Orange Cassidy Hits Back At Suggestion He’s “Insulting Pro Wrestling”
Orange Cassidy is a one-of-a-kind star in the world of wrestling but the AEW International Champion is not to everyone’s taste.
Cassidy was one of the original stars of AEW and now he is one of the most recognized names in the company as the International Champion. The star might be lackadaisical in the ring but he has put the work in with his championship, defending the gold 22 times over his 227-day reign – an average of one defense every 10 days. His next defense comes at Double Or Nothing when he takes part in a Blackjack Battle Royal for his gold.
Speaking on Casual Conversations with The Wrestling Classic, Orange Cassidy has addressed his detractors and pointed out that a New Japan Pro Wrestling legend named him as one of two AEW stars he wanted to step in the ring with:
“There are a lot of people that don’t care for me, that don’t care about what I’m doing. They don’t like what I’m doing, they don’t appreciate it. They think I’m insulting professional wrestling or whatever you want to call it. Then there is a living legend and a phenomenal professional wrestling in Shibata.
“He said he wanted, on his return, because he actually almost died doing what he does in the ring, and when he came back and was able to wrestle, he mentioned two people. One of them was Bryan Danielson, and the other one was me. I don’t think people understand that, but I never thought that a person of that stature would even consider me for something like that, and it was truly an honor.
“I barely beat him. I mean, I was terrified because he is Shibata. But because of that, Shibata and I actually played roulette last night, so we’re friends.”
Shibata and Cassidy went head-to-head for the AEW International Title – then known as the All-Atlantic Title – back in November 2022. Shibata is currently part of the Tony Khan-owned Ring of Honor promotion where he is the ROH Pure Champion.