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Orange Cassidy is a polarizing figure and has never been everybody's cup of tea. While some believe that he is a fun gimmick that adds something different to AEW's shows, there are others who feel that his character is downright insulting to the wrestling business. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, there is no denying the fact that he has been one of the main features of AEW television since the very beginning.
The AEW of today though is very different from what it was at its inception. A lot of stars have joined the company over the past few years, while a number of them have left as well including Cody Rhodes, a man who had a huge hand in starting AEW.
The product has naturally evolved over time. Thus, the question arises, has Orange Cassidy become detrimental to AEW?
The Joke Is Well Past Its Expiration Date
Admittedly, the Orange Cassidy gimmick was fun in the beginning. He was a nonchalant and lazy guy who used to wrestle with his hands in his pockets. While a bit ridiculous, it was something very different from what other wrestlers were doing and helped him stand out.
It was also something that managed to catch the attention of a wider audience, a lot of whom were probably not even interested in AEW but intrigued by the idea of watching somebody wrestle with their hands in their pockets. Out of the ten most viewed videos on AEW's YouTube channel, five feature Orange Cassidy.
The problem is, the joke has now run its course. There is very little intrigue about the character and it has become stale. All those videos are from two years back. The Orange Cassidy character simply has not evolved over time.
The Intrigue Around Orange Cassidy No Longer Exists
Whether you hate him or love him, there is no denying that there was a lot of intrigue around Orange Cassidy in the early days of AEW. While he has working comedic matches with his hands in his pockets, those who had followed his career through the independent circuit claimed that he could go in the ring when given the opportunity.
This helped in building up a lot of hype around Orange Cassidy as fans looked forward to seeing what he could do in the ring when he had a more 'serious' match.
Well, over the last couple of years, we have seen a number of those 'serious' matches and while he can have a good match on his day, it would be safe to say that Orange Cassidy has not set the wrestling world on fire with his in-ring performances in AEW.
Orange Cassidy Is Booked Way Too Strong
For all intents and purposes, Orange Cassidy is a comedic wrestler. He is one of AEW's biggest homegrown stars and deserves to be featured but at the same time, he should not going be toe-to-toe with main event players.
The perfect example of this is his recent match against Wardlow for the TNT Championship. We had seen Wardlow destroy 20 security guards on his own just a few weeks back, only for him to struggle against Orange Cassidy. Also, did he need to be the guy to take on Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door?
One has to identify that a character like Orange Cassidy has a ceiling. He is not going to be the AEW World Heavyweight Champion unless he undergoes a major transformation, and at this point in time, he should not be having long, competitive matches against top stars.
Also, while it is surprising, Orange Cassidy is 38 years of age. Thus, he cannot be put in the bracket of a future superstar, who is building a name for himself right now.
AEW Is In Danger Of Having Too Much Comedy
One of the biggest reasons that Orange Cassidy stood out during the early days of AEW was because his segments were very different from every other one on the show.
Now though, the company has brought in Danhausen, who is also a comedy act and is fresher than 'Freshly Squeezed' at this moment in time.
Now, while AEW will always have some elements of comedy on their shows as it works very well for their audience, there is the risk that people will get tired if there is too much of it.
The Orange Cassidy character already feels stale and a new entrance theme is not going to change that magically. On top of that, he now has competition in the form of Danhausen.