6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (15 Mar - Review)

3. BREE WOO BREE WOO BREE WOO BREE WOO BREE WOO

Orange Cassidy Jeff Jarrett
AEW

Orange Cassidy Vs. Jeff Jarrett was a tremendous bit of business.

A sort of postmodern twist on Memphis Heat, this match elevated artless carny tropes into something artful and improbably dramatic. A lot - a great deal - of building, planning and plotting enhanced the last several minutes of red-hot drama.

The idea was to sell the audience on an unthinkable transgression that would represent a blight on the company: 'Triple J' Jeff Jarrett politicking his way into becoming an ostensible World champion. This was something that was bound to happen when the self-serving leech slipped his way in through the backdoor. A generation of fans are grimly aware of Jarrett's reputation, and AEW did everything possible, in a smoke and mirrors masterclass, to convince the fans that the fix was in.

Cassidy sold his leg like it was about to fall off, consistently and to emotional effect. Jarrett's gang of obnoxious ar*ehole mates all tried to distract the referee in a dense, anxious barrage of chicanery. The drama was so well built. Cassidy was either losing clean, or he was getting screwed out of it. The odds were stacked higher than Satnam Singh.

Cassidy prevailed in what scanned as a shock result because the meta threat was so well-orchestrated.

Suspenseful fun, rewarding catharsis: this AEW run might have saved Jeff Jarrett's legacy in the pro wrestling business. That's why Tony Khan wins Booker of the Year awards.

Advertisement
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!