AEW's Orange Cassidy gets brutally honest about what his career would have been like "somewhere else"
Orange Cassidy has been in AEW since the beginning, and it's evident that the 40-year-old is grateful for the company. The star recently opened up about the creative freedom in All Elite Wrestling and how he might not have gotten it elsewhere.
Cassidy had been a popular name on the indies well before he signed with AEW in 2019. With more than a decade of experience, the veteran brought his unique character to All Elite Wrestling and instantly became a fan favorite.
The former International Champion spoke to Kevin Kellam on Q101 and was asked about the creative freedom afforded to him in the Tony Khan-led company.
Orange Cassidy admitted that while the constant need to reinvent his character was challenging, he was fortunate to have found a home in AEW, where his ideas are accepted.
Cassidy noted that he probably would have been "forgotten" in another promotion, but that hasn't happened in AEW. He explained:
"Yes, but fortunately, I work for AEW, and no one forces me to do anything I don't want to do. They are also open to what I want to do. I am very, very fortunate that AEW exists because I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if it wasn't. They let me something unique, something new, and embraced it. If I was somewhere else, I'd probably have been pigeonholed into a certain type of thing and forgotten after a year. At that point, hopefully, after a year." [From 6:32 onwards]
Orange Cassidy believes he has evolved in AEW
To his credit, Orange Cassidy's in-ring work has always blended incredibly well with his laidback on-screen persona.
The seasoned pro wrestler, however, feels his performances inside the squared circle have evolved over the past four years. Orange Cassidy claimed that he doesn't wrestle like he did in his early AEW days, and he gave the promotion props for allowing him to develop.
Cassidy added:
"I'm able to evolve and become different. I'm not the same wrestler, I don't wrestle the same way I did four years ago, five years ago, which is a credit to AEW, to kind of, let me grow." [7:11 - 7:30]
Cassidy is presently a member of The Conglomeration and remains a regular name on AEW TV as the company approaches a stacked All Out event.
If you use any quotes from the article's first half, please credit Q101 and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.