Swiss wrestler “Double C” Claudio Castagnoli was briefly signed to a World Wrestling Entertainment developmental contract in 2006, but was released before even reporting to a developmental territory. At the time that he was released he held tag team championships in Ring of Honor (ROH), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and CHIKARA alongside his trainer Chris Hero. Together they made up my 2006 Tag Team of the Year, the Kings of Wrestling. I purchased this DVD at the June 26^th, 2007 UWA Hardcore Wrestling show in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was nice enough to sign it for me free of charge. It can be ordered from Mr. Castagnoli's My Space page.

The menu features clips of Castagnoli giving his European uppercut to a variety of opponents to the sounds of “I've Got to Have It.” One has the option to either play all the matches or select a match. If you select a match, the feature will play through from that point.

This match takes place shortly after Castagnoli moved to the United States permanently. Castagnoli is dressed in a suit and tie. Shelley, currently a Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) regular teaming with Chris Sabin, is wearing black and blue tights.

Chris Hero is on colour commentary and does a great job of explaining Castagnoli's background. It makes this a particularly great introduction to his “Best Of” DVD. Hero explains that Castagnoli has trained with CHIKARA Wrestle Factory trainers Hero, Mike Quackenbush and Skayde as well as working in Europe with the likes of Dave Taylor, Fit Finlay, William Regal, Johnny Kidd and Tony Sinclair. He also notes that Castagnoli is one half of the Swi$$ Money Holding tag team alongside Ares.

Castagnoli and Shelley begin the match with some European-style mat wrestling. They trade a variety of wrist locks and hammerlocks. Castagnoli offers to shake Shelley's hand then locks in a headlock when Shelley accepts. He begins to work on Shelley's neck with a series of palm strikes, closed fists and European uppercuts. Hero distracts the referee allowing Castagnoli to choke Shelley with his wrist tape.

Shelley hits a series of dragon screw leg whips before locking in the Indian Death Lock. Castagnoli makes it to the ropes, but Shelley continues to work on his legs. Shelley hits a top rope dragon screw leg whip, but hurts himself when following up with a flying head butt to Castagnoli's knee.

Shelley's next dragon screw leg whip attempt is reversed into an enzigueri. Castagnoli hits a trio of European uppercuts for 2. He then rolls Shelley up with a small package for another 2 count. Shelley attempts to lock in the figure four, but Castagnoli reverses into the hangman's neck breaker position at which point Shelley counters to lock in his Border City Stretch submission finisher. Castagnoli makes it to the ropes to break the hold.

Castagnoli hits the Shake, Rattle and Roll inspiring Hero to claim that Castagnoli trained with the Honky Tonk Man. Shelley responds with a double stomp and another Border City Stretch, but Claudio reverses it into his Swiss Sleeper finish. Shelley is knocked out by the hold. Castagnoli hobbles around the ring after the match, continuing to sell his leg.

Castagnoli is dressed in black jeans. Punk, currently a regular with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), wears white shorts and receives a huge pop during introductions. Hero is on commentary again and again does a good job of detailing the history of both men.

The match begins with a series of reversals from the wrist lock position. Castagnoli rolls out of a Punk submission attempt, causing Punk to mock him by rolling around in the middle of the ring. Punk locks in a series of headlocks throughout the match, echoing his hour-long draw with then-ROH Champion Samoa Joe at ROH's World Title Classic card.

When Punk hits a backdrop, Castagnoli complains to the referee, claiming that the backdrop is an illegal maneuver. This distraction allows Castagnoli to cheap shot Punk. He follows up with a series of palm thrusts, closed fists and European uppercuts before beginning to work over Punk's neck and back.

Punk attempts to come back with a series of forearms, but he's stopped by a neck breaker that garners Castagnoli a 2 count. Castagnoli locks in what Hero calls the “Japanese strangle hold” and it is turned into a back breaker.

Castagnoli moves to the top rope, but Punk catches him and hits a superplex. He follows it up with an inside cradle for 2, then hits the Shining Wizard and the Pepsi Plunge for the win.

Castagnoli is wearing his suit and tie. Gunn, as Kip James currently one half of TNA's Voodoo Kin Mafia, is in yellow tights with lips all over them. Gunn gets a big pop during introductions. As the referee checks both men for foreign objects, Gunn turns the tables and checks the referee for foreign objects. Gunn mimes checking his tie in an attempt to mock Castagnoli.

Dave Prazak, Mickie Knuckles and Eddie Kingston are on commentary and rarely pay attention to the match. They are often too bust screaming at each other. I am not a fan of Kingston on commentary. At one point during the match Prazak says Allison Danger is a superior commentator to both Knuckles and Kingston. Kingston responds “I may suck in the ring, but I'll tell you something: I can talk.” Kingston is a great brawler and a solid promo, but I agree that he's not the best commentator.

