Tony Khan always admired the athletic ability of Orange Cassidy but he was iffy on his gimmick at first.
Cassidy garnered a lot of attention on the indie scene. Many fans loved his gimmick of being the chill wrestler who puts his hands in his pockets. Others felt that OC had no shot of getting over on television.
Cassidy has been well received since coming to AEW and his gimmick hasn’t been as over the top as it was on the indies. Still, OC is allowed to be himself and has garnered success.
Tony Khan Didn’t Get Orange Cassidy At First
Tony Khan appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio and said that he wasn’t sure what to make of the Orange Cassidy gimmick initially.
“The gimmick is very entertaining and people love it but the thing I really love about Orange Cassidy is how great of a wrestler he is when he really wants to try [laughs]. It’s what really made me fall in love with Orange Cassidy.
“I didn’t understand it at first either and I’ll be the first to admit that.
“The first time I ever really talked to him was after a PWG show I think and I had really not gotten to know him very well, and I spent a lot of time with him and talking to him about how I saw the character and how I would want to see Orange Cassidy in AEW.
“One thing I’m really proud of is if you’re an independent wrestling fan then you probably would know this or maybe looking back this would make sense to you, the Orange Cassidy in AEW is very different from the independent Orange Cassidy from pre-AEW.”
On the Dec. 22 Holiday Bash episode of AEW Dynamite, OC will be going one-on-one with Adam Cole. OC and Best Friends, who recently joined the NJPW faction CHAOS, have been in a feud with The Elite.
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