Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy capped off AEW All Out with an incredible main event, and despite Cassidy’s best attempt, Moxley pinned the jean-clad wrestler to become the third-ever AEW International Champion. Cassidy’s reign lasted 327 days with 32 title defenses including tonight’s loss. In that time, Cassidy became the AEW singles competitor with the most wins, and despite Moxley’s victory, the show went off the air with Cassidy recovering from his loss while the audience chanted his name.
It would be difficult to deny that it was a star-making performance for the 39-year-old, with a main event match against one of the biggest names in the company. Cassidy became one of the few to kick out of Moxley’s finisher, the Death Rider, in one of the most exciting moments of the action-packed match. As it was a Moxley match, there was blood, though it was largely Cassidy who did the bleeding this time around. A second Death Rider later proved too much for Cassidy to overcome.
As usual, Moxley was accompanied to the ring by his Blackpool Combat Club allies, including Bryan Danielson, who had a classic match of his own on tonight’s show against Ricky Starks. With Danielson displaying something of an honorable side starting with his return on yesterday’s AEW Collision, fans will have to wait and see how his relationship with the BCC plays out in the days and weeks ahead. Cassidy put a great deal of work into cementing the AEW International Championship as a workhorse title, and Moxley seems set to either continue this tradition or take on the classic villain trope of defending his title as little as possible.
Moving forward, Cassidy has undeniably been elevated to main event status. In recent weeks, his character has shown a new level of intensity, as well – a marked shift from the lackadaisical version of the character fans had become used to. Now that Cassidy is without the AEW International Championship, Cassidy could either continue down this new path with a more intense version of his character or make a return to the more lighthearted nature he previously exuded. Either way, things will certainly be different for Cassidy looking ahead.