After the first tie-up, Castagnoli bails out of the ring. When he returns, Gunn begins to work over his arm. Twice Gunn locks in a side headlock and begins to whip Castagnoli but grabs his hair and puts him back into the side headlock instead. Castagnoli eventually does make it out and runs the ropes only to fall victim to a shoulder tackle. Castagnoli Irish whips Gunn, but Gunn stops before Castagnoli can do anything and does his D-X crotch chop, yelling “Suck this.” Castagnoli bails out of the ring again and grabs his hair.

Castagnoli challenges Gunn to a test of strength, but Gunn claims not to know what it is. Castagnoli then has a test of strength with the referee. Gunn does the same. When Gunn and Castagnoli finally lock hands, Castagnoli hits Gunn with a European uppercut.

Gunn hits a series of arm drags and a hip toss before clotheslining Castagnoli over the top rope to the outside. Back in the ring, Castagnoli asks to slow the match down. Gunn asks for a “pinky swear” then kicks Castagnoli in the stomach. Castagnoli hits a 1-man flapjack of his own.

They move to the outside of the ring and Castagnoli takes over. He throws Gunn head first into both the apron and into a chair. He then sets up a chair on top of Gunn and sits on it. After a series of European uppercuts, he throws Gunn into a large group of chairs. Both men sit in chairs as Castagnoli locks in a chin lock which is broken when Gunn hits Castagnoli in the head with another chair.

They move back into the ring and Castagnoli chokes Gunn with his tie. When the referee confiscates the tie, Castagnoli pulls out another tie and chokes Gunn with it, making it look like a headlock so as to confuse the referee. Gunn makes a short comeback that is stalled by the Shake, Rattle and Roll.

Castagnoli hits a flying elbow drop for 2. He returns to the top rope only to get crotched. Gunn hits a flying forearm and a Fameasser for the win.

This is a first round match from the 2005 Ted Petty Invitational eventually won by Matt Sydal. Danielson would lose in the next round to Chris Hero. Castagnoli is dressed in black jeans. Danielson, the then-ROH World Champion, is in simple trunks.

Dragon offers to shake Castagnoli's hand, but the offer is refused. After a tie-up, Danielson forces Castagnoli to shake his hand. A lock sequence of great mat wrestling follows. I cannot count the number of inventive reversals and counters in this match. Eventually Dragon gets a series of 2 counts by simply pushing Castagnoli's shoulders to the mat.

Both men trade 2 counts before Castagnoli gains the upper hand and begins to work on Dragon's arm. Dragon soon comes back with a dropkick and a series of strikes. He follows it up with John Tenta's Earthquake Splash for a 2 count.

Danielson hits the stalling suplex, but misses a diving head butt. Both men trade European uppercuts mid-ring to the delight of the fans. Castagnoli eventually throws Danielson up for an elevated uppercut for a 2 count.

Castagnoli stops working the arm and begins to try to put Dragon away. He holds Danielson up for 43 seconds, even doing a few squat thrusts while he waits, before hitting a vertical suplex. Danielson pops right up and puts Castagnoli in an airplane spin with 21 rotations. He follows up with a diving head butt for 2.

Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation, which the announcers call “Arms Across America.” Castagnoli rolls through and locks in the Brinks Special, hoping that Danielson's arm pain will cause him to tap out. Danielson, however, has other plans and reverses into the crossface chickenwing for the tap out victory.

Castagnoli is in a shirt and tights. Ruckus, at the time a member of the BLK Out with Eddie Kingston and Sabian, wears a black wifebeater and black and silver tights. This match is sold as “a grappler vs. a high flier.”

Claudio locks in a wrist lock and dueling “Let's go Ruckus” and “Let's go Claudio” chants begin. They will last the entirety of the match. There are a series of fast-paced counters early in the match with Ruckus flipping all over the place. Castagnoli offers to shake Ruckus's hand only to kick Ruckus when he approaches.

Ruckus flips across the ring only to jump right into a European uppercut. Castagnoli begins a prolonged beat down, even stopping to bow to the crowd at one point. He hits a European uppercut to the back of Ruckus's head for 2.

Castagnoli moves to the outside and Ruckus tries to jump on him. Castagnoli moves and Ruckus lands on his feet. Castagnoli unloads a series of European uppercuts and begins to choke Ruckus on the guardrail. Castagnoli walks up the ramp with Ruckus in the suplex position, but Ruckus counters the hold and dropkicks Castagnoli, following up with a sweet shooting star press.

