Vince Russo wants AEW to introduce controversial title and crown 40-year-old male star (Exclusive)
AEW has created a few unique titles for the roster, from the World Trios Championship to the network-friendly TNT and TBS championships. Vince Russo has revealed an idea he has for a top star in the Tony Khan-led company, which may lead to the introduction of one of the more controversial championships of the modern era.
Orange Cassidy is widely regarded as one of the top AEW originals on the roster. The 40-year-old has been a fan-favorite talent since the beginning but has only had two title reigns.
He won the All-Atlantic Championship before it was changed to the International Championship, and the second-ever reign with that title went for a record 326 days. Cassidy later had a 145-day reign with the International Championship.
Freshly Squeezed now has his second chance to become AEW World Champion when he challenges Jon Moxley at Full Gear on Saturday. Vince Russo and Dr. Chris Featherstone role-played as All Elite Wrestling's head booker and Cassidy, respectively, on the latest episode of Sportskeeda's Writing with Russo.
The hypothetical backstage conversation had Cassidy, portrayed by Featherstone, asking Russo to book him in a World Championship run for all he had done to help the company.
Russo responded by telling the AEW original that the World Championship wasn't a real title as it was just used for storyline purposes, and Cassidy didn't need to become champion in his current story. Cassidy pressed on, asking to have a World Championship push for his contributions to AEW. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion then responded with a controversial idea.
"If we happen to introduce an Intergender Champion, like Andy Kaufman (...) perhaps, perhaps. Outside of that (...) that would probably be a no," Vince Russo said. [From 5:05 to 5:20]
Russo made it clear, all role-playing aside, that he never had one wrestler, male or female, who approached him with that kind of speech backstage. He reiterated that not one performer ever told him they thought he should book them to be champion.
Orange Cassidy and more set for AEW Dynamite
The final AEW Dynamite before Full Gear will air live tonight on TBS. All Elite Wrestling will invade Santander Arena in Reading, PA, and Friday's Rampage episode will also be taped at the venue.
Officials have announced that CMLL stars Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada, and Hechicero will be on tonight's Dynamite. A contract signing for the upcoming ROH World Championship match was also confirmed. Below is the updated lineup for tonight.
- "Big Boom!" AJ of The Costco Guys will appear
- CMLL stars Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada, and Hechicero will appear
- Jon Moxley and The Death Riders appear for the final Full Gear build
- Contract signing for ROH World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Tomohiro Ishii on Thanksgiving Eve
- Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida
- All-Star Eight-Man Tag Team Match: The Don Callis Family (Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, and Lance Archer) vs. Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Mark Davis
- World Trios Champion Wheeler Yuta vs. Orange Cassidy
- World Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. Darby Allin
Several All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor stars will miss Dynamite tonight as they will be at Texas Live! in Arlington, TX, for the All In 2025 Kickoff Party. Dynamite will air live on the big screens at the free event, which will run from 6-9 pm with ticket opportunities, giveaways, photo-ops, merchandise, and more.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video.