While many fans praise AEW for the high quality wrestling they’ve produced since bursting onto the scene, the real revelation within the company has been in their storytelling. Tony Khan has been far from perfect as an owner and creative leader for the company, but he’s done one crucial thing: get out of the performer’s way.
AEW is fresh off the latest Blood & Guts Match, and it once again delivered the carnage that fans expect from the revival of WCW’s WarGames in all but name. The match itself hinged mostly on the animosity between Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston with each bringing everything they could, but it wasn’t just the physical action that left a lasting impression.
Before the match ever took place, Eddie Kingston used his greatest strength to guarantee that fans understood the magnitude of this event. With his words and ability to channel pure emotion with every promo, Kingston helped make everything around him shine heading into that violent AEW Dynamite collision.
Wrestling promos are an often misunderstood artform complicated by the medium itself, but believability is a trait the most elite mic workers have in common. Wrestling isn’t about perfection, it’s about using storytelling to help fans become invested in the matches themselves.
Eddie Kingston came into AEW after a long struggle of an indie wrestling career, and it served in many ways as a second (or last) chance for him to make his mark. Kingston tapped into emotion for his promos in a way that connected with fans and pushed him towards the top, but he’s not the only one. Another competitor in Blood & Guts has more in common with Kingston than most may realize, and that man is “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard.
The Perfect First Impression, Part Two
Eddie Kingston and Matt Menard didn’t start their careers in AEW, but it’s where they both finally found a home after years of grinding. Kingston and Menard both began their wrestling journeys in 2002, and neither man had a nationally televised wrestling opportunity until well over a decade later.
After years of work, Eddie Kingston got his first televised opportunity as a part of IMPACT Wrestling from 2016 to 2018. Meanwhile, Matt Menard (along with 2point0 tag partner Angelo Parker) made his way through the independent scene until being signed by WWE in early 2016. Kingston and Menard both did their best to create memorable moments, but neither saw things click and were eventually gone from those companies.
Eddie Kingston debuted in AEW on July 22, 2020 by answering the TNT Championship Open Challenge laid down by then champion Cody Rhodes. After selling his gear and considering retirement just days earlier, Eddie Kingston brought every ounce of truth and emotion he could muster to his debut promo. The promo, which can be seen below in its entirety, was enough to trigger #SignEddieKingston to trend on Twitter, and he was indeed signed shortly thereafter.
However, it may be more correct to omit “Rhodes” and say that Kingston debuted on July 16, 2020 when that episode of AEW Dynamite was taped. During his appearance on an episode of the Swerve City Podcast, Eddie Kingston revealed that he’d accidentally said “Cody Rhodes” during the first take at a time when AEW didn’t yet own the rights to the Rhodes name. As a result, Tony Khan had to walk out and let him know to stop and start it over without that. In the end, that early hiccup and the fact that he wasn’t yet a signed talent didn’t prevent Eddie Kingston from showcasing what makes him a truly special talent.
Meanwhile, Matt Menard debuted in AEW with Angelo Parker as 2point0 just one week after they’d been unceremoniously released by WWE along with several other talents. Menard and Parker had the unfortunate lingering stench of lackluster low-card WWE booking, and they immediately had an uphill climb in proving themselves to the AEW audience. 2point0 were paired with their “son” Daniel Garcia, and Menard started making his mark every time he was given the opportunity to speak.
The trio later found a new home as members of the Jericho Appreciation Society, and that led them to the violent Blood & Guts match last week on AEW Dynamite. Menard has found his own “Daddy Magic” in promos leading up to this event, but none reached the chilling power he mustered after the match. The promo itself makes up the first three and a half minutes of AEW Road to Rochester below:
None of this is to discount Menard’s partner Angelo Parker who can be seen immediately after Menard in the above video with a quality promo of his own, but it’s specifically “Daddy Magic” that has caught the attention of so many since the video went live. While AEW Road to Rochester has just 36,827 views on YouTube since being posted, one tweet of Menard’s promo has already garnered more than 53,000 views.
During the promo itself, Matt Menard started channeling his own truth and experiences as he spoke about his wife and child. This pulls fans in because they can feel the reality dripping from every word, and it’s not that far off from Eddie Kingston speaking about his own struggles growing up and fighting to survive on the streets. They may be two very different men from two very different worlds, but both have learned how to blur truth and fiction when given the opportunity.
Eddie Kingston and Matt Menard aren’t the only talents in professional wrestling, or AEW for that matter, with the ability to connect like this. As much as it can look sudden to some, these two men have spent a combined four decades honing their craft and are often surrounded by similarly experienced performers. However, few on national television today are finding a way to channel themselves directly to the viewer quite like Kingston and Menard have as of late.
Kingston and Menard are tapping into emotion on a raw level, and they’re serving that up for fans while skyrocketing towards the pinnacle of their respective careers. We can only hope Eddie Kingston and Matt Menard have years to come in All Elite Wrestling, because this industry needs that level of authenticity now more than ever before.
