Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy at Full Gear on Saturday to retain the AEW World Championship.
In a gruesome match between the two heavy-hitters, Moxley walked away with more than just the title—he also had plenty of Cassidy’s blood on him after biting him on the forehead and tearing his back open with his nails.
The two did not disappoint in the main event of the night, as Moxley capped it off by delivering the Death Rider after a cheap shot from Wheeler Yuta, securing the victory and putting Cassidy out of his misery with a pinfall.
Full Gear marked the renewal of a rivalry between Moxley and Cassidy that began last year when they faced each other in a pair of pay-per-view matches for the International Championship.
Cassidy held the title for a record 326 consecutive days before dropping it to Mox at All Out in September 2023. Mox lost it to Rey Fénix later that month, and OC later recaptured the title by beating Fénix for it.
Moxley and Cassidy had their rematch at Full Gear in November 2023, and it was Orange who prevailed to retain the international title.
While Moxley and Cassidy largely stayed away from each other after that, things changed last month at WrestleDream following Moxley’s win over former Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Bryan Danielson.
Mox beat Danielson for the AEW World Championship, essentially sending him into retirement as a full-time wrestler. Simply winning wasn’t enough, as Moxley had Wheeler Yuta turn on Danielson and put a plastic bag over his head.
Several AEW stars ran out to stop the attack with Cassidy being among them, but the damage was already done, as Danielson was taken from the ring on a stretcher.
Coming out of WrestleDream, Moxley essentially declared war on AEW, noting that he was taking matters into his own hands with chaos and brutality.
A number of AEW originals were targeted by Moxley and his new Death Riders stable after attempting to stand up to him, and in an apparent effort to get revenge on Cassidy for standing in his way, Moxley attacked his former Best Friends teammate, Chuck Taylor, with a steel chair.
In response, OC challenged Mox to an AEW World Championship match, and Moxley accepted, meaning they would clash at Full Gear for a second consecutive year.
Moxley retained in his first title defense since beating Danielson at WrestleDream, meaning his reign of terror in AEW is likely far from over.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.
Read the full article here