Defending AEW
All Elite Wrestling is under attack. Some of their best-known stars find themselves in the middle of the story.
Have you ever seen a wrestler perform a move on another wrestler while that person is in a body bag?
Have you ever seen a wrestler do a flip with his hands in his pockets?
I had never seen either of these before the dawn of All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It’s not just about singular moments. Lots of companies and shows can offer up a one-off moment that is crazy and unlike anything you would normally see.
It’s about what these moments would come to represent: two of the key players for this new company, with fresh and different characters and the space to be themselves.
In today's Kanefabe newsletter
AEW is moving forward with what appears to be a long-term story. It has to do with some of the company's original wrestlers, and some of its more unique characters, stepping up to defend AEW.
I think this could be a compelling direction for a number of performers. And I think taking a look at two of their most popular wrestlers explains why.
I'm glad you're here. On we go.
Something new
I have a few snapshots that kick around my mind when I think about the early days of AEW.
The first one will always be the quickness with which Kenny Omega moved in the ring. It was that much crisper and that much more exciting to watch. I now associate that style and that movement with AEW’s in-ring action. But nobody did it like Kenny.
From there, I think of the personalities that were truly unique. At the very least, these guys were presenting characters unlike anything I had seen on a wrestling show.
Darby Allin brought a body bag to the ring for the first match of his that I watched, a showdown with Cody Rhodes. In case you had any doubt about this, it wasn’t just a prop for his entrance. Darby ended up in the body bag.
This was something new. This was a far cry from anything I had seen on WWE. It also did not seem like anything that I would necessarily relate to. As someone who wore Ralph Lauren polo shirts in every school picture from kindergarten through my senior year of high school, I figured that Darby was a wrestler I would appreciate but not connect with.
I was wrong. Darby Allin is not just some niche wrestler. He has widespread appeal. People feel connected to his experience and admire his resilience. That's just as true for people who have never painted half their face black and white as it is for anyone who has.
Freshly squeezed
In the midst of chaos during one of AEW's first shows, the lights went out. The performers in and around the ring joined the fans in a moment of total darkness. There were rumbles and whispers and gasps. What was happening? What would everyone see when the lights came back on?
This is a classic move for a big reveal in professional wrestling. It works if the crowd recognizes the person or group who have emerged from the darkness. The immediate reaction is the pay off.
AEW uses the lights out move quite a bit. They leaned into it often in their early days as a company. They did so despite the fact that many of the wrestlers who were revealed did not carry the typical level of recognition that makes this gimmick effective.
There was a real leap of faith in those days that the hardcore fans could carry the day and give a big reaction. From there, the fans who were newer to non-WWE pro wrestling (raises hand) could piggyback on the excitement.
That's exactly the position I found myself in, sitting on my couch, as I watched Orange Cassidy debut, appearing in the ring when the lights came back up. I was confused. I also noted the buzz from the live crowd when they saw a blond man in a jean jacket, jeans, and sunglasses standing in the middle of the ring.
His hands in his pockets, Orange Cassidy portrayed an old-fashioned kind of cool. Like the popular high school kid in a musical. Maybe like the 'Fonz. It's a familiar aesthetic. It makes people smile. And, at least to me, it was a new entry into the world of professional wrestling.
Besides the laissez faire attitude that stood in contrast to the aggression that otherwise carries through for wrestlers, Cassidy stood out immediately because of an athletic accomplishment that went along with the gimmick.
He performed wrestling moves with his hands in his pockets. And we're talking high degree of difficulty: kipping up from the ground, drop kicks, somersaults, and even flips over the ropes and out of the ring to the floor below.
Orange Cassidy is funny. He’s also a darn impressive wrestler. He makes people happy. He gets to be himself, and that makes him one of the first people I associate with AEW offering something new and different.
Just like Darby Allin, initial impressions might have been that he was a niche act, someone on the fringes who could break things up with an odd segment every now and then. And just like Darby Allin, he provides a point of connection for people that runs much deeper as one of the company's main characters.
Both men have seen their stars grow in the five years since AEW broke onto the scene. Now they are two of the biggest stars in the company. Two top guys, as they say in the business.
The greater good
With their bona fides in place as two stars who represent AEW, things have gotten far loftier around Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy in recent days. Along with a feisty group of overmatched wrestlers who want to defend the company, Allin and Cassidy face an existential threat posed by Jon Moxley and the newest iteration of the Blackpool Combat Club.
All of this is for the greater good. So says Jon Moxley. He is leading a group made up of dudes in white t-shirts and one scary lady to wreak havoc on All Elite Wrestling. They’re attacking people, including grim moves like suffocating people with a plastic bag or wrapping a person's head in a steel chair and then stomping it.
They’re hiding out and being sneaky. They’re driving around in a pickup truck. They’re hanging out in the desert, apparently.
They claim it's all for the greater good.
On the one hand, the good guys here might simply be trying to fight back to restore some normalcy to their workdays. Even by the standards of suspending disbelief and buying into the kayfabe world of pro wrestling, this is an awfully hostile workplace. These wrestlers might just want to get back to enjoying some coffee backstage without a handful of angry wrestlers stomping around and beating people up and muttering about the greater good.
On the other hand, these embattled wrestlers are generally the ones who have found their footing because of AEW's very existence. The addition of a second wrestling company made the space for them, both in terms of the actual spots on a roster and in terms of the opportunity to be themselves.
As the leaders of that scrappy crew of good guys, Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy find themselves as the targets of Moxley and company. It does seem fitting. And it also presents interesting opportunities for the next evolution of these two unique characters.
He's gonna try
One of my favorite matches of all time involved Orange Cassidy and Pac, two men who just so happen to be in opposite sides of this current invasion angle. They faced off at the Revolution pay-per-view in February of 2020.
Up to that point, people had only seen the laid back, hands-in-pockets schtick from Orange. This would be his first match in AEW, and the first time that many fans saw him in action (raises hand).
In the lead-up to that match, Orange Cassidy's pal Chuck Taylor made a big announcement. "He's gonna try!" It was the chant as crowds anticipated the match. It was the rallying cry. And it helped set the stage for a memorable match.
Back in the present day, the most recent chapter in the invasion story also involves Chuck Taylor. This development was a lot darker, as the Blackpool Combat Club laid out Chucky T. with that whole "stomping on the chair" move. Orange tried to run out for the save. He was just a moment too late.
Before last night, the story left some uncertainty about where Orange Cassidy stands with this violent takeover. He created a little bit of doubt whether he will get in the middle of the conflict. But now, it looks like he is involved. And he's angry.
In an entirely different context than before, he's gonna try.
Just like the work of Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy to date, I bet it will look just a little bit different than everyone else.