CMLL officially announced that Claudio Castagnoli is now part of the promotion’s roster under a dual contract with AEW, formalizing an arrangement that has seen the Swiss wrestler become one of CMLL’s top performers and the reigning CMLL World Heavyweight Champion.
The announcement was made on CMLL’s official social media accounts: “El Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre informa que Claudio Castagnoli formara parte del roster bajo modalidad de contrato dual con All Elite Wrestling (AEW),” the post read, which translates to: “Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre announces that Claudio Castagnoli will be part of the roster under a dual contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).”
Castagnoli is the second wrestler to be announced as a dual AEW/CMLL signee in recent days. Mistico’s dual contract was announced at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view on March 15, with Tony Khan confirming the legendary luchador as an official AEW signee who will continue to work for CMLL. Khan also discussed the possibility of AEW running a Grand Slam event in Mexico during the Revolution post-show press conference.
Castagnoli’s CMLL Reign
Castagnoli has been one of the most prominent figures in CMLL since making his debut for the promotion in March 2024 at the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas event. He won the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Gran Guerrero on November 28, 2025, at Arena Mexico and has since made six successful title defenses against Ultimo Guerrero, Roderick Strong, Xelhua, Josh Alexander, Euforia, and Akuma.
His next title defense is set for March 20 at CMLL’s Arena Mexico show against Hechicero, who challenged Castagnoli after his most recent defense against Ultimo Guerrero on March 13. Hechicero is also under a dual contract with AEW and CMLL.
Castagnoli has spoken publicly about how much the CMLL run means to him. In a recent interview with Dirt Sheet Radio, he said, “It feels very special for me. I’ve been doing this for quite a while and I’ve been a fan of CMLL. I’ve been trying to work for CMLL for almost 20 years. To see this come full circle and to represent the company, I don’t take this lightly at all. I’m very proud of it and I’m very proud of being part of that tradition.”
Castagnoli made his CMLL debut at the 2024 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas event, teaming with Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Matt Sydal. He went on to win the 2024 CMLL International Grand Prix as a member of Team World before capturing the Heavyweight Championship in November 2025.
CMLL’s Friday night events from Arena Mexico stream live on YouTube for subscribers at the top two membership tiers.
⌛🌎🇨🇭
🚨 OFICIAL 🚨El Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre informa que Claudio Castagnoli formará parte del roster bajo modalidad de contrato dual con All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
📲 https://t.co/EENjdG8TDT#CMLL #ClaudioEsCMLL pic.twitter.com/YnI00znCd0
— Lucha Libre CMLL (@CMLL_OFICIAL) March 18, 2026
