Claudio Castagnoli
| Claudio Castagnoli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 27, 1980 Schaffhausen |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Claudio Castagnoli Tenshi Takami |
| Billed height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Billed weight | 101 kg (222 lb) |
| Billed from | United Bank of Switzerland |
| Trained by | Chris Hero Dave Taylor SigMasta Rappo Mike Quackenbush Skayde |
| Debut | December 24, 2000 |
"Double C" Claudio Castagnoli (born December 27, 1980 in Schaffhausen), is a Swiss professional wrestler. He performs primarily on the American independent circuit in promotions such as Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and CHIKARA.
Career
Castagnoli got his first training in his homeland of Switzerland by fellow Swiss wrestler SigMasta Rappo, and debuted on December 24, 2000 in Essen for the German westside Xtreme wrestling. Castagnoli first used a Japanese gimmick before changing it to a Swiss banker one with Ares, another Swiss wrestler, together known as the Swiss Money Holding.
While performing in England, Castagnoli received training from Dave Taylor. Claudio met Chris Hero in Germany. Hero invited the SMH to perform in America. They had matches in IWA-Mid South and CHIKARA and received training from Hero before returning to Europe.
A few months later, Castagnoli returned back to USA to wrestle full time while Ares would team up with Marc Roudin as the new Swiss Money Holding in Europe. Castagnoli now wrestles on the American independent circuit, and is a full time worker for CHIKARA and Ring of Honor.
Claudio Castagnoli would also make his way to Combat Zone Wrestling, where he would team up with Chris Hero to form the highly successful Kings of Wrestling, and would win the CZW Tag Team Titles. With Hero, Castagnoli won the Tag World Grand Prix 2006 hosted by CHIKARA, becoming one of Los Campeones de Parejas in the process.
Quotes
- "Heyyy!"
Finishing and signature moves
- Ricola Bomb (Cross-arm sitout powerbomb)
- Swi$$ Sleeperholding (Modified cobra clutch)
- The Neutralizer (Grounded Argentine leglock with headscissors)
- Swiss Uppercut (Various European uppercut variations)
- Match Killer (Horizontal back to belly hold swung into sitout facebuster)
- Alpamare Waterslide (Side Death Valley driver)
- Delayed vertical suplex
- Jim Breaks Special (Arm lift submission)
- Elbow from the Alps (Top rope diving elbow drop)
- Money Dive Headbutt (Diving headbutt)
- UBS Neckbreaker (Modified TKO)
- Cough Drop (European uppercut to a falling, or seated opponent)
With Chris Hero
- Hero's Welcome Kings of Wrestling Edition (Rolling Cutter and Side Slam combination)
- Royal Bomb (Double Cross-arm Powerbomb)
- Monkey Flip into a splash or a spear
- Rolling spear
- Electric Chair Drop\Cravate combination
- Elevated Senton
- Double elbow drop
With Arik Cannon
- Ricola Bomb (Cross-arm sitout powerbomb) and Glimmerick Warlock (modified shining wizard) combination
Championships and accomplishments
- 1-time CAPW Unified Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time CZW Tag Team Champion (with Chris Hero)
- Tag World Grand Prix 2005 (with Arik Cannon)
- Tag World Grand Prix 2006 (with Chris Hero)
- 1-time CHIKARA 'Campeones de Parejas Champion' (with Chris Hero)
- Independent Wrestling Association: Switzerland
- 1-time IWA-Switzerland World Heavyweight Champion
- German Stampede Wrestling
- 1-time GSW Tag Team Champion (with Ares)
- Swiss Wrestling Federation
- 2-time SWF Powerhouse Champion
- 1-time SWF Tag Team Champion (with Ares)
- 2-time wXw World Heavyweight Champion
- 3-time wXw Tag Team Champion (with Ares)
Championship succession
Trivia
- In August 2005, Claudio Castagnoli set the all-time record for holding an opponent up in a vertical suplex with 70 seconds. He repeated this feat once again at Ring of Honor's 100th Show when he held Christopher Daniels up for 70 seconds. He broke the record set by Kenta Kobashi of 54 seconds, which happened in Japan.
- Claudio's finisher, the Ricola Bomb takes its name from Ricola, a famous Swiss cough drop.