By now I’m sure most of you have heard the news that Cesaro is no longer apart of WWE … While that is certainly a shock and heartbreaking as a Cesaro fan to hear … I Just wanted to take the time to write this as a Thank you post … For over 11 Years Cesaro was apart of WWE and in those 11 years he has no doubt proven that he is indeed a future Hall of Famer and without a doubt one of the absolute BEST Professional Wrestlers on this Planet … Whether WWE Wanted to let him have the push he deserved or not one thing that never changed was how each and everytime he was in the ring he ALWAYS went out there and delivered and Set the Bar each and every time … There’s no one out there that can match Cesaro when it comes to in the ring strength wise or in ring wise … It’s always gonna be a shame that he NEVER Got the RESPECT and RECOGNITION that he so deserved while he was there .. But if you have been apart of the Cesaro Section even WAY Before his time in WWE you are well aware of the incredible person and in ring performer he is … Again while this news is for sure a bummer as personally I always had hope that we’d be seeing him FINALLY Get the Push that he was due ,I Personally am thankful for all the amazing moments,matches etc that we did get during his time in WWE… Whether it was his time as part of BTE with Natalya and Tyson Kidd which was way too short of a time but in that time those two proved how amazing they were together or his time in The Bar which NO DOUBT was one of the best tag teams that WWE has ever had Sheamus and Cesaro went from not even being friends to becoming friends in front of our very own eyes while that storyline unrivaled it was truly magical to see and so special and to this day there hasn’t been a tag team that got thrown together like that to really make the most of it like those two did .. Or whether it was the team with Shinsuke which was also such a fun pairing .. No matter what Cesaro was given he ALWAYS made the most of it because of his love for Professional Wrestling and that is something that NO ONE can ever take away from him is truly how much he loves Wrestling … Last year during Wrestlemania Season was truly such a special time as a Cesaro fan because we all got to witness him finally get his Wrestlemania moment against one of his best friends Seth Rollins in what was truly such an incredible match and truly can’t think of anyone else that his WM Moment could of been with then Seth and again during that time there was hope that it was finally leading to his Big Push finally happening as that would eventually lead us to the Feud with Roman Reigns where Cesaro FINALLY got a Universal Title Match against Roman in the main event of a PPV and proved what each and everyone of us knew in the Cesaro Section and that was that Cesaro BELONGED in the Main Event Picture as that match was absolutely INCREDIBLE … But while his time in WWE seemingly is over after 11 years in the company we just wanna take the time to thank each and every person who has believed in Cesaro from Day One truly it’s been amazing to see so many people in the Cesaro Section Continue to support and be behind our Swiss Superman all this time and we know that the support has truly meant the world to Cesaro to have everyone still support him so hard and passionately … I don’t know where the future takes Claudio after this journey BUT I Do hope that each and Every person who has been along the journey and supported him all these years will stay on this journey and continue to support him because no matter where he goes he is gonna absolutely continue to prove why he is indeed one of the BEST Professional Wrestlers in the world .. Lastly I wanted to personally thank Cesaro for how AMAZING and GRATEFUL he has been to me and this site I started this site in 2015 and almost 7 years later I couldn’t be prouder of how far it’s come and will continue to keep it open to support Claudio on his journey wherever he does indeed choose to go … Afain THANK YOU CESARO FOR 11 YEARS OF NOTHING BUT AMAZING WORK IN WWE EVERYONE IN THE CESARO SECTION IS SO PROUD TO SUPPORT YOU !!!

Article Coverage

Anyone who has ever watched Cesaro in the ring can easily see that he’s driven by success. This weekend, however, The Swiss Cyborg switched gears, taking in the sights of Barcelona and participating in a weekend of activities at the world-famous Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – activities that included being the first non-Formula 1 personality to present the Pirelli Pole Position award.

From the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Cesaro presented the prestigious award to Valtteri Bottas, who was Saturday’s fastest-qualifying driver with a time of 1:15.406.

