The Steel Cage

AC: Is it an especially big deal for you to wrestle in the Hammerstein Ballroom?

CC: We’re always taking a step up. We were in the New Yorker before, then we went to the Grand Ballroom, and now the Hammerstein. It just shows the growth of ROH. We always pack the Ballroom. So I think the Hammerstein is going to be great. There were so many people there for the ECW One Night Stands. It’s going to be a really great, special feeling… I talked to (ROH officials) about a week ago and they were pretty happy with the advance. And I’m definitely also hoping for a big walk up. I hope it will be the biggest card in ROH history.

AC: What’s it like to be in the main event of such a big show?

CC: It definitely feels a little bit surreal. I’m sure it will hit me when I’m standing in the ring on Saturday. Just thinking about it, it’s crazy. I came over here three and a half years ago. I started at the bottom. I had, like, not much. And I came to ROH a little over two years ago, and I just worked my way up. I never dreamed I’d be in that spot, and now I am. And that’s crazy. It’s a big honor and I’m really, really happy about it, but I don’ think I’ve quite grasped it yet. I will, hopefully soon. But that doesn’t mean I’m not prepared or I’m not preparing for that chance.

AC: A year and a half ago, you had your bags packed and were ready to head out to WWE, but that didn’t work out. When you look back at that, do you think of it as a maybe a blessing in disguise?

CC: Looking back, I’d say things always work out. When a door closes, a window opens, and thing always happen for a reason. I was pretty upset back then. And at the first Ring of Honor shows after I came back, I was sitting out. I was in the audience just watching the matches. That kind of lit a fire in me to get better, and just do the best that I can. And a year and a half later, I’m in the Hammerstein Ballroom in the main event for the ROH world title. So I think looking back, it definitely was a good thing. It made me work harder and push myself further. Here I am now, and I’m pretty happy about it… It’s great to see how things develop. The roster itself is so competitive. There are so many good wrestlers that it’s really hard to stay on top.

AC: What would it mean to you to wear the Ring of Honor title? A lot of wrestlers don’t think that titles mean that much – that they’re just props.

CC: I think people who say that titles don’t mean anything either never held a title or were never close to holding one. Titles mean a lot in professional wrestling. You are the focal point of the company. When somebody looks at a company, the champion is the first thing they look at it. So you are like the most important thing… It’s always the champion at the top of the card, and the highest paid, and all that stuff. Winning the Ring of Honor championship would mean so much to me. It would mean that everything I’ve sacrificed was worth it. It would mean that dreams can come true if you work hard.

AC: What do you think the place of the ROH title is in professional wrestling?

CC: I think it’s definitely a world title. I mean, look at the people who have worn the ROH world title – Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, Homicide, Takeshi Morishima, C.M. Punk, Austin Aries. The list goes on and on. So many great champions. All those people, they were great champions and they were great wrestlers, and they’re improving every day. Ring of Honor has a very busy schedule. All the wrestlers wrestle all over the world. So the ROH championship has been defended all over the world. I definitely regard it as a world championship.

AC: Was it a big learning curve coming to the United States after first learning to wrestle in Switzerland?

CC: It definitely was. Wrestling is not very big in Switzerland. So in order to learn my craft, I had to travel all over the place, and all over Europe. Then I came to the United States to learn more, because there’s so much wrestling here and so much competition. It’s really hard to make a name for yourself and stay on top. It’s easier to be a big fish in a small pond than it is to be a big fish in a big pond. And that’s what I’m working on and trying to do. I think that’s a big difference from Europe. I had to start from the beginning again. I was wrestling part time in Europe and establishing myself, and then I had to start at zero again, which can be frustrating at times.

AC: Are you still interested in one day working for WWE?

CC: Definitely. But my goal is just to wrestle and get better. I want to get better every year. It’s definitely something that I’m thinking about, but it’s not something I’m, like, super focused on. It’s something that’s out there, and who knows?

AC: What does the future have in store for Ring of Honor?

CC: I think it’s kind of hard to tell. I think Ring of Honor is just running with the ball as hard as they can. TV is definitely something that people are thinking about. But two or three years ago, people never thought Ring of Honor would be on pay per view. And then it happened. People weren’t thinking that Ring of Honor would move to the Hammerstein, and then it did. I think it’s just a matter of time and opportunities coming up. I think with Ring of Honor, the sky’s the limit, and everybody is leaping as high as they can.