Claudio Castagnoli Vs. Konosuke Takeshita Announced For AEW Battle Of The Belts III
For the ROH World title
Claudio Castagnoli's first defense of the ROH World Heavyweight title will take place next week at AEW's third Battle of the Belts, when he faces Konosuke Takeshita.
The announcement was made during Friday's Rampage. The match will be taped on Friday, August 5 in Grand Rapids, MI, and air the next night on TNT.
Castagnoli won the championship from Jonathan Gresham last Saturday night at Death Before Dishonor in Lowell, MA.
Castagnoli's first appearance since came on tonight's Rampage, where he made his first remarks as champion. It was in that segment that a match was set up for Wednesday's Dynamite, pitting Chris Jericho against Blackpool Combat Club member Wheeler Yuta, with Jericho's shot at interim AEW World champion Jon Moxley on the line.
Takeshita has been active in AEW and numerous high-profile American independents. He lost an World title eliminator bout to Jon Moxley on July 13.
This will be the third installment of AEW Battle of the Belts. The first incarnation was held live on Saturday, January 8 in Charlotte. The second emanated from Garland, TX in mid-April, and saw Sammy Guevara defeat Scorpio Sky to win the TNT championship.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
