Claudio Castagnoli made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling debut on Sunday, teaming with Jon Moxley and Shota Umino as they challenged Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Claudio showed a great deal of appreciation for the match, with the ROH World Champion stating:
“I was very focused, and because of that, I was very much in the moment….Standing in the ring with Tanahashi to start my first match in NJPW is definitely a moment to remember for me.”
Claudio also talked about the moment of putting Okada in the Big Swing, and the challenge to the Rainmaker by Bryan Danielson after the title match.
Claudio made his AEW debut at last year’s Forbidden Door event, facing Zack Sabre Jr. in the cross-promotional show featuring AEW and NJPW talent.
Source: Sports Illustrated