Will Ospreay spoke about what he liked about wrestling Orange Cassidy and how he feels about fans criticizing the AEW star.
Will Ospreay successfully defended his IWGP United States Championship against Orange Cassidy at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. The British Champion took Cassidy to the limit in one of the many matches on the show that went over 15 minutes. Although Ospreay showed no appreciation for Cassidy before and during their match, it appears he may have gained some appreciation for him afterward.
Speaking on Wrestle Inn, the United Empire leader sang Orange Cassidy’s praises and gave some props to the Chicago crowd:
“Orange Cassidy had done like, a hell of a job I think everyone can agree with me on that. I can kind of say, hand on heart, like, I stole the show. I completely stole it … I know that was great. I know how good it was down to Orange, the referee, the camera crew, and everything. The crowd was amazing, I loved performing in Chicago.”
“On AEW’s side of theming it was built around your Bryan Danielsons, your CM Punk, and your Kennys, and, obviously, on our side of things, it was kind of built around [Kazuchika] Okada, Jay [White], and myself and just like, we delivered on our side of things … AEW sunk millions on those guys, they’re too fragile to show up.”
Forbidden Door had quite the hurdle to get over. Many top stars were sidelined due to injury, leaving many other AEW stars like Orange Cassidy to hold down the fort. While some within and outside the industry still criticize Cassidy’s laid-back character, Ospreay appreciates the strong character choices and believes Cassidy is a “phenomenal” wrestler nonetheless.
“He’s everything I can’t stand like he’s lethargic, he’s lazy, and I’m so extra, I mean, look at the jacket I wear. Orange is phenomenal. He understands everything about himself and he knows how to play mind games in his matches. It’s just if you’re not giving him the credit where credit is due, I don’t think you understand what wrestling is anymore.”
Following their battle at Forbidden Door, Ospreay and his faction, The United Empire, tried to attack Cassidy. However, Katsuyori Shibata came in to save the laid-back star. With the success of Forbidden Door, perhaps Ospreay and Cassidy will face off in a rematch someday.
H/t – Wrestling Inc.