10 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Revolution

3. He Tried!

"This time, he's gonna try!" was Chuck Taylor's promise after PAC vs. Orange Cassidy was confirmed on this week's Dynamite. He was right. Against 'The Bastard,' Cassidy not only drove a stake through the heart of the idea that his style can't work in the context of big-time scripted combat, as he proved what anyone who's ever watched his awesome Beyond Wrestling encounter with David Starr already knew: 'Freshly Squeezed' is a master of balancing shtick and workrate.

From the sh*tty pyro and Justin Roberts announcing his location and weight as "wherever" and "whatever" to the perfectly-timed comebacks, Cassidy's presentation was immaculate. Yes, he got his comedy stuff in. PAC mockingly responded to 'The King of Sloth Style's' slo-mo shin kicks with some of his own, but got caught playing games and taken out of his game by OC's explosiveness. 'Freshly Squeezed' almost had him with several nearfalls. The first came after a prolonged, brutal heat segment highlighted by Cassidy literally bouncing head-first off the ring post. Later, PAC looked like he murdered Orange with an impossibly snappy Liger Bomb, and Cassidy sold everything brilliantly. This is another of his big strengths: he's legitimately a top ten bumper and seller in the world. Everything his opponents do looks so effective thanks to his willingness to ragdoll.

Mad flurries and comebacks brought Cassidy to the verge of victory. There was a palpable urgency to his work as he dived on PAC and nailed Superman Punches and Stundog Millionaires, though he was inevitably caught in the Brutaliser when the Lucha Brothers appeared to brawl Best Friends away from the ring, continuing that rivalry. The audience responded as if someone had just put a bullet to a beloved family pet.

A brilliant triumph of drama and yes, storytelling, PAC vs. Cassidy ruled, and the best part? It existed well within the realms of accepted pro-wrestling psychology.