His birth certificate reads Claudio Castagnoli, but most wrestling fans were first were introduced to the 230-pound grappler in 2011 via his WWE-appointed alter-ego, Antonio Cesaro (prior to that, he’d performed under his given name on the independent circuit for more than a decade). These days, the superstar goes by solamente Cesaro, and is one-half of the former WWE Tag Team Champions alongside partner Tyson Kidd, padding a resume that also includes a lengthy run as United States Champion and victory in the first-ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at 2014’s WrestleMania.
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But for those who regularly tune in to the company’s flagship primetime shows, Monday Night Raw and Thursday night’s SmackDown, Cesaro has also been affectionately dubbed as the Swiss Superman, thanks to Herculean feats like deadlift suplexes and his famed “Cesaro Swing.”
While taking a breather at his Orlando home before he and Kidd fight to regain their tag titles at this Sunday’s WWE Network-exclusive event, Elimination Chamber, the man whom Raw commentator Michael Cole frequently hails as wrestling’s most impressive pound-for-pound physical specimen shared some of his insights into getting strong the smart way, even when on the road 360 days a year. The 15-year vet and renowned strongman offered us a slew of training tips and workout advice, and, as a bonus, exactly how he swings 400-pound men around like a human merry-go-round.
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