The Misunderstood Genius Of AEW's Orange Cassidy
It was as if Cassidy was daring his critics to aim their fire - how could they do that, after he had successfully paid tribute to the match held aloft as the understated pro wrestling ideal? You cannot criticise Orange Cassidy in good faith. That was the punchline. There's a depth to Cassidy's work that nobody, even his supporters in 2019, saw coming.
Hogan Vs. Andre is the ultimate timeless wrestling match: doing the least amount to generate the loudest reaction, Hogan gamed the system like nobody else before or since in 1987. Cassidy working that match in Detroit felt like he was daring his critics, but it wasn't a snarky, ironic take on it, either. He just used its structure, affectionately, to punch up with his comedic skill and tell an effective story at the same time. If you somehow haven't seen Hogan Vs. Andre, it wasn't imperative to Cassidy Vs. Page (which obviously was nowhere near the original in any way, shape or form); Cassidy merely added some well-timed nostalgia to a very loud TV match in which he beat the baddie and made people happy, which is what all of this is about, ultimately.
Is there anybody better at grasping what the business is in 2023 than Orange Cassidy? It's a sport, but your guy gets to win. Cassidy is dependable. You can believe in him. His matches are incredibly fun.
The misunderstood genius of Orange Cassidy isn't that he's more like an "old school" wrestler than he appears beneath the surface; he's actually the perfect, timeless babyface. Everything he does logically precedes the next story beat, his selling is excellent, which is why his near-falls are as loud as anybody's (if not louder), and his work is universal in its appeal. The most pedantic of limb work snobs get as much out of his matches as the young kids who dress up as him in the front row. And, for a one-note comedy wrestler, there's still lots for him to do. He's barely cut a long TV promo yet! He's four years into his AEW run, and he might have more longevity to his act than most people on the roster.
It is well past the "Orange Cassidy is much better than the bad faith critics pretend he is" phase. It's time that Orange Cassidy is talked about as one of the best professional wrestlers in the world.