"People forgot"- Unconventional AEW star dissects his rise as a top star in Tony Khan's AEW
Orange Cassidy has weighed in on his journey to make it big in Tony Khan's company. The popular star described his journey as a path where he had to prove him mettle over and over again.
The 38-year old is one of the most unique characters in all of professional wrestling. Tony Khan took note of Cassidy's caliber in 2019, after the latter's 15 years of struggles on the indie scene. "Freshly Squeezed" is now one of the most popular stars on the AEW roster and hasn't looked back since.
Cassidy's path to prominence wasn't bereft of doubters. However, with some stellar outings in AEW, Cassidy cemented his status as a solid in-ring worker.
Speaking with “Absolute Geek” at San Diego Comic-Con, The "King of Sloth Style'' threw light on proving his wrestling skills time and again:
"Every now and then, I just show everybody or remind everybody what I can do and when I feel like it. I think I’m the only person in wrestling that’s had like 16 breakout matches," said Cassidy. (H/T: Wrestling Inc)
He also spoke about reminding people how good he is, citing his bout against Will Ospreay at the Forbidden Door event:
"I think that ever since I had a wrestling match that, people forgot, so I just want to remind everybody who Orange Cassidy was, and I think it allowed me to do that. I would have loved to win, but he’s pretty good,” he added.
This match!! @WillOspreay and @orangecassidy leaving it all in the ring here at #ForbiddenDoor! Order the PPV right now! #AEWxNJPW https://t.co/8ic7sXIORI
Tony Khan initially didn't understand the Orange Cassidy gimmick
Orange Cassidy was a well-known character on the indie circuit. The denims, glasses and the laid-back attitude existed long before AEW's inception. However, the unique character was refined and perfected under Tony Khan's brand.
When the AEW President hired the former PWG star, he endured a hard time grasping the essence of the character.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio podcast, Mr. Khan revealed that it took him a while to figure out the Orange Cassidy character:
"The thing I really love about Orange Cassidy is how great of a wrestler he is when he really wants to try. I didn’t understand it at first either. The first time I ever really talked to him was after a PWG show. I spent a lot of time with him and talking to him about how I saw the character and how I would want to see Orange Cassidy in AEW," said Tony Khan.
Orange Cassidy is pretty great, ome of AEWs most valuable wrestlers imo
Great connection to the crowd
Can fill every spot on the card
works different match types
great for casual audiences
unique character
gotta love him
Orange Cassidy has continued to evolve in All Elite Wrestling. This year has been particularly good for him, given the performances he has given lately. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for him in the coming weeks.
What do you think about Cassidy's wrestling acumen? Do let us know in the comments below.