Back in the ring, Castagnoli chokes Ruckus on the middle rope. Castagnoli trades European uppercuts with Ruckus's forearms. Eventually Ruckus sends Castagnoli into the corner and flips around the ring before hitting him in a sequence called the “Razzle Dazzle.” He follows up with a Fameasser for 2.

Ruckus attempts a moonsault, but Castagnoli gets the knees up. Castagnoli hits a Burning Hammer for 2. Ruckus responds with a double stomp and a standing corkscrew press for 2. Ruckus attempts another moonsault, but Castagnoli catches him and rolls him up for 2. Castagnoli hits a flying elbow, dubbed the “Elbow from the Alps,” for 2. Ruckus hits a swinging DDT for 2. Castagnoli responds with a Burning Hammer foe 2. Castagnoli attempts his Ricola Bomb, but Ruckus counters into a pinning attempt.

Castagnoli hits a European uppercut for 2. He hits 2 more European uppercuts, then removes his elbow pad to attempt a 3^rd only to get caught with a backslide that wins Ruckus the match. Considering the high spots late in the match, it is an underwhelming finish.

I can personally attest to the fact that Dutt, a TNA X Division regular, is very over with the UWA crowd. Despite the fact that Castagnoli is a head taller than Dutt, the match begins with the fans erupting in a “Fuck him up Sonjay fuck him up” chant. Castagnoli is wearing blue and yellow tights. Dutt's black tights features a variety of Indian symbols on them.

The beginning of this match is very fast-paced and full of reversals. Castagnoli grows frustrated and begins to walk to the back. Dutt poses in the ring, prompting Castagnoli to come back and do a pose of his own. The crowd boos. Dutt poses again to a big pop. Castagnoli's second pose attempt is met with a dropkick.

They move to the outside and continue their fast-paced reversals. Dutt attempts a 619, but Castagnoli catches him and hits a European uppercut. Castagnoli throws Dutt back in the ring and scores a 2 count. Dutt gets a pair of 2 counts of his own, first with a crucifix and then with a springboard crossbody. Castagnoli asks to slow the match down, then kicks Dutt.

Dutt hits a springboard moonsault for 2 before Castagnoli takes over and slows the match down. The Swiss star locks in a lengthy abdominal stretch, then attempts a cocky 1-foot pin for a 1 count. He hits an elbow drop for 2, then gets rolls up for a Dutt 2 count.

Castagnoli hits a lariat and a stomp for 2. Dutt responds with a springboard missile dropkick that knocks both men down. Dutt hits a pair of headscissors to send Castagnoli to the outside, then hits him with a pescado. Back in the ring, Dutt hits a high crossbody for 2.

A Dutt top rope huracanrana attempt begins a long series of reversals that ends in a Castagnoli inverted suplex for 2. Dueling chants begin prompting UWA announcer Joe E. Slick to note that “no matter how big of an ass you are, our fans appreciate 1 thing and that's great wrestling.”

Dutt hits an enzigueri and a standing shooting star press for 2. Castagnoli responds with a European uppercut for 2. He attempts a Ricola Bomb, but Dutt reverses it into a huracanrana for 2. Castagnoli hits an elevated uppercut for 2. He European uppercuts Dutt into a corner and both men jockey for position with Dutt eventually hitting a sunset flip power bomb for 2. He then hits an Asai DDT and a 450 Splash for the pin.

Castagnoli is in the same tights as he was in the Dutt match. Youth, an independent wrestling legend and one of the original CHIKARA Wrestle Factory trainers, is wearing blue and silver tights. “Sweet 'n' Sour” Larry Sweeney is on commentary and is surprisingly subdued.

This match features a great deal of superb mat wrestling. After a slow, technical beginning, Youth shakes things up by sending Castagnoli to the outside with a headscissors and hitting him with a tope. In his younger days, Youth was a well-known high flier and it was nice to see him doing such a high risk move again.

After a long period of mat wrestling, Castagnoli grows impatient and begins to cheat, choking Youth with his foot. Youth hits a neck breaker, but Castagnoli responds with a lariat and a series of elbows. He throws Youth into the corners.

Youth comes back with a series of forearms, a dropkick, a clothesline and a face plant for 2. Castagnoli then hits a sidewalk slam for 2. Castagnoli props Youth up on the top rope, but Youth manages to head butt Castagnoli down before he can do anything. Castagnoli comes back, however, and hits a Burning Hammer.

Castagnoli goes to the top rope and jumps right into a knee. Youth hits a lung blower, a hammerlock DDT and a frog splash in quick succession for a very believable near fall. 2 Youth enzigueris fail to knock Castagnoli down and Castagnoli hits Youth with a European uppercut for the win.