AEW Revolution 2024
03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum. Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW Continental Title / NJPW STRONG Openweight Title / ROH World Title Match
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| The King of the Bums Defends his Crown |
Professional wrestling has always dealt with grandiose story themes and ideas; honor, pride, legacy. But there are few rivalries that distill those themes down so purely. Where the nucleus of the feud is not built around stolen championships or personal betrayals, instead, it is built on something far more fundamental and volatile than all of that; respect, and the deliberate denial of it. When Bryan Danielson looks Eddie Kingston in the eyes and addresses him as "the King of the bums," his insult lands more like a verdict, a judgment on Kingston's entire career. Furthermore, when Danielson turns his back on Kingston in the middle of the ring, a place Eddie calls "his peace in a world of chaos," the message sent is undeniable; you are not worth being acknowledged.
The insult from Danielson is biting and simplistic, cutting straight to the bone. It's easy to tell someone "you aren't talented" of "you aren't as tough as me," but it's even harder to say those things when you know they aren't true. No, what Danielson's insult cuts through to, is what Danielson believes to be the real heart of the issue; Eddie Kingston himself. He doesn't lack talent, he has it in spades. He doesn't lack toughness, there are few men that have gone through what Kingston has experienced and come out of it alive. The only thing that separates Danielson and Kingston, at the very core of the matter, is what makes up both men at their very core. Danielson chose to pursue the grand stage of WWE when the opportunity came knocking, putting his other-worldly talent on the worldwide stage for years on end. IN doing so, he became one of the most beloved wrestlers of the modern age. Kingston, on the other hand, decided to grind it out on the independent circuit, wrestling all over the world for whoever would have him, becoming a sentimental favourite to everyone who got a chance to share a building with him. It's easy to see now, from Danielson's perspective, why Kingston does not deserve his respect.
But that's the thing about Kingston, he doesn't exist to please others, he doesn't operate on the basis of meeting the criteria of others. His background is what makes Kingston the person he is, the Eddie Kingston that we have grown to love exists because he had to grind it out in armories and school gyms. Kingston became an icon to those that love him because of the choices he made, not despite them. If you had the chance to see Kingston, to experience him, you loved him because he was authentically himself from the moment he stepped out of the curtain, to the moment he crossed back through it. If there was one word that distilled Kingston down to his purest essence, it would be this; authentic. But, to someone like Danielson, who chose to follow the path that his authenticity, his pure skill, and his years of grinding granted him, Kingston's decision to remain an independent icon really means he lacks discipline and focus. And therein lies the problem, his career is not one to be celebrated, it is one to be mourned.
Despite all of this, despite Danielson beating Kingston time and time again, Kingston refuses to be beaten. He refuses to stay down. Kingston's entire career has been a story of being knocked down 9 times and getting up 10. He refuses to go quietly into the night, he refuses to slink into the shadows, Kingston will always, always, be the loudest, angriest, most in-your-face motherfucker in any room, because he bleeds love for professional wrestling; the business that saves him every time he steps through the ropes. And at AEW Revolution 2024, Kingston prepares to step through the ropes once again, this time defending his Triple Crown of gold against, a wrestler that is considered by many to be, the greatest wrestler in the world. But Daneilson is unafraid, in fact, he's more confident than ever, promising that he will force Eddie Kingston to submit in the centre of the ring. He will force Eddie to acknowledge that he isn't as good as he thinks he is. That he is as weak as Danielson knows him to be, that his heart can't beat strong enough to overcome what Danielson will send his way.
Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW Revolution 2024
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"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson
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| Dragon, ready for a fight. AEW |
Considered by many to be the greatest professional wrestler of the last 20 years, Bryan Danielson's career started in 1999. Wrestling for indies across the States, Canada, as well as internationally, Danielson amassed an impressive resume right from the beginning. From his second year in the business, Danielson, then known simply as "American Dragon," wrestled dark matches for the WWF as enhancement talent for Saturday Night Heat and Jakked.