Cesaro will remain in Barcelona to watch Sunday’s race before joining WWE’s tour through the United Kingdom and Europe. (Had the qualifying race occurred a day or two earlier, he and the Finland-born Bottas could have celebrated the victory at WWE’s Live Event in Helsinki Friday night.)

Article Coverage

NZPWI had the opportunity to speak to WWE Superstar Cesaro earlier this week.

A former United States Champion, and Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, The Swiss Superman has stamped his mark on the WWE Universe since debuting in 2012.

Currently one-half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, Cesaro will be part of the WWE Live event in Christchurch this September.

Cesaro spoke to NZPWI’s David Dunn about his path to WWE, Sheamus, The Hardy Boyz, his excitement about New Zealand, and more in this exclusive interview conducted Monday, June 12.

***

David Dunn: Growing up in Switzerland, what’s your first memory of pro-wrestling?

Cesaro: My first memory was seeing The Steiners and The Quebecers on my television with WWF back then. Then it was Bret Hart and Owen Hart and Macho Man, those guys, right away, but the first memory I have of professional wrestling is The Steiner Brothers against The Quebecers.

Watching them, did you immediately want to become a pro-wrestler?

When you see it as a kid it’s like, ‘Wow, this is so cool!’ Like a comic book, but it’s real, and it draws you right in. Of course you dress up as them and you play wrestling and it’s just so much fun. Growing up I was kind of like, that’s what I want to do. As a kid that was my dream job. It’s like, ‘What’s your dream job?’ ‘I want to be a professional wrestler.’ And then reality kicks in and you find another real job, and that’s what I did, but then I had a chance to train wrestling and follow those footsteps and I haven’t looked back since.

What was the best piece of advice you received when you first started training?

When I started training I would say… eyes and ears open, mouth shut. That was it, one of the best pieces of advice. Just learn as much as you can and from anybody that you can, and never stop learning.

Obviously, with the realities of immigration, it’s not a straightforward path from Switzerland to America. Was it difficult to make it to the United States?

It was very difficult. If you look back I got kind of lucky – they say luck is preparation meets opportunity, and that kind of happened for me. I wrestled for about four years in Europe and I went to the United States to train a couple of times and then I was lucky enough to enter the green card lottery. I won a green card, which is, you can come to the US and work. I had a really good job at Johnson & Johnson in Switzerland and I quit, and four months later I moved to the United States and, again, haven’t looked back since. The other day I looked up and the chance for me winning was about one per cent.

You battled your current tag team partner, Sheamus, in a Best of Seven Series in 2016. Do you prefer wrestling Sheamus, or having him in your corner?

I prefer looking over and seeing Sheamus on my side. It’s no fun to be hit hard by Sheamus. It’s much more fun to see Sheamus hit other people hard … on top of that, over the years—especially the last year of us hitting each other hard—we grew a bond and a respect for each other, and right now we’re the best of chums so to speak.

You’re currently involved in a feud with The Hardy Boyz, an iconic team in WWE history. What do you and Sheamus need to do to be held in the same regard as Matt and Jeff?

I think we already proved we can beat The Hardy Boyz, and we can hang with The Hardy Boyz. We are just getting started, and I think if we continue the path that we started we definitely have a chance to improve and become one of the greatest tag teams in WWE. If you look at Sheamus’ career, he’s won just about everything there is to win in WWE. With me, I think this is going to be a fun team for a long time in the future.

© 2017 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2017 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
From your Best of Seven Series with Sheamus, to your Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules, to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, you’ve wrestled under some of WWE’s most iconic stipulations. Are there any matches you’d still like to have?
I’ve had a chance to compete in many of the iconic matches. For example we also won Survivor Series last year in Canada, which was amazing. There’s a few matches… since you had the steel cage match, I remember those the old blue steel cage which would be amazing—just maybe for nostalgia reasons—would be awesome to compete in one of those. I’m trying to think of other matches. I still prefer the one-on-one, classic wrestling match and that’s why the Best of Seven series with Sheamus is so fond in mind. That’s what I think bonded me and Sheamus because we left it all in the ring. How about an Ironman Match? Like a 60-minute Ironman Match. How about we put that there?

