Cesaro: #9 in the Wrestling Weekday Top 10 Wrestlers of 2015, presented by ESO-PRO

Can't say Cesaro doesn't know how to work the merchandise.
Image credit: WWE.com.

The wrestler formerly known as Claudio Castaganoli did the same thing he has been doing for nearly a decade as a professional wrestler: he stole the show whenever and wherever he got the chance.

Unfortunately, he also faced the same problem he always seemed to face: a glass ceiling far too low for a wrestler of his immense talent.

I suspect everyone thought Cesaro would have had more than one shot at the World title by this point in time. He seemed destined for greatness last year in the aftermath of his win at the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, but that push was stalled by a poorly booked storyline with Paul Heyman. In early 2015, he finally seemed to get back his traction in a team with Tyson Kidd. The two men became hugely over with wrestling fans because they were a couple of oddballs that could out-wrestle everyone else on the roster, and it worked. Kidd probably hit the peak of his career while Cesaro became a buzzword for more than just internet fans.

Cesaro and Owens was the match of the night at SummerSlam.
Image credit: WWE.com.

Unfortunately a freak injury during Samoa Joe's tryout match ended Tyson Kidd's 2015 with a spinal fusion surgery. Cesaro was on his own again. WWE started him back to jobber status, but they gauged the fans reaction to him more than once. He put on an absolutely amazing performance during a John Cena US Open Challenge, then stole the show at SummerSlam. Even in losses, he quickly showed why he deserved a place on any top wrestler list.

Cesaro continued to toil in the lower midcard to midcard for WWE, but just as it seemed like a push might come for him around Survivor Series, an injury of his own put him on the shelf for the end of the year.

Cesaro's future remains in question, but he is truly too good of an in ring talent for WWE to not let him rise towards the top again. Whether they ever pull the trigger and let him hit the superstardom he deserves, remains to be seen. But Lauren Price put it most succinctly in her comments on his future: “PUSH. THIS. MAN.”