As we saw during the Zero Hour pre-show, Orange Cassidy has taped up ribs and back, the telltale sign of an angle where someone is going through too much ahead of a title defense. Roderick Strong wants to take full advantage of that perceived weakness, controlling the opening moments until Cassidy can connect on a tope suicida.
A high cross body also hits Strong, but he comes right back with a uranage of sorts. Roddy keeps the pressure coming on the champ’s back, then covers with a lateral press for two.
Strong is talking to Cassidy in the corner, but the champ is able to mount a rally by taking Strong’s head from one turnbuckle to the next. Orange gets dropped back first on one of those turnbuckles, though, and in painful fashion.
Roddy follows up by wrapping Orange’s back around the post, getting him an earful from the referee. The champ eventually just collapses on his face in the center of the ring, and his attempt at a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is countered into a ribbreaker.
Cassidy tries for the Stundog Millionaire, getting part of it before ending up in the Stronghold. The announcers think Orange is in trouble, but he wills himself to the side of the ring for a rope break.
Undeterred, Strong puts his foe back in the Stronghold. Cassidy finally kicks his way out, leading to a tilt-a-whirl DDT. He goes up top for a diving DDT, covering Strong for two.
Taking a page from Adam Cole’s book, Cassidy hits a Panaman Sunrise on Strong for another near fall. Strong sees an Orange Punch coming and hits a backbreaker, but his rising knee strike is immediately answered by an Orange Punch. Cassidy tries to power up for the Beach Break and finally does it, but it’s too close to the ropes and Strong grabs them for a break.
After some jostling for position, Strong hits double knees to the back and holds on for three, giving us a new champ.
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