7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest (13 July)

3. TNT Title Fight Strikes A Great Balance

AEW looked to be gambling dangerously with Wardlow heading into Fyter Fest. His TNT Title win over Scorpio Sky landed as a big, triumphant babyface moment after a few short weeks of wavering reactions beforehand, so it was curious to see the company placing him opposite Orange Cassidy. 'Freshly Squeezed' is eternally over and hard to root against. Thus, it was logical to suggest that perhaps Wardlow wasn't going to have much luck with the crowd, undermining everything AEW has tried to do with him in 2022.

In the end, these concerns didn't manifest. Wardlow and Cassidy nailed a match that struck a perfect balance between comedy and serious pro wrestling.

It started with absurdity. Cassidy's headgames saw him call for a Greco-Roman knuckle lock with the larger, stronger Wardlow, leading to the TNT Champion tearing his pockets away. Moments later, a layered gag saw Trent Beretta hop onto the apron with one weapon before his partner, Chuck Taylor, pulled out a chainsaw. A bewildered Bryce Remsburg had no choice but to throw them out.

From there, Cassidy and Wardlow meshed well. OC was as slippery as ever, countering out of the big man's big bombs, including the Symphony, which he escaped from several times. This was critical to his typical frustration games. Wardlow proved himself strong in every sense, plucking Cassidy out of the air and refusing to let the challenger crawl under his skin. Danhausen, the Beach Break, multiple Orange Punches, and more were foiled until finally, he landed a Powerbomb for the fall.

Not conducting the Symphony against a figure as beloved as Cassidy was a wise choice, with Wardlow instead countering out of an Orange Punch, effectively beating Orange at his own game.