"Looks like Claudio Castagnoli" - WWE SmackDown star compared to the AEW champion by veteran (Exclusive)

Another exciting edition of WWE SmackDown is over, and one of the most shocking moments from the show saw Giovanni Vinci lose his return match within seconds. During the post-show review, veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter acknowledged the similarities between Vinci and AEW's Claudio Castagnoli.

Claudio is a pretty popular face as he spent several years in the WWE as The Swiss Superman, Cesaro. Currently, he is one-third of the World Trios Champions in AEW.

This week's SamckDown featured an unlikely swerve as the debuting Giovanni Vinci suffered a three-second loss at the hands of Apollo Crews.

Bill Apter reacted to the upset on Smack Talk and noted that the company did not mention Giovanni Vinci's past with Imperium. Apter also commented on Vinci's appearance and compared it to The Blackpool Combat Cub member from AEW:

"With Vinci, it's amazing because he was part of the Imperium. They didn't even bring that up tonight. He looks different, and he kind of looks like Claudio Castagnoli. [From 23:18 to 23:34]

While Apter was stunned to see Giovanni lose after WWE put some effort into building up his debut, the veteran journalist was glad to see Apollo Crews get a victory. According to Apter, Crews deserved more attention from the booking team:

"First of all, I'm glad to see Apollo Crews finally has won something; he is so undervalued, he really is, and underrated," added Apter. [From 23:04 to 23:17]

Check out the entire episode below:

Giovanni Vinci's first night on SmackDown was largely forgettable, and the flamboyant 34-year-old star would be hoping for a strong comeback.

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Please credit Smack Talk and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.