By 2004, Danielson became a regular name for Ring of Honor, one of the most celebrated indie promotions to ever exist, and it was here that Dragon, finally going by his real name of Bryan Danielson, became one of the most celebrated wrestlers of the modern age. Having stand-out matches against Roderick Strong, Nigel McGuinness, Samoa Joe, Takeshi Morishima and Chris Hero, to name but a few, Danielson established himself as someone that could be relied on to have the best match on any card he was on.
Understandably, it wasn't long before the biggest name in town started calling Dragon, and in 2010, Danielson signed with WWE, then going by the name Daniel Bryan. His career in WWE started slower than you may expect someone with his talent to have to go through, but when you consider that WWE was always considered to be the "land of the giants," it doesn't matter how good you are when you stand a mere 5'8" compared to the rest of the roster, all averaging the mid 6 foot mark. Slowly but surely, thanks in large part to the "YES Movement" that created an other-worldly groundswell for Danielson, he ascended to the top of the mountain in 2014, wrestling for, and eventually winning, the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30.
To many, Danielson had achieved the impossible. An indie darling, smaller than half the roster, had just won the ultimate prize. The biggest piece of gold you could possibly find had just gone to someone that was more famous for what he accomplished outside WWE than while he was there. But, it was a proof point for many in the indies, "fight for your dreams and your dreams will fight for you." Unfortunately, concussions and neck injuries caught up to Danielson, and he was forced to prematurely retire in 2015. He fought an uphill battle with WWE, with the company eventually allowing him to wrestle again in 2018, but he wasn't anything close to the Daniel Bryan, or Bryan Danielson, of old.
Fast forward a few years and Danielson leaves the WWE in 2021, making a surprise appearance at AEW All Out 2021, a promising debut, but many were concerned, "what version of Danielson would we be getting?" This question was answered quickly, as he was having incredible, drawn out battles against Kenny Omega, Adam Page, and a litany of other highly talented wrestlers. The sky seemed to be the limit for Danielson in AEW. It was clear that he was in the twilight of his career, but he was determined to still wrestle with the same intensity and passion he had 20 years prior.
"The Mad King" Eddie Kingston
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| A Triple Crown homage. AEW |
Beginning his career in 2002, Kingston trained in the second class of students at the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory in Allentown Pennsylvania. Debuting at CHIKARA's seventh show along with Blackjack Marciano as on half of the Wild Cards, Kingston's career reads like a list of American Indies-circa the early 2000's.
Wrestling for such companies as CHIKARA, IWA Mid-South, Combat Zone Wrestling, International Wrestling Cartel, UWA Hardcore Wrestling, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined, Absolute Intense Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Osaka Pro Wrestling, Capital City Championship Combat (C4), as well as Ring of Honor, there are few companies across not just the United States, but Canada and Japan as well, that Kingston did not make his way through. In fact, Eddie Kingston has worked for over 130 different promotions in his 20 year career.
Establishing himself as something of an independent journeyman, Kingston carved a path through every indie he planted his flag, with CHIKARA, CZW, and Ring of Honor being three of the promotions he called home more often than not. Wether he was solo, teaming with Marciano as the Wild Cards or alongside Sabian, Joker, Ruckus and a handfull of others as the wild stable BLKOUT, Kingston was a force wherever he went. Sure, he may not have always been on the winning side and sure, he may not have been a decorated, multiple-time world champion, but Kingston wasn't always out chasing gold or accolades, he cared more about respect. Both for himself, the people that mattered to him, and the sport that saved him.
Eddie has spoken at great lengths about his troubled upbringing, being half Irish and half Puerto Rican growing up in Yonkers New York forged him into a maniac that wanted to fight the world. If you want to get a better sense of exactly what I mean, he wrote a fantastic write up for the Players Tribune in 2021, and I'll link it here. In this piece and in numerous others, Kingston has spoken about how wrestling has saved him more times than he can count, how the ring is the one place he knows peace, and how he's been chasing that calm for his entire career.
"Watching wrestling was always my escape. It was like my little sanctuary, man. It was probably the only thing that kept me out of jail. In high school, my friends used to be calling me up at night to come out and get up to who knows what, and I’d stay at home by myself to watch Raw or watch the Super J-Cup or ECW."
