Orange Cassidy’s two reigns as AEW International Champion have taken him to even higher heights, cementing him as one of the most reliable and entertaining stars on the All Elite Wrestling roster. Fans consistently lock in to matches when he’s involved and many of his title defenses have seen him paired up with some incredible talent. On Wednesday night’s new episode of , Cassidy got his next challenger for the International Championship, and viewers are already excited to see the fireworks that the match is sure to deliver.
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Roderick Strong, a member of Adam Cole’s Undisputed Kingdom faction, came out to confront Cassidy after he and Trent Beretta won a tag team match. Undisputed Kingdom has made it clear that all of their members are going for gold in AEW, and Strong has his sights set on Cassidy’s International Championship. Unfortunately, we won’t see the two stars go head-to-head until March 3rd.
Cassidy was willing to fight Strong after the challenge on Wednesday, but Strong said he wanted to make the champ sweat it out and overthink things. He officially issues the challenge for AEW Revolution, which doesn’t occur for another six weeks.
Orange Cassidy’s Second Reign
Last year at All Out, Orange Cassidy lost the AEW International Championship to Jon Moxley, ending his reign at 326 days. He defended the title a record 31 times in that span. His time away from the title didn’t last long, however, as he ended up beating Rey Fenix to regain the championship just one month later.
After that loss to Moxley, Orange Cassidy opened up about his time defending the International Championship across various AEW shows and events.
“I viewed it as a vehicle to have matches with people who didn’t normally get the spotlight,” Cassidy told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve been in AEW since the beginning. I’ve wrestled on DARK, I’ve wrestled on Rampage. I see the talent we have in the locker room, and I wanted to give an opportunity for the hardest working guys to show out.”
“That’s the guy who put AEW on his shoulders when we needed carrying,” Cassidy said of Moxley at the time. “The respect I have for Jon Moxley is immense. He leads by example, and his presence and actions make us better professional wrestlers and better people. And yes, when you’re in a ring with him, you’re going to bleed.”