You have such a diverse moveset, from the Neutraliser, to the Cesaro Swing, to the European Uppercut. Do you have a favourite move to perform?

I would say the European Uppercut, because I can do so many different variations of it so I can be extremely creative with it and I always find different ways to hit it, which is a lot of fun for me, and also the crowd, to watch because you never really know what to expect. I think that’s part of, like you said, the moveset, I think I have a moveset that people know the moves but you don’t really know when to expect it and I think that’s part of the fun of watching. It’s not just, ‘Okay, he’s going to do the same thing at the same time in the same order.’ It’s a little bit different. Of course, the Cesaro Swing is near and dear to my heart because it’s an incredible move and it takes an incredible person to execute it.

In 2013, the Cesaro Swing caused Titus O’Neil to be physically sick. Has that ever happened to you?

For me, no, because I got used to it and usually my legs get tired before I get dizzy. I’ve heard it from many people, they absolutely hate the Swing because they do get very dizzy, but on the other hand I’m kind of immune to it.

WWE Live comes to Christchurch this September. Have you been to New Zealand before?

I’m extremely excited about this because I’ve never been to New Zealand, apart from a layover. When you land you see all the beauty that is New Zealand, all the green. I get very excited every time we land in Switzerland for similar reasons. New Zealand, it was kind of the same feeling. So I was very excited that WWE is coming and actually Raw is coming to New Zealand and I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait to come to New Zealand and hopefully go sightseeing.

How would you describe the WWE Live event experience to someone who may have seen Raw or SmackDown Live on TV, but never seen WWE in person?

People, they want to see Raw and SmackDown with the pyros and stuff but there’s nothing compared to a WWE Live event because it’s so much more intimate. It’s so much more… you’re really just in the middle. The matches are longer, the people have more time to interact. It’s just that crazy energy that you can’t describe. What you see on TV and you watch with your friends, you kind of get sucked into the matches and the reactions, it’s amplified that by hundreds when you go to a live show. People are there to have fun and have a good time. It’s just this great energy and I can’t wait to see what New Zealand has to offer in that aspect.

Special Thanks to David Dunn for Emailing us this Interview

Original Article

The Swiss athlete jokes on the WWE Italian-American stereotype: “Quiet, you have a better look and I can not wait to go back to May.”

Wrestlemania 33, in partnership with his Sheamus partner, Cesaro had the opportunity to recover Raw Team Tag Team titles in the Ladder Match, then won by Hardy Boyz at WWE’s surprise return. In the coming weeks, the European couple have managed to reap the chance to compete for the Payback belts, the next Pay-Per-View, to be held on April 30 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Regardless of how the match will take place, there will be a new rematch at the next WWE tour in Italy, which will bring RAW superstars to Rome and Bologna (May 3 and May 4 respectively). One of the scheduled matches in the card of these two events will be just a Fatal-4 Way for the pair titles, which will see the two team teams that will challenge Payback, plus the tandem Enzo Amore-Big Cass and Gallows-Anderson .

A spectacular event and where both the pair formed by Enzo Amore and Big Cass, WWE’s “Italian-Americans”, namely that of Cesaro and Sheamus, will always have the special support of the Italian audience. Just to present the upcoming tour in Europe and talk about much more, the Swiss athlete, just hours after the start of the last episode of WWE Raw, appeared at the Sprint Center Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, to respond To journalists’ questions. And among them was the editorial staff of FOXSports.it .

Antonio Cesaro said he was immediately excited about this tour in Europe, particularly the Italian stage where he could enjoy a drink of which he is crazy and that in the United States it is very complicated to find:

The coffee. I love him and there is no one who does it as well as in Italy. It will be a pleasure for me to return, each time it is as if I were in my house. However, I also grew up as an athlete, I will never forget the meetings I made in the smaller federations before winning the “green card” and becoming a professional wrestler in all respects.

