In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Claudio Castagnoli shared his thoughts on his upcoming Winner Takes All match against Eddie Kingston scheduled for tomorrow’s edition of AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Castagnoli and Kingston will put the ROH World Championship and the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship on the line with the victor leaving Arthur Ashe Stadium as a dual champion.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On wanting to go to NJPW: “The chance to be a New Japan champion very much excites me. I wanted to go to New Japan after I left WWE, and I did–but I’d like to go again, and what better way than as Strong Openweight champion? It opens a whole new set of possibilities. And I am very proud to be the Ring of Honor champion. I learned a long time ago that you don’t need a belt to hold yourself like a champion. But when you do have one, you must hold yourself to a higher level.”
On wanting to wrestle at the Tokyo Dome and Arena Mexico: “Tokyo Dome and Arena Mexico, those are two legendary venues that have eluded me throughout my career. I need to wrestle at both of those places, and I’d love to start with the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom. I’m looking forward to taking this title away from Eddie–and wrestling at the Tokyo Dome is something else I’m looking forward to doing.”
On being ready to end his feud with Kingston: “I’m ready to put an end to this chapter. I give Eddie credit for what he’s accomplished, and I don’t underestimate him. I know what he’s capable of. I just don’t have any respect for the man.”
