Opinion

Cook: Jericho vs. Cassidy = GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER

Cook: This is no slight against Randy Orton or Edge. Lord knows they did enough to earn the slot this past Sunday. But they’ll have some company after Fyter Fest.

Published

5 years ago

June 19, 2020

Steve Cook

Orange Cassidy Chris Jericho AEW Fyter Fest

Following Edge vs. Randy Orton, is Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy poised to be the true GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the greatest wrestling matches of all time.

Let’s be honest, most of us have had a lot of time on our hands. Most people have been at home for the past three months or so, and have had plenty of time to watch the pro wrestling. They’ve had time to form their opinion on what they liked the most out of anything ever presented. Maybe less time than originally predicted, since WWE managed to get itself declared an essential business & AEW came along for the ride. Still, most of us have had some time to go back and watch some of our favorites, or watch something that we hadn’t seen before that was new to us.

It seemed like a good time to figure out what actually was the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. Then, WWE decided they were going to answer that question for us. Randy Orton challenged Edge to a straight-up wrestling match at Backlash, and right away WWE decided to build that as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. Everybody actually involved in having the match hated the idea, because they had to try & live up to it. I actually liked the idea because it was something different. WWE had never built something up as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever in name. I’m not sure I’ve seen any promotion do that. I’ve seen things hyped as the Match of the Decade, like when AAA booked Dr. Wagner Jr. against Psycho Clown in a Mask vs. Mask match. (It actually kinda lived up to it from an emotional perspective, try finding a more emotional moment in the 2010s than Wagner unmasking. There weren’t many.) I don’t remember seeing anything other than Edge vs. Orton hyped as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.

They did their best to live up to it, and it was a damn good match! I hated their WrestleMania match, but their Backlash match was very good. Frankly, Randy Orton has found another level lately, as we saw on Raw with the Christian angle. He’s found some good material that interests him, which happens to be killing legends that broke in around the same time he did. He really doesn’t want to do it, as he tells us over & over again, but he has to. I have been on record as being bored by Randy for years on end, but he’s one of the more compelling characters in WWE today.

Of course, we all knew that somebody would have to counter this. If WWE is going to present something as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, other promotions would counter with something else. Usually, it would be every independent promotion under the sun during the next major WWE PPV weekend. GCW would give us Nick Gage vs. Necro Butcher. CHIKARA would give us Mike Quackenbush vs. Reckless Youth. For the record, I wish both feds would book both those matches as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.

Instead, AEW has answered the call. They’re hyping Fyter Fest as a two-week event on TNT, and NXT is already booking against it with a unification match. They already had Jon Moxley defending the AEW Championship against Cage and a big Tag Team Championship match, along with a big Women’s Championship match too. This Wednesday night, they booked a match that will set Fyter Fest apart from the rest of the two-week presentations on cable television.

It is official!@orangecassidy goes one on one against @IAmJericho at FyterFest!
It's the start of a two-week event!
July 1st & July 8th! pic.twitter.com/3cJUyq6AQn

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) June 18, 2020

This deserves a full breakdown…starting with Chris Jericho.

Chris Jericho is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Whether you like it or not, he’s held almost every major championship that he’s been able to fight for. He was the very first Undisputed WWF Champion that beat Steve Austin & The Rock in the same night. He has more Intercontinental title reigns than anyone. He was the very first AEW Champion. There aren’t many wrestlers with the credentials he has, and there’s no signs he’s slowing down anytime soon. He’s been a drawing card for any promotion that he’s worked for. Like him or not, you have to admit that Chris Jericho is among the very best at what he does.

We’ve seen during his AEW tenure that Jericho elevates everybody he works with. Sure, he beat Adam Page, but Page turned into one of AEW’s best characters. Darby Allin got made by some interactions with Jericho. Cody’s loss to Jericho led to other stories where Cody tried to remain relevant. Scorpio Sky got made by beating Jericho one time and having a title match. Jon Moxley is obvious. Whoever wrestles Jericho is a big deal.

Then we have Orange Cassidy.

So many people wanted to tell us that AEW made a mistake signing Orange. Jim Cornette was big on the anti-Orange bandwagon. That character wasn’t exactly known for its workrate, except for certain times where Orange had great matches. And I don’t want to break kayfabe, but I’m told that Orange worked as other characters in other promotions that showcased plenty of ability. I don’t know if any insects were involved. All I know is that the guy has been highly touted for years. And also bashed by people that didn’t know better.

AEW fans have been into Orange since the start. His segment ratings do well. His YouTube views are among the best. Fans liked dressing up like him when they could attend shows. As far as we can tell, Orange Cassidy is one of the best drawing folks in the company. Some wanted to write that off as an accident early on, but it kept on happening. Not everybody gets Orange, but enough people do. As I told my best friend that didn’t really get Orange Cassidy, sometimes you just have to go with it. The majority of AEW fans are on board. It’s tough to get the majority of any promotion’s fans on board with anybody, so these days I just tell everybody to go with it.

Orange is a draw. Jericho is a draw. The ultimate draw, theoretically, involves Mike Tyson. Maybe it doesn’t. Who knows what to expect with Mike Tyson in 2020? Maybe he has some big PPV fights in front of him. Maybe there’s nothing there. I feel like it’s either all or nothing, but I can’t swear to either. Maybe this all leads to a Jericho/Tyson match at All Out, which would be a whole other conversation.

Which wouldn’t involve the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.”

Nobody would expect that from Jericho & Tyson. However, the argument could be made for the match setting that up. Think about it. We’re talking about one of the greatest of all time, a man that’s been on his game lately. We’re also talking about one of the greatest of his generation. A man that can do all of the spots. A man that can also avoid doing all of the spots, and can still get over. Chris Jericho was always over back in the day no matter how he was pushed. Orange Cassidy has that same quality right now. We don’t know whether or not it will last, but that doesn’t matter right now.

We’re talking about the “GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER” right now.

You can’t find a more valuable performer than Jericho in AEW. You also can’t find a more popular performer than Orange Cassidy. Why wouldn’t that be the GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER? Tony Khan knows it is, that’s why he booked it.

This is no slight against Randy Orton or Edge. Lord knows they did enough to earn the slot this past Sunday. But they’ll have some company after Fyter Fest.

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

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SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1