Cesaro ‘Always’ Has His Eyes On The WWE Championship, But Loves The Memories Created With Tag Partners
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Cesaro is all about creating memories. The WWE tag team stalwart finds those memories much more rewarding when he’s able to share them with partners in the ring or the fans in the stands.
The man we once knew as Claudio Castagnoli spoke with Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory about his journey from Switzerland to the United States which at this juncture nearly occurred a decade ago. Cesaro, however has cultivated quite an extensive track record of partnerships and memorable moments both in and out of Stanford, CT. Ever the competitor, The Swiss Superman believes he excels at enhancing any match he’s a part of, and in turn, relishes in that aspect of the game.
“So even in Ring of Honor I loved singles towards the end, but I think the tag run was the most memorable and then here as well,” Cesaro stated. “I think (this will sound very conceited but I’m going to say it anyway), I think I excel at making the best out of any situation and bringing out the best in others, be that my opponent and/or my tag team partner.
“I’m focused on what’s best for the situation, not necessarily what’s best for me so I think I try to make that work and because of that, I work extremely well in a team or also I feel that’s why matches are so much fun for me, but also, I don’t want to take anything away, I had the luck to be paired with some amazing other talents over the years that made teaming with just oh so easy and so much fun. I had some of the best times teaming with them.”
Next, Cesaro gives his thoughts on the rewarding challenges that come with tag team competition in comparison to singles work.
“It’s different. Both have their challenges,” he said. “I always felt if you can share it with somebody that’s the most important part, right? Because if you’re doing it by yourself like, it’s like life, right? Just doing it by yourself, it’s like, ‘Who am I going to share it with? Who am I going to have those memories with?’ And I think that’s what it’s all about in WWE too with the fans. You want the memories with them. You want them to have memories of you that they remember: ‘Oh, I remember when Cesaro did this.’ Like I still remember San Jose when there were 13,000 ‘Cesaro Section’ signs in the crowd. That’s a moment I’ll never forget and that’s like hopefully some of the fans will remember that too. That’s a memory that I want them to have for the rest of their lives and I think that’s something that it’s the same with the team, you know? You want to make memories as a team. Like people still talk to me about me, Nattie and Tyson as a team. We only teamed six months.
“Six months. To the day. Six months. To the day,” he continues. “So it’s like it’s one of those like people still remember and I think that’s the cool part, that’s the important part. I had some amazing singles memories too like when I won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal like people still remember that and that’s like you just have find a way to make memories with the fans in a different way and do I prefer singles or tag? It’s a different challenge. You know what I mean? It’s a different ball game. Would I like to have more success in the singles? Yes, there’s still a ways to go, but if you look back at it, I’m just trying to make out of the situation that I’m given. It’s the same thing like you try to control what you can to the best of your abilities.”
Lilian flat out asks Cesaro if he still has world title aspirations on his mind.
“Always. It has to be, right? Again, I’m competitive and that’s what drives you. I’m not the guy that comes in and like, ‘Alright! It’s great to show up. I’m gonna go into catering and eat a bit.’ That’s the goal. You want to be the best every time you step into the ring and I want to be in the best shape, I want to put on the best match, again, with whatever parameters I got.”
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone)
Listen to the entire episode of Chasing Glory below:
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