Claudio Castagnoli Calls League of Legends ‘the Best Sport to Watch’
· Yahoo Sports
ALLEN, Texas — Finding new hobbies can be difficult, especially when you’re on the road for 300-plus days a year.
Pro wrestler Claudio Castagnoli has always liked gaming. Still, he didn’t start playing League of Legends until a showmatch crossover between his former company (WWE) and Riot Games introduced him to it.
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It’s been eight years since that showmatch, and a lot has changed.
He works for a new company (All Elite Wrestling) and doesn’t have enough time to play as many games as he’d like.
But he still finds time to watch League of Legends, including stopping by the World Championship quarterfinal match between Korea’s T1 and France’s Karmine Corp.
“League of Legends is the best sport to watch,” he said. “It’s so exciting.”
Castagnoli appeared on the live broadcast, where he announced the teams as they entered the arena and was also interviewed.
For him, the chance to see the League of Legends World Championships is too good to pass up. Despite his world travels this year, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Japan, he hasn’t been to Korea to soak up the heart of esports.
“I’m sure [League of Legends is] kind of popular over there,” Castagnoli said with a smirk.
He compared the League of Legends crowd at the event to the rabid fans who attend AEW shows. He’s been to a League of Legends event in China and said the experience is similar to the events he works.
“It’s the passion of the fans for the team, for the game, and how they show it,” Castagnoli said. “They have signs. They come early. They dress up. They wear jerseys. They show their passion and pride.”
More importantly, he compared the title and pro wrestling as two industries that have immense lore and histories that fans can track for years.
Take weekly AEW television and the stories that advance week to week, and compare it to traditional media such as Arcane. Both build character lore and offer ways to attract fans while providing more content.
The thing, however, he said that was also similar was the idea that all it takes is exposure to the game and environment to get people hooked.
“There are a lot of people that are like, ‘I’m not really into it,’” Castagnoli said. “I’m like, ‘Well, if you come to a live show, you’ll be a fan just because you see it.’ Once you play, and I feel like, especially once you play with your friends, it just becomes so much more fun because we can all watch Worlds at the highest level.”
He also offered advice to new League of Legends fans.
“Don’t try to imitate because it’s quite frustrating,” Castagnoli said.
While Castagnoli can make physical feats seem effortless, such as his trademark giant swing, micro movements with a mouse and maneuvering around the Rift (the name of League of Legends’ map) offer a different challenge.
“I’m the worst. I misclick and click the wrong buttons,” he said. “My timing in that and in the ring, you think would match, but it absolutely doesn’t.”
Even though Castagnoli hasn’t been as visible as he can be in the League of Legends space, he knows if and when he gets back to it, he’ll be welcomed.
“I feel very grateful for the League fans because they’re out there and they welcome me,” he said. “I feel like it was a positive response [when I introduced the teams]. It’s very cool.”
Watch the full interview with Claudio on youtube.com/@TheLoad-InGG and read an extended story at loadin.gg.