"To be honest with you, the only thing that kept me from getting depressed was wrestling. I either had to be fighting in the neighborhood, or sitting at home watching a match. Otherwise, I’d fall into a depression. Back then, I didn’t even have the words for it. I was trying to be such a hard-ass that I didn’t want to hear about no mental health, no therapists, no feelings."
"I spent 20 years on the road in the indies, never quite making it, getting bitter, getting self-destructive, getting depressed, having to ask my parents for money so I could make rent. And to be honest with you, sometimes I have no idea why I kept going."
Excerpts from "Eddie Kingston Got No Business F***ing Being Here"
Fuelled by years of rage, resentment, depression and hate, Kingston fought for a chance to be recognized by AEW, something that happened by pure, cosmic luck. After finishing a match in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, someone gave The Mad King a mic and let him let loose, something he can do better than anyone. When he started to call out the big companies and their various champions, Cody Rhodes saw the clip and invited him to have a match with him in AEW.
The rest, as they say, is history.
In 2023, Eddie wrestled in AEW's inaugural Continental Classic. At the time, Eddie was already the NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion as well as the ROH World Champion, a title he coveted for years. When he went on to win the AEW Continental Championship, he was considered a modern day Triple Crown champion, harkening back to All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown. A championship held by wrestlers like Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada, wrestlers that Kingston idolized since he first saw them.
Finally, Eddie made it. And he refused, outright refused, to let anyone tell him he didn't. 20 years of grinding led him to this, and he would be damned if he let someone tell him otherwise.
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The Match - King vs. Dragon
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| Respect. It's what's for dinner. AEW |
Prior to the opening bell, we join both men backstage as they prepare for their match.
We're with Danielson first, shadowboxing and limbering up one last time. Lexy Nair, one of AEW's backstage hosts, tells us that Danielson is laser focused on the match at hand, saying "he knows Eddie's strengths and how to avoid them, while also knowing his weaknesses and how to exploit them." Furthermore, she tells us "he is 100% confident he can make Eddie Kingston tap out tonight." The message is loud and clear, I am not afraid of you, I will beat you without a moment's hesitation.
After Bryan makes his way to the ring, we're joined by Renee Paquette backstage with Kingston, leaned against a stack of road crates, saying a silent prayer. In front of him are his three championships, his Triple Crown. She reminds us that tonight is all about one thing for Eddie Kingston, respect, or perhaps, the lack of respect that Danielson has for Kingston. As Renee continues, she is nearly drowned out by the arena swelling with "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" chants, the King of the Bums being shown love from his people. "He has vowed to do everything in his power tonight to earn that handshake from the American Dragon." Dedicating this match to Jun Akiyama, a man many consider to be an honorary fifth Pillar of Heaven in All Japan, Kingston collects his titles and makes his way out to the ring.
It is important to note going into this match, these two men faced off in the Continental Classic prior to this match, with Kingston coming out on top en route to winning the entire Continental Classic tournament. It's not as if Kingston has never beaten Danielson, but those victories have never granted Eddie the respect of the Dragon, and that, is where the real problems begin to arise.
Kingston is in the centre first, swiping at Danielson with punches to try and catch Danielson unaware. They grab each other in a knuckle lock, with Danielson landing swift kicks on the left leg of Eddie, trying to soften up the foundation of the striker. Backing Danielson in the corner, a chop is whiffed as Danielson turns around and goes for one of his own on Kingston, but it does little more than anger him.
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| Just about popped a wheel. AEW |
Back in the middle, Kingston tries to box with Danielson, but a wild kick catches King in the leg again and it nearly buckles beneath his weight, forcing Kingston to stagger to the corner to catch himself. In typical Eddie fashion, the pain is turned into anger as he moves out of the corner, presenting his left leg to Danielson and encouraging him to take a shot. The first kick lands and nearly buckles Kingston again, but he stands tall. Sticking his leg out again, this time he's able to block the kick of Danielson by lifting his shin in time, swarming Danielson with strikes that back him into the corner.
