7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Revolution 2024 (Results & Review)

5. That's How You Book Roderick Strong

Orange Cassidy Roderick Strong
AEW

Roderick Strong is no longer a supporting goober comedy character. Roderick Strong is back to his unreal best as a relentless ass-kicking machine.

Sadly, the crowd was flat until the finish. The laboured, overlong Scramble match had bored them to tears. This match wasn't helped either by the diminished return that was Cassidy's second run with the International title. Last time out, fans were begging for Cassidy's body to hold up. Last night, the title change was accepted as a formality.

Still, they got them (and how) by the finish. The work was just exceptional at times. Roddy is an absolute freak. A machine. He played his role in a simple story that aimed for pure, inevitable heartbreak without quite reaching it. The ass-kicking didn't generate the intended pathos, but what an ass-kicking all the same. Strong, already one of pro wrestling's most explosive and credible killers, wrestled like he'd taken bath salts. He was demented.

He used Cassidy's pockets to lift him into a suplex at one point, a very creative way of expressing his disdain for the character, and repeatedly blasted him with visits to Backbreaker City. Cassidy's lucha-tinged set-ups created scope for some awesome backbreaker cut-offs too. In the spot of the match, Strong launched Orange from the top turnbuckle and into the rafters before breaking the poor prick in half.

Strong won via End of Heartache to capture the International title and (hopefully) legitimise the Undisputed Kingdom. He was confronted by a returning Kyle O'Reilly.

Yes!

In a teased "are we still friends?" storyline.

No!

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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!