10 Most Over-HATED Wrestlers In The World Right Now

9. Orange Cassidy

Though the furore surrounding Orange Cassidy comes and goes with his push, the Best Friends affiliate remains one of wrestling's most divisive characters even when out of the immediate spotlight.

Cassidy's gimmick attracts (mostly bad-faith) critics like dog dirt attracts flies. Lackadaisical cool and head games disguised as apathy don't translate to those who only see a denim-clad slacker with his hands stuffed in his pocket, whose kicks barely register as violence (even if this is by design). This is amplified because of who he works for. Though only three years old, AEW remains the most over-scrutinised promotion in history.

But while Orange is frequently trumpeted as somebody whose mere existence is killing the supposedly sacred and noble art of professional wrestling, his act never contravenes conventional, accepted psychology. While the kicks are Charmin soft, they are taunts, not strikes. Designed to infuriate rather than hurt, they are never sold as anything more than an annoyance. Cassidy's entire so-laid-back-he's-horizontal attitude is calibrated to get under his skin, in fact. Serious, harder-nosed fighters either get suckered in, taking Cassidy for a fool and falling into his trap, or get as angry as his online critics and become susceptible to Orange's own bursts of fire and athleticism.

That James Cipperly, the man behind the gimmick, is as above it all as his wrestling character speaks volumes.