WWE star Cesaro recently spoke with Newsweek to discuss his tag team title victory at Extreme Rules with Shinsuke Nakamura, as well as why he makes such a fantastic tag partner. Highlights are below.
How it feels to be SmackDown tag team champion:
It feels great. This is my seventh title with my third different partner. I call Shinsuke, “Shinsuke the Third.” It came at a great time and me and Shinsuke were out to make a statement and I feel like we did and it feels good to hold gold again in WWE.
If he goes in with a different mindset when working a tag match from a singles:
100 percent. When you’re in a singles match it’s all about you and it’s only you in there, and it all falls on you. In a tag match it’s completely different. You have to rely on your partner, trust your partner and also there’s two opponents across the ring. It’s just a completely different mindset and element to it. It’s more of a “team game.” It’s a different challenge, and I love challenges.
What it’s like to team with Shinsuke Nakamura:
Shinsuke is the “king of strong style” and he is so much fun to watch. I catch myself on the apron just watching him sometimes and having a great time. He’s a once in a lifetime performer. The way he moves, his moveset, his strikes, his background it’s mesmerizing. Shinsuke is the coolest person that I’ve ever met. Everything he does, wears and says makes you say “Yea!
What he does differently with Shinsuke then he did with former tag partners:
I feel like I’m the muscle of the team this time [Laughs]. So I guess I’m focusing on my power game because with Sheamus, woof, Sheamus hits very hard and so does Shinsuke but there’s a difference. So now I feel the muscle part falls on me so I’m trying to improve on that. And obviously other parts of my game as well. Talking and other stuff, but Shin and I have a fun dynamic and I’m very excited to see where this leaves us.
On the New Day:
New Day is amazing. I have nothing but respect for The New Day. Our careers have been intertwined. Me and Tyson Kidd had the first couple of matches against New Day on a European Tour when the whole, “New Day Rocks, New Day Sucks” chant started. I’ve known Kofi [Kingston] and Big E and [xavier] Woods for so long. Me, Big E and Woods have been in NXT together, Kofi and I met in Deep South [Wrestling] many years ago.