AEW International title match stuns 2300
April 16 and Collision in Philadelphia would see a heated contest for the AEW International Championship as Gabriel Kidd would challenge in the first defence of the gold in an NJPW ring against Orange Cassidy making his New Japan debut.
Kidd quickly brought Cassidy to the ropes, the champion reacting with a tope suicida but getting dropped center ring. The challenger would adopt an arrogant swagger as the crowd got behind ‘freshly squeezed’; Kidd continued is offence as David Finlay and Clark Connors ominously looked on from the 2300 rafters.
Cassidy would rally with feather touch overhands, and then a very solid superkick; the AEW International Champion continued to grit through his injured hand and landed a high cross before a satellite DDT. Slumdog Millionaire connected for Orange, but he couldn’t go for his usual follow up of the Orange Punch thanks to a compromised hand; instead Kidd landed a hard brainbuster for two, and tried for a powerbomb, countered with a desperation Air Raid Crash.
In charge, Kidd looked for a Tenzan style moonsault, and then landed a tombstone getting 2.9 from the referee. Cassidy struck the Orange Punch from nowhere but Kidd fired right back; just as the challenger looked to snap the hand of the champion, the Mousetrap struck for three. Post match, Orange gave a handhsake and his shades to his challenger as a mark of respect, the Cassidy reign continuing.
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