The Misunderstood Genius Of AEW's Orange Cassidy

Ethan Page Orange Cassidy
AEW

A good champion should also elevate challengers to their level - in an industry that never stops, not every match can be big - and Cassidy has entered worthy main event-level performances, in improbably dramatic matches, against wrestlers who are barely over. His headline attraction with Kip Sabian at Battle Of The Belts V was remarkable. Cassidy is so great and trusted that he was personally selected by Katsuyori Shibata for the great man's AEW debut. The only other man on Shibata's dream shortlist was Bryan Danielson. That is the company Orange Cassidy is in, and Shibata possesses one of the most powerful hard man auras in wrestling history.

The funniest joke, as ever, is made at the expense of those who refuse to get it: Orange Cassidy is a timeless old school babyface who embodies every last trait of the very best.

He's never turned, for one. He's credible. He is AEW's Ricky Steamboat. He's also intelligent, strategising and springing traps in order to win. A lot. He is also a good man easy to root for. He cares more about others than he does about himself: at All Out 2021, a magical night, Cassidy elevated it with one of his best moments. As Kris Statlander struggled against Dr. Britt Baker's heel chicanery, Cassidy in an uncharacteristic moment pounded the mat in support of his mate. Cassidy measures his storytelling to perfection, making all of his big moments matter with patient, disciplined character work. Isn't modern wrestling plagued by wrestlers who do "too much"?

Cassidy's most effective punchline is that he is everything the old school brigade want out of a modern wrestler. Consider his match against Ethan Page on the June 6, 2022 Dynamite. Held in Detroit, Cassidy struggled throughout to lift Page off his feet, working the entire match around a body slam attempt. After generating a hot atmosphere with his brilliantly drawn-out fire-up spots, he popped them huge - an AEW crowd who apparently only like dives and Canadian destroyers - by successfully executing a body slam in a match built around that very simple and engaging core premise.

In Detroit, the site of WrestleMania III.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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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!