The past year for Claudio Castagnoli has been an absolute rollercoaster - but the Swiss phenomenon is ready to put the new-look Ring Of Honor promotion on his back.
After opting to leave WWE last February, ending a lengthy tenure with the sports entertainment juggernaut, leaving his career at a crossroads that had plenty of options on the table.
But when the call came from AEW and ROH boss Tony Khan, the 42-year-old was ready to jump at the opportunity and link up with some close friends.
Castagnoli joined the Blackpool Combat Club alongside former world champions Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, as well as rising star Wheeler Yuta, with the group immediately becoming a hit with AEW audiences.
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During the early stages of his run with the company, Castagnoli won his first major singles title of his career, claiming the ROH World Championship, before trading it with the legendary Chris Jericho throughout the latter stages of the year.
Speaking to The Sporting News ahead of ROH's major pay-per-view event on WrestleMania weekend, Castagnoli reflected on his transition to a new home, working with Jericho and why the championship means so much to him.
“It was fun because we can actually have matches on pay-per-view and television…most of our matches in the past [in WWE] happened on non-televised events," he said.
"Chris is always evolving, always trying to get better and always changing things with his character. He has a brilliant mind for wrestling and you have to kind of keep up and that’s a fun challenge.
"To be thrown right in there felt great – it made stay on my toes and I’m very happy that I have the Ring Of Honor title back. I feel like now that we have a weekly show to tell our story…it’s a different feel there than AEW.
"Ring Of Honor was kind of in limbo and we didn’t really know. It was important to me as the champion to be a rock that people can trust and look forward to always having good matches and performing.
"They can know that when I am the champion, the product is going to be quality and the matches are going to be top quality and that’s what I have been delivering.
"I’m very proud of my matches and I’m very proud of every single person that steps through that curtain and the way they performed."
Claudio Castagnoli set to defend ROH Title against Eddie Kingston
There are perhaps no more bitter rivals across both companies than the two men who will square off for ROH World Title as part of WrestleMania weekend.
Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston have a genuine hatred for one another that stretches back well over a decade from their time working on the independent scene, including their formative years in ROH.
When asked if he is worried about Kingston being the man to dethrone him for the title, Castagnoli shrugged it off and doesn't believe the tough New Yorker has what it takes to carry the weight of the company on his back.
“I mean, if he wants to be – I’ll just put it that way," he laughed.
"Supercard Of Honor is obviously very important, it’s WrestleMania weekend which brings so many people from all over the world into one place and this year it’s going to be Los Angeles.
"I was always looking forward to Supercard Of Honor…going into it as the ROH World Champion, there is a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of expectations.
“Even with my attention split, it is still better than his focus on one. He just left AEW because I don’t even know…I feel like he has a pattern that just emerged again. Who knows what is going to happen with him in Ring Of Honor.
"I just hope that I will do justice to that and Eddie will do whatever the hell Eddie will do."
What is Ring Of Honor?
Many fans that might be new to pro wrestling would likely be unfamiliar with Ring Of Honor and its storied history.
The company was originally founded in February 2002 and was the proving ground for some of the industry's biggest stars, with the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Seth Rollins all rising to prominence there.
AEW boss Tony Khan purchased ROH over 12 months ago and has completely rejuvenated the promotion - and Castagnoli believes that fans from across the world are now going to have their eyes opened to the future of the business.
“To me, Ring Of Honor always stood for the best wrestling in the ring...if you are a wrestling fan and you just enjoy the wrestling part the most, ROH is the place for you and it always has been," he told The Sporting News.
"It has always been the place where new talented guys make a name for themselves – be that many years ago guys like myself, Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe – there are so many people.
"It’s always been the proving ground and it’s always been the place to be if you want to cement yourself as a great wrestler. If you love wrestling, you will love ROH and you will get the match quality you have always searched for.
"You will find that you will most likely see the next big thing in wrestling in an ROH ring, proving themselves today."
When is ROH Supercard of Honor 2023?
- Date: Friday, March 31 | Saturday, April 1
- Start time: 7 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. GMT | 10 a.m. GMT | 11am AEDT
Supercard of Honor takes place on March 31. The first match will be on at 7 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. GMT | 10 a.m. GMT | 11am AEDT.
How to watch ROH Supercard of Honor 2023
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States | Friday, March 31 | BR Live |
| United Kingdom | Friday, March 31 | FITE.tv |
| Australia | Saturday, April 1 | FITE.tv |
The event will air on BR Live and in traditional pay-per-view formats. It will also be available on FITE.tv outside of North America.
Where is ROH Supercard of Honor 2023?
Supercard of Honor takes place inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The arena can hold up to 10,000 people.
ROH Supercard of Honor 2023 fight card
- Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Eddie Kingston for the ROH World Title
- Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the ROH Pure Title
- Samoa Joe (c) vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH World TV Title
- Athena (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki for the ROH Women's World Title
- The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) vs. The Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher) vs. Dralistico & RUSH vs. Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin) in a "Reach for the Sky" ladder match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles
- The Embassy (Brian Cage, KAUN, and Toa Liona) (c) vs. AR Fox, Blake Christian, and Metalik for the ROHG World Six-Man Tag Team Titles
- Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs. Komander for the AAA Mega Title