2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Kingston vs. Yehi

7. Eddie Kingston vs. Fred Yehi AAW 5/25

PAS: A whale of a match and a great example of what a master Eddie Kingston can be. This was an attempt to work a 90s All Japan match (Kingston says as much in his post match mic work), most US Indy attempts at 90s AJ are failures, applying the moves but not understanding what made them great. Kingston is a tremendous performer, really excellent at small touches which can elevate wrestling. I loved the early trash talking and how frustrated he got by Yehi early double leg takedown, so much so that he just started throwing chairs into the ring. Moments later Kingston gets tackled into the guard rail, and for the rest of the match he does this incredible job of selling back nerve damage, he really made me believe that he wouldn't be able to lift a couch for the rest of his life. Rest of the match saw Kingston as a wounded warrior (his best role really), trying to tough his way through a vicious fight. So many cool moments in this match, Yehi hits a great double leg take down and Kingston counters with a head and neck choke to keep him from rising up (the commentary mention Kingston had been studying BJJ at American Top Team, the idea of Kingston rolling with Junior Dos Santos is surreal). I also loved Yehi's not getting all of a low dropkick, Kingston smirking, and then getting blasted with a second kick right to his face. Finish run had some popping up, but neither guy no-sold, every blow took a little more out of them, only to see Kingston hit two big backfists with the second dropping Yehi like a KO shot. What a treat this was, so glad to see Kingston still performing at this level and Yehi continues to be one of the best in the world

ER: I really, really don't like Kingston after the match talking about how they just had a 90s All Japan match. I really don't need my guys talking about what kind of specific wrestling performance they were trying to emulate when I just spent 16 minutes assuming they were just trying to win at any cost. Sometimes it's obvious where guys are getting their inspiration and influence from, but let the match read as a match. As it was, this read as an awesome match, and shows that Kingston is a guy who can still adapt to so many styles and make overdone exchanges still feel interesting. None of us want to see tired strike exchanges in the middle of the ring anymore, and Kingston is the guy actually putting some personality into those exchanges. He doesn't keep a specific rhythm, he's constantly breaking up that rhythm with reaction and bullheadedness, never the faster or maybe even smarter guy in the fight, but a guy who is damn stubborn and damn tough. He takes a mean beating from Yehi, and at times doesn't help himself out of more of a beating. I loved Yehi hitting a low dropkick mid-match and Kingston just going "Nope, that didn't hurt" and then immediately getting pasted in the mouth with a harder kick. That felt like an essential "Who is Eddie Kingston?" moment. Later he keeps getting beat to a punch on a strike exchange but it takes him getting beat a few times to actually decide to cut losses. He's someone who in his best matches has to be forced to make a choice after failing, a few times, and begin reacting.

I said Yehi dished out a mean beating, and he took Kingston down at will, slammed him into the guard rail (and Kingston really is the best in wrestling at selling "Man with stiff neck who won't be able to properly look over his shoulder before changing lanes" type of niggling problems), tosses him with a couple different heavy landing German suplexes, a heavy dragon suplex, and hits a crazy double stomp with Kingston draped over the railing (that sends Yehi flying forwards into the crowd). He stomped feet during strike exchanges, he baited Kingston into foolish charges (he knew Kingston would foolishly get up as quick as possible on a throw, and was there waiting with a nice STO when Kingston predictably did). But what always keeps Kingston in a fight is that people have to get close to Kingston to win a match, and if you're near him, he can catch you. And he catches Yehi plenty of times, with a nice powerbomb and a nice throw, and some big spinning backfists. Maybe Kingston's greatest strength is that while he's stubborn, he lures his opponent into feeling like he's close to being finished, and so they get stubborn in the ways they try to beat him. And that's when Kingston catches them.


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST