News

Claudio Castagnoli To Face Ex-UFC Champion At WrestleDream

By Lyle Kilbane • Published 1st October 2023
Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio Castagnoli has been added to the fourteen-match card for AEW WrestleDream.

It’s not been a great few weeks for Claudio Castagnoli as he lost his ROH World Championship to Eddie Kingston and Dynamite Grand Slam before failing to claim an AEW International Title shot when he lost a three-way match also involving Brian Cage to Nick Jackson on Dynamite in Denver.

Castagnoli featured in a video package where he noted his title loss before issuing an open challenge for WrestleDream. That challenge was answered by the man who was referred to as Antonio Inoki’s prized pupil, former NJPW star Josh Barnett.

Barnett is also a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and began competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2003. In 2007, Antonio Inoki left NJPW and formed the Inoki Genome Federation which brought the worlds of wrestling and MMA together and Barnett was one of the stars of that promotion for a time.

In more recent years Barnett has provided commentary for NJPW events and has promoted his own Bloodsport events in conjunction with GCW.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Barnett one of 14 matches at WrestleDream

The full card for AEW WrestleDream is –

  • Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin – 2 Out Of 3 Falls – TNT Championship
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page
  • FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open – AEW Tag Team Championship
  • Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Titles
  • MJF (c) vs. The Righteous – Handicap match for ROH Tag Team Title
  • Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay, Sammy Guevara & Konosuke Takeshita
  • Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart – TBS Championship
  • The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros vs. The Gunns vs. Orange Cassidy & HOOK
  • Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta
  • The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn vs. TMDK – Zero Hour – AEW Trios Championship
  • Luchasaurus vs. Nick Wayne – Zero Hour
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Barnett – Zero Hour
  • Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Mercedes Martinez & Diamante vs. Satoshi Kojima, Keith Lee, Athena & Billie Starkz – Zero Hour

WrestleDream Zero Hour will begin at 6.30 pm ET on AEW’s YouTube channel with four bouts before the PPV follows at 8 pm ET.