AEW wrestler crowned CMLL World Heavyweight Champion
CMLL has a new World Heavyweight Champion, and he’s a member of the AEW roster.
Claudio Castagnoli defeated Gran Guerrero at Arena Mexico on Friday night to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship, ending a three-year-plus reign with the title for Guerrero.
Castagnoli used a Neutralizer to pin Guerrero and win the title in his fourth career match for CMLL in Mexico, and his first since last December. Castagnoli also participated in the joint CMLL/AEW/NJPW Wrestle Dynasty event in Tokyo Dome in January 2025.
It’s the third major World title win of Castagnoli’s career, following two runs with the ROH World title in 2022 and 2023.
Castagnoli picked up a victory in his first bout in this year’s AEW Continental Classic tournament on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite, defeating Orange Cassidy. He is set to face his fellow Death Riders stablemate Jon Moxley in a C2 bout on the Wednesday, December 3 Dynamite in Fishers, Indiana.
Elsewhere on Friday’s CMLL card in Arena Mexico, Castagnoli’s Death Riders teammates Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta came up short in challenging Angel de Oro and Niebla Roja for the CMLL Tag Team titles.
An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.