Lince Dorado Reveals How AEW Veteran First Got Him In The Door Of WWE

Professional wrestler Lince Dorado got his start, like a number of other future WWE stars, in the Pennsylvania-based independent promotion Chikara. There, Dorado would forge one important connection that would help him out later in his career, helping him get into WWE, as revealed during a recent interview with "Developmentally Speaking."

"Claudio [Castagnoli] ... actually had mentioned my name," Dorado said, also crediting EVOLVE's Gabe Sapolsky. "Like, 'Hey, you should use this guy, he's pretty local and he's good. He understands the style and he works all the styles, basically.' ... [William] Regal ended up calling me."

Dorado was invited to the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, which rebooted the company's Cruiserweight division back in 2016. The luchador said that he had an amazing experience in the tournament, and it resulted in WWE hiring him.

Elaborating on his relationship with Castagnoli, who was known as Cesaro in WWE, Dorado revealed that the Swede was one of his trainers in Chikara. Castagnoli is even responsible for Dorado's ring name, which means Golden Lynx. According to the wrestler, Castagnoli noted that Dorado landed on his feet like a cat, which would result in him adopting feline-themed gear for much of his career.

Castagnoli no longer works in WWE, but found a prominent spot in AEW as a member of the Blackpool Combat Club faction. As for Dorado, the former Lucha House Party member was released from his WWE contract in late 2021. In addition to making a few recent AEW appearances himself, Dorado continues to work independent dates across the country.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Developmentally Speaking" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.