some guys are just wired differently, guys like jon moxley don’t have to tell you how good they are, they show you how great they are, day in & day out match after match Mox proved to me & wrestling fans are over that this is the man, the ace & face of aew & through that, he built a reputation, even if he didn’t want to & he became the gatekeeper, whenever a guy got hot & started to move like a main event guy, mox tested them & some guys failed & some rose to the occasion.
Orange Cassidy is UNDENIABLE.
Orange Cassidy before his AEW International Championship reign, kept falling short every time he got a shot at gold but through sheer will & perseverance he was able to win the belt & it was a tough ask, to make this new belt stand out, to make this brand new championship in a company FULL of championships mean SOMETHING & he did, week after week OC showed up & showed out, he made this belt desirable, this “mid-card” championship all of a sudden had stock & it came with a price. OC’s body was wearing out & he was surviving week to week on sheer will, the numbers screamed dominance but the matches showed a broken man escaping & surviving instead of WINNING.
Earning Your Stripes.
Mox & OC were destined to meet & on 9/3/23 they did. you see the championship is nice & with OC’s reign it actually was worth chasing & YES, mox was chasing & trying to win the belt BUT he was also out to TEST OC. The match starts out with the usual start to an OC match, OC tries to puts his hands in his pockets & is met with a forearm strike, mox is on the attack, he’s chopping the shit out of OC in the corners, mox is battering OC in the corner with strikes & even taking a bite out of OCs forehead, OC tries to get some offense going but is met with 2 suplexes, OC is obviously not 100% they’re telling you this every chance they get, he’s the fighting champion running on empty & now is face to face with his toughest challenge yet. everytime OC tries to get some offense going he is stopped in his tracks by mox, mox catches a crossbody and wraps his arms up and kicks OCs face in, OC tries to get something going again, reversing an X-plex into a stun dog millionaire making moxley retreat to the outside & then catching him with a suicide dive, OC is trying his hardest to string some offense together, grimacing & holding at something everytime he can, he throws mox in the ring & goes for a tornado DDT but mox turns that into a X plex like he attempted to before, OC has to work from beneath, beaten & battered but willing. Moxleys offense is simple, he can easily overpower OC so he throws him around & slows down the pace of the match & just keeps beating down on a broken OC, mox throws OC to the outside like a bag of potatoes, he throws OC into the outside post & then showboats inside the ring as OC tries to get to his feet but now with a crimson mask, mox sees this & immediately gets to work on the cut with punches & even bites.
Mox is great here, his offense/control segment is just straight dominance, he’s not just buying time for OC’s comeback but he’s building anticipation with sick gut wrenching offense. Moxley waits for OC to beat the 10 count in the ring & then hits him with a pile driver as soon as OC barely makes it in there. Moxley now chokes OC with his wrist tape & takes more bites at OCs cut, a great visual that encapsulates the brutality of mox’s control segment
OC’s blood is now smeared all over moxleys beard as he yells at the crowd “I’m the real fucking champion” & works over the cut, he starts battering OC with cross faces. OC is bloodied, a bright crimson mask has now fallen over OCs face, OC tries to throw some forearms but they’re obviously weak because of the fatigue & blood loss, Mox mocks OC & puts his hands in his pockets, he’s begging OC to show him something, show him the guy who had this work horse reign, OCs strikes get stronger but again before he can string anything together he’s stopped by a fresher, stronger & healthier Mox. Mox sets up OC on the top rope & starts hitting him with headbutts right to the open cut, mox tries to go for a superplex but OC slips out and CLAWS Moxley’s back, OC is now meeting ruthlessness with ruthlessness, taking a bite out of Moxley’s head and then hitting a diving DDT & then a tornado DDT. He’s beaten, battered & bloodied but he’s fighting & powering threw off sheer resilience, i mean look at this sell on the kip up (if that) man, this is a man meeting the moment with an all time great performance.
OC finally strings together some offense for a pin attempt that gets him a 2 count, OC struggles to get up, wiping the blood from his eyes & is met with a stalling piledriver that rushes more blood into that cut that drips all over the canvas now as mox locks in a bulldog choke, OC is fighting out so mox adjusts & lock on a body scissors, OC is fighting but he is being met with a hold at every turn as mox now locks on an armbar & then a lebell lock, this is a man at the top of his game, he’s got an answer for everything OC has. Orange scratches, claws & squirms himself close enough to the ropes for a break & rolls lifelessly on the outside, mox smells & sees blood (literally) he removes the padding on the outside, this will definitely end OC, mox goes for a piledriver but with the little fuel he has left OC is able to reverse it into a beach break on the exposed floor & then drop kicks moxleys head into the steel steps & drags himself into the ring & hopes & prays to be able to survive & win by count out but moxley makes it in but he’s rattled, OC is now on the attack, he sees his opportunity. Superman punch after Superman punch, OC feels it he finally has some momentum he’s feeding off the crowd and then isn’t with a cutter out of nowhere BUT there’s life he gets out of a piledriver attempt & hits a spear for a 2 count, this is his chance, he’s fighting, he’s digging deep likes he done all reign long & then it happens, the best finishing stretch in company history, a man fighting & sticking to his guns to the end, his fire never gave out & against the best wrestler in the company, the ace, he met fire with fire and burned the house down in Chicago
Meeting the moment
Orange got his opportunity & shined, in defeat he showed that he can go toe to toe with the best, in the main event & with a “midcard” title & the weight of the world on his shoulders
****1/4 , top 3 match in company history
Dior Watches Wrestling 
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