Top 10 AEW Debuts

6. Eddie Kingston

How incredible has Eddie Kingston’s rise been in pro-wrestling in recent years?

Actually, let me rephrase that. How incredible has Eddie Kingston’s rise been in mainstream pro-wrestling in recent years? He’s always been a decorated wrestler and promo God in hardcore circles.

Anyway, this is a real feel-good story.

First of all, there’s the debut itself. The stuff we saw on screen.

Nobody prepared the fans for the debut of Eddie Kingston. It wasn’t announced, it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. It ended up being one of the best TNT Championship matches ever, and it earned Kingston a contract.

So, on an episode of Dynamite, the TNT Champion Cody Rhodes was talking about how he had to grind to get to where he is, the fans are cheering him on, he’s a pure babyface.

Out comes Eddie Kingston, and he seems genuinely pissed off, and proceeds to give a rabble-rousing speech that shakes you to your core. I honestly can’t do it justice so you should go watch it and you have, go watch it again.

Eddie Kingston is the kind of guy that when he says something, you believe it’s true. Forget suspending your disbelief, I’ll bet money whatever comes out of Kingston’s mouth is the truth. He’s bad, bad man.

He talked about how he had to go through the actual grind, how he grew up around alcoholics and junkies, and how Cody couldn’t last a day in his shoes. He even went after Arn Anderson, hard.

Kingston challenged Cody to a No DQ match, which Cody accepted. The two men proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of each other. There were no weapons in this match except thumbtacks, but Eddie Kingston’s hands delivered more than enough punishment. The match told a beautiful story of the pretty boy Cody out street fighting the street fighting thug, and gaining respect for him in the process. Eddie fought with a desperation that felt authentic, he really was fighting for his livelihood. Even after he tapped out, Eddie sold the loss brilliantly. He was devastated and close to tears. It showed how important this was for Eddie and elevated the title.

This brings us to the second part of why this is a feel-good story is because of the real-life story of Eddie Kingston. You see, due to the pandemic, Eddie Kingston couldn’t find many bookings and he was near broke. He revealed on Talk Is Jericho how he had to sell his wrestling boots and gear, and how he was thinking of quitting wrestling altogether.

All of this makes Kingston’s story genuinely heartwarming and adds layers to his character and makes him one of the most compelling wrestlers on the planet. His feud with Moxley and his eventual babyface turn have all been fuelled by reality and he’s cut some of the most believable promos in recent times.

Even when he’s a heel, he makes you empathize and that’s why he’ll be turning heads and sparking conversations whenever he turns up on our screens.