Even for his passion for Italy, every time WWE makes a stop in our country, Cesaro is always among the most acclaimed:

In Italy fans are special, very passionate. You see that they are also football fans. Every time we come to Italy we are always warmly welcomed and with great enthusiasm: the energy they are able to convey is truly phenomenal.

Enzo Amore, the Italian stereotype

This time, to make him “competition” in the ranking of fans of Italian fans, there will also be Enzo Amore and Big Cass, the two “gangster” Italian-American so much sympathy arouse in the WWE Universe. The two tamarrians, with their flashy clothes and inguardable hair (especially Enzo), represent what is in theory the American stereotype of Italian in the US . So, let’s try to ask Cesaro, that Italy really knows it, even if he sees us that way. The Swiss athlete, after hearing a laugh, tries to rethink the question:

What do you think about it? Are you really like them?

Of course our answer is no , so Cesaro bursts out again to laugh and argue:

There may be someone who identifies the Italians in that way. But I know you and I think like you. It is not the right stereotype to paint you. You have a great look, you dress well and – continues to smile – drink coffee.

An answer that makes us breathe a sigh of relief and makes us go to the next question. If one day had to fight against The Miz, as usual accompanied by the inevitable wife Maryse, what WWE Women Superstar would choose to support?

We’ll bring Sheamus!

He responds without thinking of Cesaro , which is bursting into a new laughing laugh . When we point out that it has to be limited to the only female landscape, then it adapts bitterly:

No? Are you sure I can not? I think Sheamus would be happy. Well, then at my side I would come to Natalya.

Hardy Boyz and Wrestlemania 33

Now is the time to focus on real matches, such as Wrestlemania 33 , where he and Sheamus had the opportunity to recover their title titles, but then they were overtaken by Hardy Boyz’s return :

We did not expect them to be present, we had to revisit our plans. When I was little I saw their match, they were very fun. And even now they have not lost the enamel: I have to say that it is not so nice to see a plunger on a ladder. With their return, fans have deployed on their side, but I and Sheamus are stronger. Sheamus misses only the title of Intercontinental Champion for winning all four of the main belts. Our goal is to beat them to payback to return to Europe by champions.

Highest point and future plans

Looking at the past, the most beautiful moment of Wrestlemania that remembered Cesaro is that of his first appearance in the 30th edition:

Yes, on that occasion I won the first Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it was great. Anyway, my victory was an important stage for my career.

He now sees it in pairs with Sheamus, looking for those Tag Team Champions belts that Cesaro has already won twice in his career . In his palmares there is only one title on the individual level, that of Intercontinental Champion:

Now I’m focused on the goals we have at Sheamus at WWE Raw . I think we’re creating funny matches, people appreciate them. And as I said before, we are determined to repay the Payback titles against Hardy Boyz. Then it is clear that in the future I would like to win something else on an individual level. One goal I have before quitting is just to become Universal or WWE Champion.

Going ahead of this step, it is not excluded that it will succeed. Meanwhile, the next goal is called Payback , then the tour will be in Italy. Here is the match card currently being played in the latter, considering that in the Pay-Per-View on Sunday night (2 o’clock on Sky First Fila) some of the titles in the game could change master:

Card of the Italian Tour

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Dean Ambrose (C) vs. The Miz w / Maryse

The Hardy Boyz (C) vs Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs Cesaro & Sheamus vs The Club

Bayley (C) vs Mickie James vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax vs Emma vs Alexa Bliss

And many others…

Original Article

The role of an underdog is an unusual one for a 6-foot-5 muscle-bound wrestler, but it’s a role that Cesaro has been all-too-familiar with over the course of his tenure in the WWE. The 35-year-old “Swiss superman” has seemingly had to fight for every inch and accolade he has achieved on wrestling’s biggest stage, but he has faced down each challenge as it has come along — becoming a popular character in the WWE universe in the process.

