Antonio Cesaro – Another Punk in the making?

Often times in the WWE, you have one talented superstar hiding in the shadows, not because he wants to, but because he is forced to. And all the while he is kept on the back-burner, he waits and waits for the one moment he can prove himself, for one opportunity to show the world what he is capable of. And most of the times, all the time wasted results in him either quitting the company, or him being let go, because the creative has “Nothing for him”, and when that happens, all that frustration and anger is taken out as a shoot promo on the internet, or him going to another organization where he doesn’t get as much exposure, as WWE is truly the biggest global phenomenon in the world. But it is very rare for that one individual to not only wait for the right time, but seize the opportunity when he gets it, and if he doesn’t, make the opportunities come to him. One such performer who comes to mind is CM Punk, when he took the initiative and took the world by storm. Punk was the best performer for years, and when he realized he was being held back, he told the WWE heads he was going to quit, and asked for a chance to revolutionize the industry. What resulted was something truly magical. Something that not only set the wrestling world on fire, but turned quite a few heads and gained the biggest mainstream attention since 4 years the last time that happened, which was due to a tragedy in the wrestling industry.

What CM Punk did was not something that was never done before, but the fact that he had the guts to go out and actually do it, in a world where you have to climb infinite steps, get permissions from almost all the creative heads and when he did get the chance, he took the wrestling world by storm. All his anger and frustration came out, and for those 5 – 6 minutes, professional wrestling seemed to be real. That’s the true magic of cutting a great promo, and the fact that even most of the smart wrestling fans thought it was a “shoot” made it all the more incredible. What Punk was 2 years ago, is what another individual is right now. This individual proved himself time and again, and after he became one of the best in the independent scene, he was nabbed by Triple H and the WWE without a second thought, and that was a testimony for his talents. But after a year of being the second fiddle even though he was holding one of the most prestigious titles in the company, Antonio Cesaro, for some odd reason, was pushed back. He has all the tools to become a great champion, but the fact that WWE grossly underutilized his talents would test his character, and what better way to prove yourself in the WWE than to prove the corporate machine wrong? Something Punk has successfully done just a couple of years ago.

Cesaro was known before coming to the WWE by his real name, Claudio Castagnoli, and was one half of one of the greatest tag teams of all time, the Kings of Wrestling in Ring of Honor. He has been one of the best professional wrestlers in the independent circuit, and was brought into the WWE to add more star power and enhance the old school mentality in the current crop of performers. After coming in, he created huge impact, and soon became the United States champion, and all of his fans rejoiced, and believed that Cesaro would be given due credit, unlike Daniel Bryan and CM Punk for the first few years. Cesaro had a 200 – day odd run with the US title, but lost most of his TV matches, something that made no sense. And afterwards, he lost the US title for no apparent reason, and since then, has been put on the back-burner, something that has severely dented his reputation. It is known that WWE creative team doesn’t come up with the best of story lines, but when it completely lacks sense, that is when the stake of a performer falls down, and that is what happened with Cesaro.

I was and am a huge Cesaro fan. I am a fan of all those who maintain the traditional aspect of professional wrestling, and are considered to be ‘wrestlers’, rather than ‘superstars’. Cesaro was one of the most beloved performers in the independent circuit, and his rapid downfall only means that Cesaro has to take the initiative, something CM Punk had done. Cesaro is terrific in the ring, and can cut good to great promos on the mic. Cesaro wasn’t made by the corporate machine, and this enabled him to come up with ideas on his own, something he must do now. If he is given the right opportunity, Cesaro can surprise everyone, and that is what is needed at this time. As a fan of his, I hope Cesaro can come up with an idea that would transform his current gimmick, and make him look good. If WWE wants to shake up the tag team division, I would be thrilled to see them introducing Chris Hero, the other half of Kings of Wrestling, and re – unite them. Whatever it may be, Cesaro needs to do something quick to save his legacy in the biggest company in the world. At the end of the day, we’d like to remember Cesaro as one of the best performers, and not as someone who loses every match he has on TV.