In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Claudio Castagnoli addressed his NJPW debut at Dominion this past Sunday. The reigning ROH World Champion teamed with Jon Moxley and Shota Umino in a losing effort against Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships.
According to Claudio, his NJPW debut is ‘a moment to remember’.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On his NJPW debut: “I was very focused, and because of that, I was very much in the moment. I always want to be in the moment from the second I step out into the arena in order to be the best I can be. Standing in the ring with Tanahashi to start my first match in NJPW is definitely a moment to remember for me.”
On swinging Okada: “Swinging Okada, somebody I’ve known for a long time, in Japan, in my first match in NJPW, that is definitely a top swing. Mox said it yesterday—we have our visas and we’ll be back.”
On enjoying his run in AEW: “Joining AEW just felt right, and being in the BCC just feels right. Yesterday, when I stepped in a NJPW ring, it just felt right. We in the BCC are having fun and that authenticity translates. You can’t fake passion, and I feel it’s the thing that the BCC is built on.”
