AEW Holiday Bash kicked off with a boom, as Adam Cole faced Orange Cassidy in a heated singles match.
The two stars have been feuding for a few weeks now as members of their respective factions, SuperKliq and CHAOS. Cole has singled out “Freshly Squeezed” for some time now, and the increasingly bitter feud prompted this bout.
From the start, the match was quite competitive, and it was clear that Cassidy was actually “trying.”He matched Cole step for step, and he briefly gained more momentum when he dove onto the Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler at ringside. The other members of CHAOS came to ringside to even the odds, and both Cole and Cassidy were down when “The Panama City Playboy” hit the steel steps with his knee after Cassidy moved.
Pockets? Pockets?! NOPE! Watch @orangecassidy v @AdamColePro LIVE NOW on the #AEWDynamite #HolidayBash on @tntdrama! pic.twitter.com/0eeX98Gy57
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 23, 2021
The two stars kept battling around the ring before the match eventually returned to the ring. Cassidy rallied with a modified stunner and a diving DDT for a two count. Later in the bout, Cole drilled Cassidy with a superkick and hit the Panama Sunrise for a near fall. Cassidy fired back with the Beach Break for a near fall of his own. But the arrival of Kyle O’Reilly completely flipped the momentum in Cole’s favor. He helped his former Undisputed Era stablemate beat Cassidy for the thrilling victory.
SURPRISE SHAWTY ‼️ @KORcombat is here on #AEWDynamite !!!! pic.twitter.com/Mssqv7YWJT
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) December 23, 2021
After the bout, Cole, O’Reilly and their fellow Undisputed Era stablemate Bobby Fish beat up Cassidy and his best friends. The Young Bucks then came to the ring, and the tension between Cole’s friends was evident. Cole then left the ring with Fish and O’Reilly.
O’Reilly, a three-time NXT Tag Team Champion, left WWE when his contract expired earlier this month. After his debut in 2017, spent roughly four years with the company; during this time, as a member of the Undisputed Era, he was one of the top stars of the black-and-gold brand. Before his time with WWE, he starred in Ring of Honor, where he won the World Championship, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, among other promotions.
