AEW's Orange Cassidy Credits His Best Friends With His Success

Orange Cassidy has morphed from more of a comic relief character into a legitimate main event player for AEW over the past year or so. Yet despite his elevation toward the top of the card, Cassidy remains proud of his humble roots. That was on display after he lost to Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out, when he shared a touching embrace with his real-life best friends Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Kris Statlander. 

According to Cassidy, he's made a concerted effort to still be associated with the group on AEW programming; doing so allows him to show his gratitude toward his dear friends. "I always make it a point that we're shown together [on AEW TV]," Cassidy told Sports Illustrated. "I wouldn't have had that championship and I wouldn't have been able to do what I did without Trent, Chuck, and Kris. We are legitimately best friends. Mentally and physically, we rely on each other." 

"There have been times where I was so hurt I couldn't lift my bag into an overhead compartment," Cassidy admitted, "and Chuck's done it for me. Trent's always there for me. Kris has literally carried me places. Without them, I'd never have been able to accomplish what I did."

To put Cassidy's recent accomplishments in perspective, "Freshly Squeezed" has wrestled 45 matches in 2023 alone in AEW. Cassidy defended the AEW International Championship, previously the All-Atlantic Championship, on 24 occasions until he lost the title to Moxley last Sunday.