10 Wrestlers Who Grabbed The Brass Ring In 2020

6. Orange Cassidy

Eddie Kingston
AEW

Having been in existence for just over a year by this point in time, All Elite Wrestling has laid the foundations for several talents to become staples of its main event scene over the next few years.

When looking at those AEW names to have a breakout year, Orange Cassidy clearly has to be near the top of the list.

To its credit, AEW was quick to invest TV time and big matches in Freshly Squeezed once they saw the huge reaction he was getting from fans in arenas and at home. From a cult character who was very much a niche act, to a bona fide standout of the promotion who would be in big-time spots across the ring from Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes, Orange has continued to thrive with each and every opportunity that's come his way.

Many traditionalist may have been quick to dismiss Orange Cassidy, yet the former Fire Ant undoubtedly has a special connection to wrestling fans. As shown by the fervent crowd reaction to him - when fans were allowed to attend shows in full force, of course - or the impressive merchandise numbers drummed up by Cassidy, this is a wrestler who has more charisma in his half-raised thumb tip than many of his peers have in their entire body.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.