Chris Hero began working as a producer for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) earlier this year, handling weekly backstage duties. His reunion with Claudio Castagnoli, his former tag team partner, was made possible by his arrival at AEW.
They had formed their own tag team under the same name and had previously been a part of the Kings of Wrestling stable together. Hero revealed details about his long relationship with Castagnoli on a recent episode of “AEW Unrestricted.”
Chris Hero candidly talks about his long relationship with Castagnoli
January 2002 marked Chris Hero’s y initial encounter with Claudio Castagnoli. The real meeting was at a Swiss Wrestling Federation show, though he might have run into him the previous evening at a German show. He portrayed Swiss bankers as Swiss Money Holding in collaboration with his partner Ares. He got to hang out with Claudio and his partner at that point, Hero recalled.
Chris Hero noticed that the European wrestling scene lacked veteran wrestlers when they first met. He was inspired by this to take the lead and hold training seminars all over the continent.
Claudio Castagnoli was one of the eager students with whom he imparted his knowledge, and Hero acknowledged him as one of the most committed. Both of them continued to communicate via AOL Instant Messenger after Hero’s seminar ended.
Setting Out on a Friendship Journey
After winning the Green Card Lottery in 2004, Claudio Castagnoli was able to move to the US legally in September of that same year.
Chris Hero revealed that after Castagnoli’s move, they started going to wrestling shows together and eventually formed their own tag team.
“We brought something that originated in Chikara to CZW and, in the end, to Ring of Honor. We rose to become the Wrestling Kings. We played Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in a string of matches. With the [ROH] tag belts in hand, we took on the Briscoe Brothers. There were lots of fun matches during that time”, Hero recalled.
More about Chris Hero
American professional wrestler and trainer Chris Hero is currently a producer for All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Hero has a long history in independent wrestling promotions, such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan, Ring of Honor (ROH), Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW).
Using the ring name Kassius Ohno, he has made two appearances in the WWE, both times in the company’s developmental territory, NXT. As a “player-coach,” he oversaw trainees in NXT and NXT UK during his second stint with the organization.
Hero and Claudio Castagnoli established the renowned tag team known as the “Kings of Wrestling.” The Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas, Tag World Grand Prix 2006, CZW World Tag Team Championship, JCW Tag Team Championship, and ROH World Tag Team Championship are just a few of the events and championships they collectively won.
More about Claudio Castagnoli
Swiss professional wrestler Claudio Castagnoli is presently a member of the Blackpool Combat Club in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also competes for Ring of Honor (ROH), the sister promotion of AEW, where he has won the ROH World Champion title twice in the past. During Castagnoli’s time in the WWE from 2011 to 2022, he became well-known under the ring name Antonio Cesaro (later Cesaro).
Castagnoli began his professional wrestling career in the European independent circuit in 2000.
Since then, he has wrestled for numerous independent promotions all over the world, such as Westside Xtreme Wrestling (WxW), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH), Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).
In the independent scene, he won multiple titles and made a name for himself as a skilled tag team competitor. Notably, he and Chris Hero forged a fruitful alliance that made them both known as the Kings of Wrestling.
Their 364-day reign, which at the time was the longest in ROH history, saw the pair win the ROH World Tag Team Championship twice. They also held a number of independent tag team championships, including the CZW World Tag Team Championship, the JCW Tag Team Championship, and the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas.
Additionally, Castagnoli won the PWG World Championship once. 2010 saw readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter select The Kings of Wrestling as the Tag Team of the Year.
