Surprise victories are a big part of professional wrestling. Rewarding fans who tune in and creating a sense of FOMO for those who weren't watching is a major benefit of sudden title changes. That occurred in Arena Mexico on November 28 when Claudio Castagnoli defeated Gran Guerrero for the CMLL World Heavyweight Title. It was a big win and one that reminded fans that Castagnoli is one of the best in the world today.
Gran Guerrero was riding a streak holding that championship for more than three years coming into that match. He was the face of CMLL and one of the biggest names in Mexican wrestling. The match against Castagnoli was a surprise in the first place, but seeing him drop the championship to the AEW star truly caught everyone off guard.
Castagnoli is one of those guys who makes any roster he’s on better. His fans have long wanted to see him get a moment as a world champion in a major promotion, and surprisingly enough he hasn’t had many of these moments as the top guy throughout his career.
WWE never put Castagnoli in the position to be a true solo champion. He had a fun run as the WWE United States Champion, but his fans always wanted to see him do much more than that. When he joined All Elite Wrestling there was hope that he’d be at the top of the food chain at some point, but that never came as well. He captured the Ring of Honor Championship two times, but again, that was nowhere near the top of the AEW card.
Seeing Claudio Castagnoli capture the CMLL World Heavyweight Title is a big deal for not only him, but the continuing partnership between AEW and CMLL. The championship gets further spotlight on AEW weekly television, which can potentially bring in new viewers to the CMLL product. Castagnoli is certainly a wrestler who looks great as a champion and one who can put on the type of matches meant to draw fans in. This could be a big move with positive long term impacts for both him, the world title, and CMLL.
Fans have long wanted to see Claudio Castagnoli get his time in the spotlight. While it doesn’t look like he is going to ever capture the AEW World Championship, this is a positive step for his career. Castagnoli is now the world champion of what is the oldest wrestling promotion in the world. Quite the feather in his cap of accolades.