5 Wrestlers Who Will Get Over In AEW (And 5 Who Won't)

6. Orange Cassidy WILL...

Orange Cassidy
Scott Lesh

Pockets? That piece of sh*t, who disrespects this business?

He's already answered the furore that exploded upon the news that AEW had signed him a few months back. Some had it that his ironic, revealing gimmick would clash with AEW's sports-oriented presentation, but he has firmly connected with virtually every fan, and not just the hardcore of hardcores, on the (admittedly scant) evidence of his cameos. And, to take a victory lap, the following was written in my article 'Why AEW's New Signing Is Controversial (But Will Get Over)':

"‘Everybody is here for the wrestler with his hands in his pockets’ is as much Twitter Moment fodder as the tube fish."

Cassidy's hands-in-pockets suicide dive at All Out did in fact go viral.

Cassidy is a fashionable wrestler for the ironic, detached millennial generation, who are drawn to his unusual, aloof persona because it's so striking, funny, and perfect in this mainstream context. His attire is already so iconic that kids are copying it in the front row, and AEW has thus far stripped the meta overtones and deployed the act as a crowd-pleasing high spot merchant.

And on the following evidence, they will continue to absorb it into a more credible context - only successfully.

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!