Update on AEW star after he gets namedropped on WWE programming - Reports

Many stars often mention stars from the rival promotion in their promos. Recently, an AEW star was namedropped on WWE TV. New details have emerged regarding his future with the company.

Claudio Castagnoli has been a regular feature on AEW TV since he joined the company in 2022. He was quickly involved in a faction called Blackpool Combat Club and is now part of the Death Riders. However, he has been absent from TV since Fyter Fest 2025, and it was reported that he was taking personal time off. This led many people to question his status within the company, especially since John Cena had recently mentioned him during his version of the "pipebomb" promo, which surprised many fans.

During a recent edition of Fightful Select's Weekly Q&A podcast, Sean Ross Sapp was asked about Claudio Castagnoli's contract expiration. Sapp replied that he had inquired about this due to recent events surrounding him and noticed that his AEW debut was three years to the date, but he still hadn't received any clarity on the duration of his deal.

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AEW star Claudio Castagnoli reacted to John Cena namedropping him on WWE TV

On the June 20, 2025, episode of SmackDown, John Cena faced off against R-Truth in a singles match. The Last Real Champion got himself disqualified during the bout. Following this, CM Punk came out and brawled with Cena, but the former was put through a table. The Greatest of All Time then grabbed a mic and began to cut his own version of the "pipebomb" promo.

During this promo, he namedropped former WWE stars Matt Cardona, Nic Nemeth, and Claudio Castagnoli.

After getting namedropped on WWE TV, Claudio took to social media to share a picture of a cup of coffee. This is in reference to a coffee-related group chat that Castagnoli is in along with Cena and Seth Rollins.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Claudio Castagnoli.