This has been especially apparent over the last few weeks on Raw, as Cesaro took on Sheamus in a best-of-seven series between the two European giants. He was once again positioned as the lesser of the two superstars in going down three wins to none against Sheamus. Yet despite his character being backed into a corner with several different parts of his body encased in kinesiology tape, the series is now tied 3-3 with the deciding match set for Sunday at the Clash of Champions on pay-per-view.

Both the concept and the execution have received polarized reactions from fans, but in getting the opportunity to play out on screen the kind of uphill battle he has faced in his career, and getting to do it in a format that hasn’t been used in the WWE in upwards of a decade, Cesaro has relished the opportunity.

“I do love this kind of program,” Cesaro said during a conference call with several media outlets Monday afternoon, as part of a promotional effort for the WWE’s upcoming U.K. tour in early November. “It’s not often we get the chance in WWE to do something like that. To me, it’s the closest to the old days when it was all about the wrestling, all about me against Sheamus in the ring without anything on the outside. It has this real sports feel. I kind of had my back against the wall, you know, it’s best-of-seven. I do definitely love it.”

“Well, I feel, from a company standpoint, like there’s a lot of trust that goes into this,” Sheamus concurred before the start of the series. “Because to have seven matches, or at least a best-of-seven … there’s a lot of confidence bestowed on both of us. People know we can go. People know we hit hard. We bring a lot of realism to our matches.”

“I think over my career, if you look at it in WWE, Sheamus has always been one of my biggest adversaries,” Cesaro said, “and one of the ones I would like to say I had some very memorable bouts with. It’s definitely fun to be in the ring with him.”

The winner of the series is set to receive a title opportunity, and it could be another chance to jump-start Cesaro’s often promising WWE career. It remains a work in progress, to this point, as the 16-year veteran, who made a name for himself as Claudio Castagnoli on the independent scene in promotions such as Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla before signing for WWE in 2011, tries to break through a ceiling that has kept him from reaching the very top of the wrestling world. Cesaro was seemingly on the cusp of such a breakthrough as a singles star in late 2015 when a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder halted his momentum.

He underwent surgery and returned to action in April, and Cesaro has built a growing fan base which has supported him with entire swaths of the crowd holding up “Cesaro Section” signs — establishing a persistently visible presence among Raw crowds. The Lucerne, Switzerland, native has already tasted a certain level of success in WWE, winning the United States championship, the tag-team championships with Tyson Kidd and the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania in 2014. But it is not enough for Cesaro, who feels he has what it takes to reach higher.

“I wanted to be [world] champion by now, and I haven’t achieved that,” Cesaro said, when asked if he felt he had made the progress he wanted to since returning from injury.

Despite the tape he wears on his previously injured left shoulder, and other areas of his body at times, Cesaro is back at full strength and attempting to prove he has what it takes to grab the ball and run with it.

“The journey ahead seems still so long, but I’m happy I came back 100 percent,” he continued. “I didn’t come back 70 percent or something. I’m getting better every day. I’m just enjoying myself. Trying to approach it a little bit different. Just having more fun, especially in the ring, and letting the fans have fun with me together, from my new entrance to the whole thing.”

The ‘Swiss superman’ character Cesaro has portrayed on WWE programming since returning has been a big positive step for him. His entrance features Cesaro walking out in a suit in front of a TitanTron video that mimics the famous opening credits sequence of James Bond films; he then tears off his Velcro tux and “transforms” into the Swiss superman before walking down to the ring for his match.

Cesaro’s tale of frustration was a similar one to Kevin Owens’ early this year, as he and his former running buddy on the independent scene languished with the mythical “brass ring” seemingly just out of both men’s reach. Their perceived places in the WWE hierarchy were solidified in July during the WWE brand separation draft as Owens was drafted in the fourth round, 18th overall, and Cesaro didn’t go until Round 6, 28th overall.

That all changed with Owens’ shocking Universal-title victory on Raw in late August.

