10 Bold Predictions For Wrestling In 2023

8. Eddie Kingston Wins The Big One

Eddie Kingston
AEW

Is it ever going to happen for Eddie Kingston?

That was the question his concerned fans asked at the climax of the dreadful Barbed Wire Everywhere match against Chris Jericho because, in a feud premised (originally) on Eddie winning the big one, he failed to win the match that mattered most. It was an über-gimmicked attraction that failed dismally to capture the ominous vibe of a vintage FMW show, and while Kingston did well to sell the proximity of the wire as well as the agony it inflicted on him, it was all for nought. A none more TNA finish gave Jericho the win, and Eddie had to be satisfied with a terrible "measure of revenge" stunt in which Jericho tumbled onto a conveniently placed cardboard "bed" of barbed wire.

Did they not learn the lesson of Blood & Guts?

Do they not know what they have Kingston: a performer so phenomenal that every programme he's in feels like it consumes his very being?

They do, and this will become apparent in 2023: he will work a long-term programme with a heel - more on who that is imminently - before dethroning MJF at Grand Slam. That show didn't draw as well as it did in 2021, and needs something to make it feel big, since Tony Khan wants it to become an annual tradition.

What better way of selling it than with the promise of the most feel-good title switch?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!