Orange Cassidy Credits ECW And WCW Veterans For Paving The Way And Helping Current Stars

If there's one area AEW has consistently excelled in, it's honoring the legends that helped open doors for today's stars. 

During an appearance on "The Line Change," Orange Cassidy said he was fortunate to now work alongside a performer he admired growing up.

"I always enjoyed the opening contests that ECW would have," Cassidy said. "Jerry Lynn used to wrestle Rob Van Dam, and they had matches that I think you could trace [to] current professional wrestling. The form it is in now is because of those two. And Jerry is a coach in AEW, he helps a lot of us. The fact that I was growing up watching this guy and now he's like helping me figure out the good time to put my hands in my pockets is pretty insane."

Cassidy acknowledged that not every wrestling veteran is a fan of his gimmick, but many who've come through AEW's doors have assured him that he's excelling.

"I'm very unique in trying something new," Cassidy said. "And I have a lot of 'old-timers,' if you wanna say, that don't care for it. But when you have people like Tully Blanchard and Sting saying they like it, well then, yeah, I think I'm doing okay."

Cassidy praised the positive atmosphere Sting helped cultivate backstage in AEW, noting his influence is still felt today. "Sting is such a great person. I think Sting really understood the value of us leaning on each other to be better. He'll have a lasting impact on AEW forever."

Following Sting's last match at AEW Revolution pay-per-view earlier this year, AEW again demonstrated their gratitude by signing Sting to a new multi-year contract, which is believed to be similar to a WWE Legends deal.