The Orange Cassidy vs Will Ospreay match at Forbidden Door had very little setup, but turned out to be one of the best matches of the year.
Orange Cassidy confronted Will Ospreay after the Englishman’s match against Dax Harwood on AEW Dynamite, setting up the match for Forbidden Door.
This match was set up with no build, no previous theories on it happening, and frankly nobody excited for it. But as soon as it was announced, the wrestling world exploded and the fans rejoiced.
Orange Cassidy had not been seen in months and before he left was on the cusp on main event stardom in AEW. He made it to the semi finals of the AEW Eliminator Tournament last year, only narrowly losing to Miro in a fantastic match.
He was meant to take on Jon Moxley (who himself faced off with Ospreay recently in NJPW), but Moxley missed out due to dealing with his own alcohol issues. He was one of the top stars in AEW before his injury and looked strong in the ladder match at AEW Revolution 2022.
Fans did not know what to expect when the two stars collided at Forbidden Door, but even they were shocked what happened to Orange Cassidy once the dust had cleared.
Forbidden Door
At Forbidden Door, in the middle of the card, Will Ospreay wrestled Orange Cassidy. While this was not the most anticipated match on the card, by the end of the show it was named as one of the matches of the year.
The bout showcased both men perfectly. Their characters were clear and they bounced off each other with ease.
Will Ospreay was an arrogant, demeaning wrestler who didn’t think Cassidy was on his level. Cassidy knew he was, but could not be bothered to try at first.
However, once he put his hands in his pockets, then his mastery began and we had a match on their hands.
If you didn’t think Orange Cassidy was great before this match, then you’d be a fool to say otherwise afterwards. He used his gimmick perfectly to antagonise Ospreay, with the clash of styles being the key story behind the match.
The match balanced comedy and serious wrestling, giving a little something for everybody in the crowd to enjoy. Cassidy also showed his incredible “wrestling with his hands in his pockets”, something that nobody else in the world can do.
During the match, Ospreay dominated and never looked like losing. However, the incredible underdog performance by Cassidy gave you glimmers of hope, daring to show you a glimmer of a chance of victory for freshly squeezed.
Will Ospreay won the match in the end, but this match just further proved to the world that Orange Cassidy is one of the best in the world.
Will Ospreay Called Orange Cassidy “Phenomenal”
One man who loved the performance of Orange Cassidy in the match was Will Ospreay himself.
Despite defeating the AEW International Champion in the incredible bout, Ospreay had nothing but good things to say about Freshly Squeezed and his impact inside the ring.
Speaking in an interview on A Drink At The Inn, Will Ospreay called Orange Cassidy Phenomenal, and those that doubt him “don’t understand what wrestling is”.
“Orange Cassidy is phenomenal. He understands everything about himself and knows how to play the mind games when it comes to his matches. If you’re not giving him the credit where it’s due, you don’t understand what wrestling is anymore.”
What Happened To Orange Cassidy After Will Ospreay Match
After losing to Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door, AEW had big things in store for Orange Cassidy.
He was featured in the AEW Trios Tournament (alongside Best Friends teammates Trent Berretta and Chuck Taylor), losing in the semi-finals to Adam Page and The Dark Order.
He did not have a match at All Out 2022 (the infamous pay per view that ended in CM Punk fighting with The Elite), but was given a huge push then on.
In October 2022, Orange Cassidy beat PAC to win the AEW All-Atlantic Championship. This was his crowning moment in AEW, being the first belt he won in the company, despite challenging for every other men’s belt in the AEW.
He was immediately pushed as a fighting champion, being given weekly title defences against a wide variety of challengers.
The title later changed its name to the AEW International Championship, and led to title defences against big stars like Katuyori Shibata, Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Big Bill.
It is rumoured that Orange Cassidy will be set up as the new World Champion on AEW Collision, with his International title being viewed as equal to the prestigious AEW Championship (currently held by MJF).
After what happened to Orange Cassidy following the Will Ospreay match, it’s clear why AEW (and Ospreay) consider him one of the best wrestlers in the world.
