Claudio Castagnoli calls AEW Collision in Henderson an ‘appetizer’ for the Big Game in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — While the big clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers is set to light up the entertainment capital of the world, another “collision” is preparing to rock the south Las Vegas valley.

All Elite Wrestling’s television program Collision will take over the Dollar Loan Center Arena in Henderson on Saturday, February 10, one day before the big NFL championship game at Allegiant Stadium. Claudio Castagnoli, one of the stars of All Elite Wrestling, stopped by 8newsnow.com to talk about the event and his illustrious professional wrestling career that has spanned decades.

“I gave him a piledriver on a pickup truck with the Luxor in the background,” Castagnoli said of the last time he performed in Las Vegas, at AEW’s marquee event Double or Nothing, where he participated in “Anarchy in the Arena.” The Swiss fighter and his wrestling stable, the Blackpool Combat Club, took on The Elite in a chaotic match that saw Castagnoli take out his opponent with his trademark maneuver, the “Giant Swing,” in the concourse of T-Mobile Arena surrounded by fans cheering on the mayhem.

“I think the concourse at T-Mobile is definitely up there,” Claudio said of the strangest places he’s ever executed his finishing move. It’s a uniquely fun and interactive element that only professional wrestling can provide.

“The energy is different than anything else,” Castagnoli said of the pro wrestling experience. “You are part of the show.”

Castagnoli, who has been part of AEW’s roster for nearly two years, looks forward to his future opponents. He cited potential rivalries with TNT Champion Christian Cage, one of the league’s newest acquisitions, Adam Copeland, and the Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong, with whom Castagnoli said he has spent many years in locker rooms but rarely thrown down in the ring.

But fights aren’t the only things that define Castagnoli. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and many were stuck inside their houses with minimal contact with other human beings, Castagnoli and other pro-wrestling performers Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, and Adam Cole formed “Da Party.” Together, they played humorous games of Uno remotely via live stream. Something like a card game between friends may seem simple, but for wrestling fans searching for connection during difficult times, Da Party was just the ticket. Castagnoli said he hears from fans regularly about the group, which remains active on YouTube.

“It’s very humbling because they come up to us wherever and be like, ‘Thank you so much, you got us through the pandemic,’ and I’m always like, ‘No, you don’t understand, it helped us get through the pandemic,'” Claudio said. “We just had so much fun.”

Online Uno isn’t the only activity Claudio takes part in outside the ring. Recently, he had a role in the 2022 short film thriller ‘Tito.’ It’s something that the performer said he wouldn’t mind pursuing in the future.

“I’m not one of those guys that’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll go be a movie star,'” Castagnoli said. “I know there’s a lot of work going into it and there’s a lot of learning that I need to do and a lot of practicing, but I’ll be completely up for it.”

On-screen, Claudio thinks he could pair up with Jason Statham or potentially be part of a modern-day reboot of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer’s spaghetti western action-comedies, which he grew up with.

For now, however, Castagnoli’s focus is on the squared circle, where he and his Blackpool Combat Club brethren Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and Wheeler Yuta deal with the fallout from the Continental Classic tournament and the recent conflict with Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty. Castagnoli said that the conflict pairs well with the forthcoming “Big Game” in Las Vegas.

“[The Big Game] is a destination for people from all over the United States — all over the world, and what better way to start it but to add something else really cool and very unique to your schedule like AEW Collision,” Castagnoli said.

Tickets for AEW Collision at the Dollar Loan Center Arena in Henderson are available now and start as low as $20.

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