Orange Cassidy has been one of All Elite Wrestling ‘s most surprising success stories. “The King of Sloth Style” is arguably the most popular babyface in the company right now, as the fans have fallen in love with his unique character and in-ring style, which is essentially him acting laid back and lazy. However, not everyone in the wrestling industry is a fan of Cassidy, and at one time, AEW announcer Jim Ross was among those people.
During the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, as quoted by WrestlingNews.co , Ross admitted that he didn’t understand the gimmick at first, but revealed that Cassidy has proved him wrong in recent months.
“I feel badly for those criticizing, because they’re basing it on size only or that he’s got a different presentation that they haven’t seen. That’s not really fair to the talent. I admit when I first saw Cassidy, my old school self said ‘it’s never gonna get over stupid.’ And I was wrong. I don’t mind admitting I’m wrong when I’m wrong, and I was wrong on Orange Cassidy, he’s a fine guy. He’s a good pro, and he’s got a different act.”
Ross singled out Cassidy’s recent match with PAC at Revolution as a prime example of how talented the rising star is. Cassidy wrestled the majority of the match with his hands in his pockets, performing several impressive athletic maneuvers in the process. Ross described his performance as “extraordinary.”
The match against PAC marked Cassidy’s first solo outing in AEW, and while he was on the receiving end of a loss, he did have the crowd on his side. The superstar looks like a future main eventer, and the company has big plans for him.
A freshly squeezed distraction from @orangecassidy ? #AEWDynamite on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/Mp4E5kEiVb
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) March 5, 2020
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Cody Rhodes said that they’re being careful with Cassidy because they don’t want to derail his momentum. According to the executive vice president, management getting too involved would be like a record company diluting people’s favorite band, so the company is letting his push happen organically.
Jim Cornette, meanwhile, believes that Cassidy is bad for the wrestling business. He’s repeatedly criticized the AEW star’s style in the past because he thinks it’s phony, which has resulted in some memorable rants on his podcast and on social media. As Ringside News documented, Cornette stated that he hopes the wrestler breaks his neck. Cornette has been critical of several AEW talents, but Cassidy has received the brunt of his fury more than most.