“Kevin was drafted higher than me, and he was frustrated. I’m even more frustrated than him,” Cesaro said. “He had quite the run. If you look at it, he’s been in WWE for a little over two years. The things he achieved in a very short period of time — it might be unprecedented. As a fellow colleague of his, who’s been on the independents with him — I’ve known him for over 10 years — I’m very happy with his success. He definitely deserves it.”

As Cesaro pursues similar levels of success, it’s clear he realizes that his path to the WWE’s top championships will have to be different.

“For me it’s a little bit of a different road,” Cesaro said. “But if there are mountains to climb, I think as a Swiss man you’re the proper mountaineer to do it. So that’s something I’m looking forward to.”

When you pursue the level of success that Cesaro seeks in the WWE, it’s hard not to second guess yourself sometimes. There’s no real sense of self-doubt with Cesaro, but he does acknowledge that his approach to the business and low-key demeanor don’t lend themselves to self-promotion.

“I feel like I’ve been working magic for the past four years in WWE,” Cesaro said, “and maybe it’s the European in me, or the Swiss in me, that I’m not at the forefront bragging and constantly boasting about my achievements. I let my actions do the talking, and that might take a little bit longer for people to see.”

During his WWE tenure, Cesaro has had to deal with the added pressure of trying to be as entertaining on a microphone as he is in the ring, but feels he’s undeservedly stereotyped as being a poor talker.

“I actually can talk if you let me,” he said. “That’s always funny, because people always say that I can’t, but the thing is, you haven’t seen me on the mic a lot. I don’t really get that many chances. And if I do, it’s usually pretty good.

“Certain people get maybe a reputation, and people keep repeating it, and that just becomes their stigma,” Cesaro continued. “I’m not saying I’m ‘Mr. Microphone’ over here, but I can certainly hold my own. I’ve been fortunate enough to get the chance to prove it lately, and I’m looking forward to getting to prove it some more going forward. The guys who talk are a select few, and I’m working my way to get there.”

One person Cesaro has seemingly struggled to fully win over is Vince McMahon. The WWE owner told Steve Austin on an edition of the Stone Cold Podcast in December 2014 that Cesaro was lacking in charisma, verbal skills and the “it factor,” and Austin said he did not know what Cesaro needed to do to raise his game.

WWE legends including Austin, Ric Flair and Mick Foley have all previously criticized WWE for not pushing Cesaro as a main-event talent, given his natural ability in the ring.

“I feel like I’m connecting pretty good,” Cesaro said, however. “If you see the ‘Cesaro section,’ when I go out there, it is definitely not silent, and I have a huge fan base all over the world. Of course, there’s always room for improvement. I’m the first one to always criticize myself, and I’m trying to find ways to get better. If people say stuff like that, that I maybe not agree with, I’m doing my best and working my hardest to prove them wrong.”

Again, the timing of his injury couldn’t have been much worse. He was part of a tournament to crown a new WWE world heavyweight champion, with several high-profile showdowns with true main-event talent just before going down in November.

“I got hurt when I was starting to really take off,” Cesaro said. “Now I feel like I have to start from scratch again, which I have [had] to do so often. But it definitely felt like I was on a roll. And I’m still on a roll. It’s just definitely being in the right place at the right time or being the right person. It’s kind of hard sometimes, but I feel like if I’m consistently delivering, which is what I do, sooner or later it can’t be denied.”

Whatever the future holds for Cesaro in WWE, he is still humble.

“Sometimes I have to kind of stop and take it in,” he said. “To me, I don’t like to look back, I just like to look forward. It’s such a long journey still ahead for me. Every now and then I see a picture of when I started, or I go to an arena — we were just at the O2 [Arena in London] last week, and that’s where I made my WWE debut on WWE TV. It’s just crazy to think that that was over four years ago. If I look back on when I was on the indies in the U.S., and ever further when I was in Europe, it’s just kind of amazing how I made it this far.”

Source:Espn.Com