After this past week’s SmackDown, Cesaro created some buzz by delivering a heartfelt promo on Talking Smack about his struggles in WWE as of late to receive championship matches and the spotlight. Cesaro said he’s going to be the next Universal Champion given the opportunity after he earned a spot in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match where the winner will face Roman Reigns that same night for the title.
On the latest episode of WWE’s After The Bell Podcast, Vic Joseph and host Corey Graves talked about Cesaro’s passionate promo and why they believe it resonated with fans so well. Joseph said this was the first time he can remember Cesaro having a promo that felt real.
“It was the first time that Cesaro had spoken in a promo or made comments that actually captured me, the fan,” Joseph said. “Where I know it wasn’t just a wrestling promo. That was him speaking for real. It’s those very few occasions you have someone’s genuine thoughts coming out that you know, oh, this isn’t bs, this is actually how he feels. It captured me in that moment.”
Graves continued to talk about Cesaro saying his comments reminded him of the guy he’s known since he met him and he came to WWE. He said Cesaro is the best wrestler in the world and his ability to be a megastar in WWE can happen now.
“That was the guy that I have known, so many of us in the locker room have gone up and down the roads with for years,” Graves said. “That’s the guy that we know. For some reason, Cesaro has never quite translated to mega stardom in WWE because that’s not his strong suit. He’s not an entertaining, captivating orator. He is the world’s best wrestler period, point blank.
“It’s finally gotten to a point where he’s realized that’s all he’s going to be, the world’s best wrestler. That is who Cesaro is, that’s what he brings to the table. He is pound for pound the strongest man in WWE and the guy is a wizard from bell to bell. I am honest to god in my soul happy and am hoping this is the spark that Cesaro needs to make it to the top of the card and become a main event player in WWE which I don’t think anybody will disagree with he’s got the tools with exception to his ability to cut a captivating promo.”
Graves continued to say he sees a well known legend and WWE Hall of Famers style in Cesaro. He mentioned how this star was never built around his promo ability or sizzle, but brought it each night in the ring and was able to carve out one of the greatest careers of all time because of his in-ring capabilities.
“It is my personal belief that with the right situation surrounding him, Cesaro could reach very very new and high levels of success if he was looked at in the same way fans at one time looked at Bruno Sammartino,” Graves mentioned. “Bruno wasn’t a flashy guy, Bruno wasn’t known for captivating interviews. Bruno, from the footage I’ve seen, has never really blown my mind with his ability to talk them into the seats, Bruno was just the dude.
“Bruno was the best wrestler in the world and people promoted him as such and treated him as such so the fans looked at him with that reverence. This is the guy, he’s the guy that’s champion for years and years and years because nobody can beat Bruno because he’s that good. Not because Bruno had a cool entrance song or a great jacket that he wore to the ring, Bruno was all steak. Cesaro is all steak.”
Graves also mentioned how happy he is to see his friend Cesaro in this situation. He said he could easily see Cesaro winning the Elimination Chamber match on Sunday and becoming the new Universal Champion by beating Roman Reigns after.
“Cesaro looks like a star, he is a star,” Graves said. “Everything about that dude is money aside from his speaking ability because he can’t portray something he’s not. The guy speaks 5 languages, he’s not a dumb guy. Not everybody has a larger than life personality but what they do in their actions is larger than life. That’s Cesaros wheel house and given the opportunity he’s going to get, it adds legitimacy to our business, it’s realistic. To me, if he wins in the Elimination Chamber on Sunday, it would not shock me if he beat Roman Reigns.”
