Wrestling fans who are old enough remember “that” night. The night was January 4, 1999. Mick Foley, performing as Mankind, defeated The Rock to become the WWE Champion. The underdog victory captured the audience, and WWE’s top competitor, WCW aided the moment by giving a major spoiler hours before the match would air in what would become known as the turning point in The Monday Night Wars. WWE and AEW aren’t in the same position today as the business was way back then, but AEW has the opportunity to do something special at AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming.
Samoa Joe is once again the AEW World Champion. Joe is an amazing performer and first-ballot Hall of Famer. He makes any promotion better with his presence, and is a believable champion no matter where he wrestles. But he doesn’t need a lengthy reign this time around. That’s where Eddie Kingston comes in.
Eddie Kingston would be the perfect AEW World Champion
Eddie Kingston is the closest thing to Mick Foley in wrestling today. No, he’s not a mask wearing, multiple-personality performer. Instead, he’s someone whose passion for the business and love of entertaining fans seeps from his body every time he’s in front of the camera. It is infectious, and impacted fans since he first stepped into All Elite Wrestling.
Things reached their heights in 2024 when Kingston captured multiple titles. It looked like he was finally getting the momentum that could lead to him becoming the AEW World Champion. Unfortunately, the knee injury he suffered against Gabe Kidd would take more than a year from his career, and AEW is in a much different place than it was when he left. It’s not that Kingston doesn’t have a place at the top of AEW, but the steps to get him there would need to be adjusted, especially as the main event scene is packed with some of the best names in the business.
HOOK re-joining the Opps to help Samoa Joe is the perfect opportunity. It feels like AEW has rushed into the match with Kingston versus Joe, but what if that moment becomes him pinning Joe to take the title? The response would be massive. Yes, AEW doesn’t typically “hot potato” the world title, but that doesn’t mean doing it once would hurt the well-built legacy of that championship.
Plus, Eddie Kingston would be an exceptional and believable champion every step of the way. For as long as he would hold the title, he’d tell the type of stories that would keep fans locked in from start to finish. Kingston would be the perfect type of champion for All Elite Wrestling at this time.
Surprise moments are a big part of professional wrestling. They reward fans for watching and can capture the attention of people who aren’t consistently watching as well. Mick Foley winning the WWE Championship in 1999 is one of the biggest examples of such. AEW could do something similar with Eddie Kingston against Samoa Joe at AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming. It would be a moment that would catch everyone’s attention heading into 2026.