZSJ zeroed in on Castagnoli’s possibly injured arm and applied hold after hold to the extremity. Castagnoli persevered, perplexing the calculating ZSJ after he was able to lift the wrestler up for an impressive stalling suplex despite the punishment his arm had endured. ZSJ wasn’t about to give up and he continued to focus on Castagnoli’s arms, employing the vast grappling knowledge he is so well known for to pretzel Castagnoli’s upper body. When ZSJ caught Castagnoli in an armbar, Castagnoli deadlifted ZSJ’s body up off the mat and dumped him outside of the ring in an attempt to break the hold. The tenacious ZSJ refused to release his arm, pulling Castagnoli out of the ring as well. Knowing the match couldn’t end in a victory on the outside, Castagnoli lifted ZSJ again, then walked around the ring and carefully climbed up the stairs with his competitor still clinging to his appendage. Castagnoli managed to toss ZSJ into the squared circle, finally ridding his arm of the grappler.
The men traded submissions for power moves and ZSJ locked in a guillotine while Castagnoli hit a gut wrench slam from the second rope. ZSJ escaped Castagnoli’s swing attempts a few times, but Castagnoli finally caught his opponent and started his signature giant swing. As the crowd counted the fifth rotation, Castagnoli suddenly dropped ZSJ, the punishment his arm had taken finally showing its effects. After trying to lock in a submission of his own, the sharpshooter, Castagnoli was caught by ZSJ first in a rear-naked choke, which he transitioned into an agonizing armbar that stretched Castagnoli’s shoulders to their limit. Castagnoli managed to make the ropes with the tip of his boot and ZSJ grudgingly released the hold.
As Castagnoli rose to his knees, ZSJ delivered a nasty PK to his competitor’s chest. Unphased, Castagnoli absorbed the blow and asked for another, then another, and another as ZSJ delivered the kicks hard and fast. When ZSJ went in for the kill, Castagnoli caught his leg and hit an uppercut, then a lariat for a near fall. ZSJ countered with a European clutch for a near fall of his own. As ZSJ bounced off the ropes, Castagnoli caught him with an elevated uppercut, followed by a discus lariat and the Ricola Bomb to secure the win in his debut AEW match.
