5 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (25 Aug)

3. Orange Pulp

Orange Cassidy Matt Hardy
AEW

Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy opened the show on a less-than-thrilling note with a singles match that took too long to get going, then never looked like breaking out of second gear, even towards the closing stretch.

This was peppered with fun spots, like Hardy mocking the hands-in-pockets gimmick, pulling out wads of cash, throwing them in the air when he was struck, then reclaiming them from Orange when back on top. The heat sequence failed, though. Hardy's work on top wasn't nasty or impactful enough to generate sympathy and energy for the Cassidy comeback, dragging on for significantly longer than it needed to before OC worked back into it.

Cassidy ended up pinning Matt by stuffing his hands in his pocket to trap the legs on a roll-up. That's creative and logical, preventing Hardy from kicking out, but the match was slow.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.