10 MORE Storylines AEW Dropped Cold
3. ...And Claudio Castagnoli
Eddie Kingston is the most relatable pro wrestler on the planet, at least to a specific sort of person.
The sort of misanthropic person who cannot let go of a grudge even if it isn't particularly healthy. The sort of person so hellbent on etiquette that it becomes disproportionate. The sort of person who will always fight for what's right, even if the victory is pyrrhic.
He never let go of his years-long problem with Claudio Castagnoli, so much so that it felt real even if it wasn't. In a great, truncated CHIKARA feud, Kingston was adamant that Claudio was the bad guy and was infuriated that nobody else saw it. It was such a great story beat; when Claudio revealed himself to be precisely that, Kingston was received as an intelligent man with an unwavering moral code: the embodiment of a great babyface.
He was instantly suspicious of Claudio when he arrived in AEW, although he teamed with him at Jon Moxley's urging. Kingston was pissed at the close of Blood & Guts, when both he and Claudio had applied submissions to Chris Jericho and Matt Menard respectively and Menard tapped first. Claudio thought he was doing the right thing; Kingston's expression suggested that Claudio had stolen his vindication.
This seemed to set up a uniquely compelling singles match premised on exorcising the old demons, but it never happened: they just sort of quietly made friends (and then barely interacted) in what was a nothing anticlimax.