The fallout from AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view was swift and fairly harsh. Much of that was due to the fact that many fans felt more than a little disappointed. The event didn’t live up to the hype for those fans, which may be somewhat of an unfair criticism. After all, the card was loaded with top stars and nearly every match had the potential to steal the show. Matching expectations would be a tall order for any company.
But a lot of the complaints centered on the final moments of the main event. That main event saw Kenny Omega defeat Jon Moxley to retain the AEW World Championship in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. Fans didn’t get the explosions they were hoping for. But they did get the reunion between Moxley and Eddie Kingston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W5cIiXnlc8
Kingston’s Redemption
Kingston’s race to save his best friend drew an immediate reaction from the AEW faithful. Was this actually happening? Was the man who betrayed Jon and tried to take his title, really coming to his aid in his time of need? When fans realized what Kingston’s intent was, the magic of the moment became clear.
No one else could have made the save but Kingston. Jon is AEW’s top babyface and one of the most popular stars in the industry. But a maverick character like him tends to not have that many friends. He goes his own way and walks his own path. That kind of existence doesn’t exactly lend itself to camaraderie.
So in the end, it was the guy who vowed to end Moxley that tried to save him from an untimely demise. Of course there was nothing to fear, except for some smoke and sparks. But in that moment, the only thing that really mattered was Eddie Kingston’s redemption.
AEW tried to get out in front of the non-finish afterward. But it was the promo featuring Moxley and Kingston that made all the difference. Kingston spoke of past anxiety that came rushing back to him, making him black out when he came in to help Jon. Mox admitted that he didn’t blame Kingston for the battles they had prior to Revolution. Then Mox poked at Eddie a little, giving him the business over his lack of good timing when he made the save.
Mending Fences
In that one promo, AEW reestablished the relationship between Moxley and Kingston. They covered the anticlimactic ending to Revolution. The volatile past between the two was addressed. Though no apologies were made, it was clear that an understanding had been reached. A friendship was rebuilt and more importantly, a bright future lay just ahead.
That point was driven home on the March 10 edition of Dynamite. Moxley returned the favor and made the save for Kingston following an attack from Omega and The Good Brothers. The spot was actually a setup to introduce Christian Cage to the Wednesday night show, as well as setting up a future issue between him and Omega.
But in showing another act of solidarity between Moxley and Kingston, AEW continued to pave the way for future storytelling. That storytelling is wide open right now, especially with Kenny Omega’s run as the World champion, as well as his relationship with his former Bullet Club running buddies.
Bringing the Fight
Moxley and Kingston have a trio of opponents to pick a fight with on any given night. MJF’s newly formed heel stable would also surely be in the mix at some point, along with any other villains that decide to test Mox and Kingston.
The fact is that AEW has two of the best talkers on the roster now working together on the same side. Jon and Eddie have more combined charisma, raw talent and passion for the business than a great number of their colleagues. Some would say that this pairing is great for Kingston, because he’s rubbing elbows with AEW’s top star. But Eddie was built for this and he brings just as much to the table as Moxley.
Jon and Eddie are main event guys and everything they do together will immediately become must-see TV every time they’re on camera. They’re a buddy cop film come to life and they’re just what AEW needs right now. There’s no limit to the amount of chaos, action and laughs that they can create when they really get rolling. They went to war with each other before. But now they will wage that war together and they’re only just getting started.
Tom Clark brings more than 10 years of experience as an online writer, including Featured Columnist stints at Bleacher Report, Pro Wrestling, Daily DDT and Wrestling Rumors. His podcasts, Tom Clark’s Main Event and Tom Clark’s 6M Podcast, are available on Apple Pods, Google Pods, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify and YouTube
