"You either step up or get stepped on" - Former WWE Superstar discloses reason behind joining The Blackpool Combat Club

WWE never truly capitalized on the massive fan following that Claudio Castagnoli had while he was signed to them.

During a recent interview, the star detailed how signing with AEW might give him the challenges he never had in WWE, and how this makes him a good fit for the Blackpool Combat Club.

Wrestling fans have often been vocal about their disapproval of the way Castagnoli was booked before he signed with AEW. According to many fans, the star was worth having a World Championship run, which unfortunately never happened during his 11 years with the company.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Castagnoli shared how his relationship with Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson influenced why he joined the BCC.

“I came to AEW for new challenges,” Castagnoli said. “That’s why I fit perfectly in the Blackpool Combat Club. Like [William] Regal said, ‘You either step up or get stepped on.’ I loved coming in with the BCC because I’ve known those guys for such a long time, and I know they have my back no matter what."

Castagnoli continued, sharing his enthusiasm for being signed to AEW.

"It feels like everything here is clicking in AEW. It doesn’t feel like it’s only been a couple weeks. I’m extremely excited to find out what the future holds.” (H/T: SportsIllustrated)

Claudio recently defeated his former WWE Tag-Team partner, Jake Hager, possibly dealing with one last loose end before he moves on to bigger and better things.

Need to catch up on the latest AEW Dynamite results? Check them out via this link.

WWE legend Dutch Mantell recently retracted his initial statements after seeing Tony Khan embrace Claudio Castagnoli

During an appearance on the Wrestling Shoot Interviews podcast, former WWE Manager Dutch Mantell recalled his initial reaction to Tony Khan embracing Castagnoli in the Forbidden Door post-show media scrum.

While the legend and Vince Russo were both initially critical, he now suggests that this could be a good thing for wrestling.

"I went on Twitter and said 'what is going on here?' Then I said you won't catch Vince hugging somebody like that and you won't. But Tony was in this embrace with Cesaro and it caught me by surprise first and then I got to think about it. Well, maybe this is what the wrestling business needs. Because Tony Khan loves this business." said, Dutch Mantell. (0:34 onwards)

Mantell initially compared Tony Khan to former WWE CEO Vince McMahon. But in-light of all the controversy surrounding McMahon, Mantell could likely have been influenced to change his stance.