5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (30 August - Review)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Thank God For Orange Cassidy

Orange Cassidy Penta El Zero Miedo
AEW

Orange Cassidy very narrowly defeated Penta El Zero Miedo in what turned into a fantastic, absurdly dramatic main event.

Living mummy Cassidy benefitted from his own meticulous hard graft over the last year by selling his absolute ar*e off throughout. Penta is of course excellent at registering his violent, hard-hitting offence, and while the matchmaking was questionable in terms of the timing, the dynamic was superb.

In a moment that might have scanned as dumb in any other context, the selling and feeling was so strong that a fighting spirit Canadian destroyer exchange finally unglued a detached crowd soured on the recent CM Punk suspension. Then, Penta hit a gruesome Fear Factor on the apron before snapping Cassidy's arm and hitting a second Fear Factor in the ring. This sequence was so exquisitely timed that a title change felt certain. It didn't happen, and after a gorgeous 2.99 kick-out, Cassidy snuck in a quick crucifix before unexpectedly cutting a superb, fired-up go-home babyface promo. The last line was a pearler.

"I'm Orange Cassidy, and I don't have a catchphrase."

In the space of just a few minutes, Orange Cassidy convinced thousands of people that he was done for and capable of defeating the most invincible wrestler in the history of the promotion.

Because he is brilliant.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!