The chop is attempted again and again, it is missed. Danielson lands another chop but, tell me if you've heard this one before, the shot does little more than draw Eddie's ire. Not giving an inch, Eddie stalks Danielson around the ring, from one corner to another, backing the Dragon up step by step. He's able to land a chop, but Danielson catches the arm and takes him over with a firemans carry, wanting to wear down Kingston on the mat. Getting kicked to his feet, Kingston takes Danielson down to the canvas and begins laying into him with chops and kicks of his own now.
With Danielson on his feet again, Kingston continues to lay in chop after chop, landing a series of machine gun chops to the red-raw chest of Danielson, who is able to catch the right arm of Kingston to stop the onslaught. A saito suplex from Kingston, however, counters the arm catch and sends Danielson rolling to the floor. But Kingston doesn't give Danielson long to breathe, catching him with an uncharacteristic dive through the ropes. On the apron now, Eddie's hand echoes chops off the chest of Danielson over and over again, backing him up more and more with each shot that lands. Thinking on his feet, Danielson stands and waits for the chop, ducking off the apron at the last possible second, allowing Kingston's hand to crash into the solid steel ring post.
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| Bone breaker. AEW |
With Kingston flat out in the ring, Danielson starts going to work, manipulating the weakened hand of Kingston to do even more damage to his fingers and joints. A dropkick focusing in on King's shoulders and kicks to the chest is about as clear a message as you could send, "I am going to make sure you're greatest weapon can't hurt me." If Kingston can't strike, there's little more he's able to do in that ring with someone as proficient as Danielson. But Kingston, despite the onslaught, refuses to stay down.
With Kingston down in the middle again, Danielson climbs the ropes and looks to land another dropkick on Kingston's torso, but Eddie is one step ahead. Pouncing to his feet at the last moment, he catches Danielson and launches him across the ring with an exploder suplex, dropping him heavy on his head and shoulders. A chop to Danielson does more damage to Kingston than Bryan, but Eddie stays standing, able to rip Danielson down with a DDT for a close two count.
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| Head crusher. AEW |
Looking to end this match as soon as posisble, Kingston ties Danielson up in the stretch plum, wrenching at the head and neck while holding his arms wide at an awkward angle. Danielson escapes the hold by manipulating the damaged hand of Kingston, forcing him to roll and twist around on the canvas to try and gain any small advantage possible over Danielson. He nearly gets Danielson in position for the half-and-half suplex, but Danielson fights free and pushes Kingston into the corner. Backing across the ring, Danielson lands Kingston up and crashes into him with a corner dropkick!
Assaulting Kingston in the corner with kicks and dropkicks, Kingston tries to fight out but ends up getting dragon suplex'd for his efforts, resulting in a close two count for Dragon. Back to the corner is Kingston, and back on the assault is Danielson, with chops that echo throughout the arena and kicks that are solid enough to knock the wind out of any mans chest. Seated on the top, Kingston finds himself in a dangerous situation, with Danielson bringing Kingston down from the top with a beautiful butterfly suplex!
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| Clipping a butterflies wings. AEW |
Maintaining control of Kingston's arm, Danielson transitions into the Lebell lock, but Kingston buries his chin and refuses to let Danielson hook his face for the hold. Never one to be deterred, Danielson grabs the opposite arm of Kingston and bends it backwards, ready to get any submission victory through whatever means necessary. Kingston shifts his weight beneath Danielson, finally able to roll to the ropes to break the submission attempt.
Wrapping Kingston up in a seated position, Danielson begins raining down hammer and anvil elbow strikes to the side of Eddie's head, over and over and over again. Pulling Kingston to his feet, Danielson looks for a reverse exploder, but Kingston fights out, able to snipe Danielson with an enziguiri and his signature backfist, the Uraken! Any other time, this would surely be enough for Kingston to out Danielson away, but the damage done to his hand evidently weakened the strike too much, with Danielson only staggering back to the corner off the blow.
