8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (29 March - Review)
3. Orange Cassidy Continues HIS Roll
AEW
The Butcher entered an uncharacteristic performance here in yet another good bit of business in this exceptional Orange Cassidy International title run.
Butcher is usually a chaotic wrestler all the better for how bumbling his offence can look, but here, he looked as sharp as he ever has. His work wasn't too clean, though. With one awesome powerbomb counter in particular, he looked like Cassidy was at his total mercy.
This was a far better and more dramatic match than it had any right to be, and because the Butcher looked so dominant in a very effective hoss performance, Cassidy's deep puzzle box of reversals sang all the more. Nobody realistically expected a title switch, but they engineered a convincing near-fall when the Blade caught him with a pipe. It was a cheap way of getting there, but they got there.
Bonus points too for Butcher's mid-match trash talk.
His knowing '80s pastiche act is a tremendously fun bit, and his constant threats to break Cassidy's back were the work of a man who knows how to play the goofy, grunting heavy role to near-perfect effect.
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.
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