Claudio Castagnoli refuses to shake a former champion's hand; star apologizes to live crowd after loss

Claudio Castagnoli is a Death Rider, and in true heel fashion, he recently insulted a former champion in front of a live crowd by refusing to shake the latter's hand. The star in question is Hechicero.

The Swiss wrestler faced the former CMLL World Heavyweight Champion at a CMLL event at Arena Mexico in Mexico City on Friday, December 13. After a hard-fought battle that lasted over 18 minutes, the AEW star picked up a victory over his opponent.

Following the match, The King of Swing celebrated his win. Before he exited the ring, fans saw him offer Hechicero a handshake. As the luchador was seemingly about to reciprocate, Castagnoli withdrew the offer and walked out of the ring. Later, the Mexican pro wrestler apologized to fans for his loss.

"Claudio Castagnoli defeated Hechicero. The Ring Alchemist apologized to the fans for the defeat," a post on X stated. [Translation by Google]

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Claudio Castagnoli is focused on the end goal

On this week's edition of Dynamite: Winter is Coming, Claudio Castagnoli faced Will Ospreay in the Continental Classic 2024 Gold League match. However, the former WWE star failed to beat The Aerial Assassin.

Following the bout, Castagnoli addressed his defeat in a backstage interview, stating that while he was upset, he was focused on winning the tournament.

"I'm not happy that I lost to Will Ospreay, but I am also not losing sight of the bigger picture. See, Will Ospreay, I have a lot of respect for you; you are a tremendous warrior. I used to be a warrior once. You know what the difference is between a warrior and what I am now. See, a warrior, he loves the battle, he lives for a fight, and he loves it. I just know it's an act to be accomplished, and yet today, I failed," he said.

The Swiss Sensation has thus far earned six points in the tournament after defeating Ricochet and Brody King.