AEW Star Orange Cassidy Reveals What He Watched Growing Up And What He Takes Pride In

AEW star Orange Cassidy has revealed the pro wrestling promotion that drew him to the business. 

In a recent interview with "Metro," the former AEW International Champion explained how ECW's hardcore wrestling gave him the belief to eventually become a wrestler. 

"I'd watch that [ECW] and I'd be like, 'I can do that! I wanna do that!' It just hit me like, 'I could do this type of style!' Cool people smoking cigarettes. I don't smoke cigarettes, but when I was a kid I thought that was badass! Whatever!"

The 39-year-old began his pro wrestling career in 2004, a few years after ECW shutdown, and wrestled on the indie scene for several years before eventually joining AEW in 2019. Cassidy is a polarizing figure in the wrestling world, with some loving his antics inside the ring, while others believe that his gimmick mocks the business. He argues, though, that he takes the business seriously and feels that he is unique when compared to everyone else in the industry. 

"I take pride in people not being able to compare me to anybody," stated Cassidy. "'Oh that's like a young so and so, or that reminds me of blah blah blah.' You can't say that about me. And I think that's difficult!"

He firmly said that he is not willing to discard his gimmick anytime soon, and understands the pushback he will receive continuously from his critics. Cassidy has showcased another side of his character in recent weeks, even cutting a promo after defending the International title for the 31st time. Cassidy's reign with the title, though, ended at AEW's All Out pay-per-view, where he lost to Jon Moxley in the main event of the show.