With the AEW Championship picture now narrowed down to just two men for Double or Nothing 2021, it presents the potential for two very intriguing title matches for the show’s main event, with Kenny Omega defending against either PAC or Orange Cassidy. Both could be show stealers in their own right, but there’s one challenger that rightfully deserves this opportunity to mark the success that AEW has carved for itself so far, and that’s Orange Cassidy.
Orange Cassidy has become the unlikely hero in AEW’s story so far, going from a bit part in the inaugural Casino Battle Royal to being ranked #1 in the AEW singles division. The fans latched onto Cassidy’s silent charm, seeing him through some impressive feuds against the likes of Chris Jericho, Miro and ‘The Bastard’ PAC. Cassidy has become the darling for all AEW fans to get behind, becoming an even bigger star throughout 2020 and shining brightly amongst the rest of the homegrown talent AEW has to boast.
Now he reaches the biggest match of his career so far in the #1 contender bout against his former rival on next week’s episode of Dynamite. Orange Cassidy needs to win this match, not only to provide the dominant AEW Champion with an opponent worthy of rallying the 5,500 fans who will be in attendance in Daily’s Place against him, but also to show that All Elite Wrestling is achieving the goal it set: providing fresh talent with major opportunities that are based on personal merit alone and not just name value.
Orange Cassidy has yet to hold a championship in AEW, yet he has become one of the most successful singles stars and one of the biggest merch pushers on the roster. Cassidy has leagues of fans of all ages ready to cheer their hearts out for him come Double or Nothing, even if deep down we know that Kenny’s title reign is far from over. The fact is that even if Cassidy walks away in defeat, just by appearing in the championship main event of AEW’s secondary flagship pay-per-view event is a huge testament to how far he has come in the business and his credibility.
This should easily set Orange up for future championship opportunities, whether that be against the AEW World Champion or the TNT Championship once Darby Allin has stepped aside. There’s no doubt that one day Orange Cassidy should be one of the flag bearers for AEW Dynamite, his popularity inside and outside of the ring makes him the ideal candidate to prove to the rest of the wrestling world that AEW is the place to score these career-making opportunities.
For a wrestler like him, who was mostly looked at as a comedy wrestler, to come in and skyrocket through the singles rankings over the course of just two years, racking up some incredible victories over legends and former worldwide stars, it just goes to show how dedicated the team behind AEW are to listening to fan response and keeping their fingers on the pulse of the industry.
But what if PAC wins on Dynamite? There’s no way it would derail the momentum that Orange has built for himself, it just means that now isn’t quite the time to pull the trigger. One thing’s for sure, AEW see him to be of that calibre, which is a huge compliment to his stardom that fans of OC should rest happy about.
The sky is the limit for Orange Cassidy and 2021 could very well be his biggest year yet, with the potential championship match against Kenny Omega being the start of a prolonged underdog run. With All Out in September to look forward to, maybe a sequel encounter between he and ‘The Cleaner’ could become one of the most talked about matches in wrestling, where Omega would be dethroned by the most unlikely of heroes. This is what wrestling’s all about, so let’s just sit back and enjoy it!
READ NEXT: The Best WWE Backlash Matches Of All Time
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
