Claudio Castagnoli Comments On NJPW Debut

AEW and ROH star (and current ROH World Champion) Claudio Castagnoli spoke to Sports Illustrated about his recent New Japan debut, which occurred at the Dominion show in Osaka on June 4.

Claudio teamed with Jon Moxley and Shota Umino to take on NJPW stalwarts Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii, and said of the experience:

"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.

"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."

The match's quality was especially impressive given the fact the AEW star arrived on a delayed flight, which severely cut short preparation time. Still, the bout was generally very well received and appears to be the consensus match of the night, judging by fan reaction on social media.