Catching Danielson as he stumbles out of the corner, a Northern Lights Bomb scores Kingston a close two count, with both men writhing around on the canvas. Another Uraken lands, but it's still not enough, with Kingston falling to all fours as Danielson backs himself to the corner, lining up a prone King. Firing out of the corner, a kick to Kingston's bad hand lands true, with Danielson landing a Busaiku knee before stacking Kingston high, high on his shoulders for a pin attempt. It's one, it's two! It's thr- no! Kingston survives!
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| He's gonna get his... eh, you know the rest. AEW |
Looking to end this match once and for all, Danielson grabs the arms of Kingston and starts kicking him in the head, over and over. Kingston, to his credit, barks hate and anger in the face of Danielson. Refusing, even when he's flat out on his back, to give Danielson any sort of satisfaction. Eventually, Kingston falls limp, and Danielson transitions over to a triangle choke, trying to further sap the life out of Kingston. He fights hard, punching and swinging at Danielson as he wrenches and twists at the wounded hand of Kingston, but slowly, Eddie starts to fade. The referee checks on Eddie, raising his hand, with Kingston responding with an unmistakable thumbs up, a universal sign of "all-good."
Kingston rolls up to his knees, dragging Danielson along his back to the ropes in order to break the hold. With Danielson oh his feet and Eddie on his knees, Bryan lays into King with kicks, but Kingston stays sturdy, his face twisting and contorting with rage. Bringing down the straps, Kingston gestures for Danielson to keep the kicks coming, absorbing another as he begins to stand, eating kick after kick after kick. He falls to his knees again, blocking Danielson's head kick as he rises to his full height, snatching Danielson and drilling him with a half-and-half suplex!
But no! Danielson lands on his feet! A reverse exploder takes Kingston down, but not out! Back on his feet, Kingston is able to drill Danielson with the half-and-half this time, both men flat out on the canvas now, sucking back pounds of oxygen. When both men finally rise, they rise together, leaning on one another and laying into each other with quick strikes to the torso. Kingston, despite the damage done, is able to get the better of the exchange, even if he's using his off-hand to do it.
He attempts a powerbomb, but Danielson back-body drops him out, escaping to the corner and lining up Kingston for another Busaiku knee. Firing out of the corner, Danielson tries to cut Kingston in half, but a left arm lariat takes Danielson's head off instead. Pulling his foe in at the centre of the ring, Kingston drills Danielson with a powerbomb and falls on top of him, his entire bodyweight laying out for the one, the two, the three! Kingston beats Danielson!
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| Danielson gets flattened! AEW |
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| Respect is earned, not given. AEW |
While the match was over, the real test came after the bell. After the dust had settled and the celebrations subsided. Kingston bows to the fans, a packed house on their feet for the Mad King, the "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" chants ringing out. Now, back in the ring, they face one another, Kingston on his feet, the victor; Danielson, on his knees, the loser. Nigel McGuinness is keen to point out on commentary that the handshake is what Ring of Honor was built on, the Code of Honor, and while this may not have been fought inside a RoH ring, the Ring of Honor World Championship was up for grabs in this match.
"If he doesn't shake his hand now, he spits on the legacy of the company we built."
Kingston takes reluctant steps to centre, his temper getting the best of him as he waves off Danielson and turns his back to him, confident that even now, Danielson will not give him the respect he so desires. Danielson gets to his feet and gestures for Kingston to wait, standing in the centre with his hands on his waist, unsure about his next move.
Reluctantly, he extends a hand, only to take it back. Kingston, not even the least bit surprised, heads for the ropes, dejected.
But Danielson is right behind him, tell him to turn back around. Whatever is said between them isn't picked up on mic, but it meant something to them, and that's all that matters.
Back in the centre, Danielson extends his hand, keeping it there this time. Eddie wastes no time,eeting his hand and shaking it, with Danielson raising Eddie's hand in victory, the ultimate gesture of respect being earned.
Bowing to the modern day Triple Crown Champion, Danielson exits the ring, leaving Kingston alone with his gold to celebrate. Eddie stands alone, absorbing the love of the packed house before rolling out of the ring wirth his gold.
For this, and so much more, Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson is a 5 star match.
Until next time, be well, stay safe, and love one another.
Cliff Morgan
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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