Why AEW’s New Signing Is Controversial (But WILL Get Over)

Joey Ryan TNA
impactwrestling.com

It’s not just cinema. This week, several hundred thousand people were delighted on Twitter by the bizarre visual of a fish travelling through a tube. People liked, retweeted and sh*tposted about this fish that travelled through a tube. It’s a bizarre, extremely online world we live in, and we live in it to escape the horrors of the real world. Earnestness is dead because earnestness is futile. We laugh at gallows humour mutated into indefinable bullsh*t. Irony is in vogue, and Orange Cassidy is the best ironic wrestler out.

Moreover—that RAW, outlined above, was the undercard. The show was headlined by a monster six-man tag pitting Steve Austin, The Rock and Vince McMahon against The Undertaker, Triple H and Shane McMahon. Stratospheric star power sold that show, just like Chris Jericho and the Elite’s own six-man tag main event will sell AEW’s TV debut. Orange Cassidy won’t set the tone for or otherwise define AEW, just as Gerald Brisco didn’t define the WWF’s Attitude Era.

The prospect of Jim Ross calling a Cassidy match is concerning. He is to AEW what Chevy Chase was to Community, on and offscreen. But Excalibur is a genius of a commentator, and wrestling is built on bullsh*t, and he will doubtlessly spin it. Orange Cassidy f*cks around to get into peoples’ heads, Orange Cassidy doesn’t try because it affects the confidence of those who do when he outwits them. As long as the audience is treated with a modicum of intelligence, he should fit within a more straight-laced context.

The pro wrestling discourse is rancid, mostly, and it reappears every time somebody touches Joey Ryan’s c*ck. “This guy is killing the business!”

Wrestling to these people isn’t an “art” to be subverted. It is wrestling.

Ignoring the idea that the business is growing, beyond WWE—does the mere existence of Joey Ryan really “expose” or “ruin” your wrestling experience?

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!