8 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (May 20)

2. Cassidy & Fenix Take Flight

Diminished by a dopy finish that saw Kip Sabian distract Orange Cassidy by scaling a ladder outside the ring, 'Freshly Squeezed' vs. Rey Fenix was a fun as hell battle between two of AEW's premiere high-flyers.

Cassidy set the tone early. He sidestepped Fenix's attempted ramp ambush, having learned from the previous week, and frustrated Rey early on, getting the Lucha Brother all kinds of wound up. Fenix struggled with Cassidy taking residence inside his head and fell victim to a couple of crucifix pin attempts but a double stomp on OC's head swung things back around. From there, Rey's performance was both spectacular and torturous. He's an athletic marvel with inhuman balance but works harder and nastier now that he's a full-on heel. In there with an underrated bumper and seller in Cassidy, he was always going to deliver.

Sometimes, you have to put your hands up and say you were wrong. Recent editions of this column have brought the assertion that Cassidy doesn't work in an empty arena. It turns out he does... when he's allowed to work with greater range, not just comedy spots. Kudos.

He's also a certified quarter-hour ratings popper, so expect this to continue when the numbers come out.