Growing up a wrestling fan meant growing up fantasizing about being the WWE Champion, standing in the centre of the ring at WrestleMania and holding the WWE Championship high above your head. Some of those kids grow up putting in the work and sacrifices to make that dream a reality. Daniel Bryan probably had dreams similar to holding two belts in the air after defeating Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30, a career defining moment for him.
Unfortunately, not every wrestler has had one of those moments, despite their talent. Cesaro is one of those wrestlers.
Guys like Cesaro are popular but often don’t get the chance to have title reigns with the Universal and WWE Championships. Where a blockbuster draw such as Brock Lesnar usually fits that bill, eventually, guys like Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston finally start to be given those shots.
Fans rallied behind both of those superstars, pushing them into the main event spotlight. They knew that they had the talent, put in the work and deserved the opportunity. So, fans made their voices heard. The same thing would have to happen for Cesaro for him to get the same shot.
‘The Swiss Cyborg’ has been wrestling since 2000, starting in Europe before heading for America to work with promotions like Chikara and Ring of Honor. In 2011, Cesaro joined WWE as part of their developmental promotion, FCW, then moved up to the main roster in 2012. He’s held championships all over the world, including WWE with multiple runs as a Tag Team champion alongside Sheamus and one run as the United States Champion. He is famous for his strength, agility and overall athleticism, as well as his professionalism in the ring.
When you look at the amazing matches Cesaro has put on in his WWE career, it’s criminal that he’s only had one singles title run since joining the main roster. How has not at least held the Intercontinental Championship? At this point, Cesaro is dangerously close to being known as one of the best wrestlers to never hold a main WWE title, should he carry on coasting throughout the remainder of his career.
Cesaro’s skills are undeniable. He’s the guy you send to the ring when you want an amazing match with virtually any opponent. He’s able to mix it up with newcomers just as well as he can with storied veterans. When John Cena was the United States Champion and having an ongoing series of open challenge matches, Cesaro accepted and they absolutely tore the house down. Reputedly, Cena addressed the audience after the show went off the air and declared that Cesaro should be main eventing every night. More recently, Cesaro has been putting on sensational performances with NXT stars Ilja Dragunov and Mansoor.
Fans have long been fully behind Cesaro, frequently using home printed “Cesaro Section” signs to show their support. Superstars are behind him, too. Cena is an obvious supporter, but Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair and Mick Foley have all voiced their support for ‘The Swiss Superman’. Many of them have been openly baffled by the WWE’s lack of push for the talented wrestler.
The fans are behind him. Other wrestlers are behind him. What keeps WWE management from pulling the trigger?
In the WWE, gimmicks are a big deal and Cesaro has never had one that really clicked for him. He’s always done incredible work in the ring, but he’s never had one creative moment that pushed him over the top. For Daniel Bryan, it was the Yes Movement. Kofi’s impromptu movement on the road to WrestleMania 35 was a watershed moment. Cesaro hasn’t had that yet, which is absolutely not his fault. He has always done the best work he possibly could with every opportunity he was given.
A great example is his tag team with Sheamus, which originally looked like something mashed together by WWE Creative when they couldn’t find something better for either wrestler. Both men made ‘The Bar’ work, and they have evolved into one of the most decorated tag-teams of the modern era having multiple tag title runs.
What it comes down to is that Cesaro just doesn’t seem to be a priority for WWE management or creative. They don’t know what to do with him, so they use him as a means of building other talent, which is important to the business. That being said, it’s a huge mistake to underestimate him in this increasingly competitive era of wrestling. Cesaro could easily leave WWE when his contract is up, then do very well in AEW, NJPW or on the indies. If he moves on to AEW from WWE, he’s a guy that’s going to immediately be in their title picture. Cesaro has always skirted the edge of that scene in WWE but has never quite broken the wall down.
At the age of 38, Cesaro isn’t at the end of his career but it will start winding down sooner rather than later. Not everyone is R-Truth, who apparently stopped aging ten years ago. If WWE is going to pull the trigger on a big push for Cesaro, now is the time and few will argue that he doesn’t deserve it. In the seven years he’s been on the main roster, Cesaro has done consistently impressive work no matter what creative has given him.
At this point, fans would be happy to see him with the Intercontinental Championship around his waist for a few months or even another United States Championship run.
It would be a genuine shame for Cesaro’s WWE career to end without at least one Universal or WWE Championship title reign, though that is looking like that may be the case. Despite his talent and fan support, it appears unlikely that a major title run is in his future. Hopefully, something changes behind the scenes and Cesaro gets that defining moment at WresleMania, standing in the ring with one of the main championships over his head.
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