Eddie Kingston is as close to a CHIKARA original as you can get. He's been with the company since its seventh show. 10 years later, he's still there. He first came onto my radar as a member of Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) when the promotion went to war with Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2006.
He was never a huge favorite of mine but I enjoyed what work of his I had seen. I really started to pay attention during his run in CHIKARA's 12 Large: Summit last year. The tournament was set to crown a Grand Champion, the first singles championship in the promotion's 10 year history.
His storyline -- one built around redemption and dedication -- piqued my interest. He played up his checkered past and how holding CHIKARA gold would help alleviate some of the guilt he felt. He thought it would help make the pain he had gone through his whole life somehow worth it.
He was also vocal about his desire to win the tournament in memory of the man it was dedicated for, Alex Whybrow better known to wrestling fans as Larry Sweeney. The CHIKARA and ROH standout, a close and dear friend of Kingston's, took his own life in April of last year after battling his own personal demons.
Kingston cut a five minute promo which perfectly summed up his story leading through the 12 Large: Summit. It was intense. It was brutally honest. And it sold me on Kingston as a performer.
He followed up the promo with an equally fantastic match at CHIKARA internet pay-per-view (iPPV) debut High Noon a few days later. He took on the founder of the company and his trainer in the finals, Mike Quackenbush, and came out victorious.
It was a cathartic experience for "The Last of a Dying Breed," a feeling also shared by those who had become wrapped up in his tale of redemption. The same burden Kingston had been carrying and suddenly lifted off his back was also shouldered by his fans and they were more than happy to cheer on their hero when the albatross was finally plucked out from the air.
This week's Podcast-A-Go-Go highlights that match along with the tag team match from the same event between The Colony and The Young Bucks. Take a look after the jump.
Kingston makes his first defense of the Grand Championship on Feb. 26 at Caught in the Spider's Den against Vin Gerard, the man who nearly knocked "War King" out of the 12 Large: Summit tournament.