The next episode of AEW Rampage will feature Claudio Castagnoli issuing an open challenge for his ROH Championship, and the challenger has been revealed!
Claudio Castagnoli made splash with his arrival in AEW at Forbidden Door, replacing Bryan Danielson in a match against Zack Sabre, Jr. after Danielson was not medically cleared to compete. He also scored the win for his team at AEW Blood and Guts, much to the chagrin of Eddie Kingston.
His winning streak continued at ROH Death Before Dishonor where he faced Jonathan Gresham for the ROH World Championship and was able to score the win, earning his first world championship in his decades-long career.
At Battle of the Belts, the former Cesaro successfully retained his title when he faced Konosuke Takeshida in Grand Rapids, MI.
Now, on the episode of AEW Rampage that will air on August 19th, PWInsider reports that Claudio Castagnoli laid out a challenge for the next person to face him for the prestigious title. On the episode that was taped after AEW Dynamite went off the air in Charleston, WV, Castagnoli addressed the crowd and said that it was great to appear before them as ROH Champion, especially in the presence of Ricky Steamboat, who means so much to the performer.
Continuing, Castagnoli said that while he was in street clothes now, he would issue an open challenge for next week’s AEW Rampage – and none other than Dustin Rhodes answered the call.
Dustin Rhodes last competed in the June 29th Royal Rampage that saw Brody King earn a shot at Jon Moxley’s interim AEW World Championship.