Why AEW’s New Signing Is Controversial (But WILL Get Over)
The difference is that, while piss-poor and affectionately bad, respectively, these contests were promoted, at face value, within the context of kayfabe. It was possibly the most farcical adaptation of it ever, but the show was still presented as if it were real. That episode appealed to the lowest common denominator, but perhaps crucially, it did not demand that they attune to an entirely different wavelength.
This week, Orange Cassidy signed with All Elite Wrestling—the new, sports-centric league in which wins and losses matter. In the wake of the announcement, several commentators expressed concern about what this might mean for the legitimacy (and directly, the popularity) of this much-needed competition.
For the uninitiated, the shades-wearing Orange Cassidy is a sensation on the Independent circuit, which he las lit up with his hyper-ironic approach to the pro wrestling art form. His character is that of an exceptional professional wrestler who is simply too lazy and aloof to wrestle in the traditional way. He lightly brushes the legs of his opponents by just barely lifting his own. He does this with his hands in his pockets. When his rivals run the ropes to launch an assault, Cassidy slowly lowers himself to the canvas, hands still in his pockets, and rolls over apathetically to avoid it. This spot, of course, exposes the sequence (and indeed all such sequences) as a sham. There is nothing to stop his opponent from halting his momentum and raining down blows to Cassidy’s head. He is doing the bare minimum, on purpose, and with his hands in his pockets, he is almost entirely unable to defend himself.
His charisma is literally effortless.
But it’s a more traditional wrestling act than it appears on the surface. This approach allows for real narrative build: if one of his opponents actually manages to piss him off, the atmosphere changes. Fans, amused by this postmodern, cool-as-hell talent, get behind him in a different spirit. The “proper” spirit. Seamlessly, those fans slip into a different mode, receiving a match by suspending—not ironically toying with—their disbelief. Orange Cassidy is the best, most unique gimmick performer in wrestling right now, but he’s far more than that.
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