15 Greatest Match Finishes In Modern Wrestling History
7. Bryan Danielson Vs. Eddie Kingston - AEW Rampage, October 29, 2021
The finish of a professional wrestling match should get one wrestler over and put their opponent over. The finish of a professional wrestling should be its crescendo of excitement, because a match that peaks before the finish is a deflating and irritating experience. In their Rampage masterclass, Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson achieved two perfect finishes to one phenomenal scrap of a pro wrestling match.
The match itself was amazing. Eddie Kingston's absolute fury at being controlled, and literally cornered, was unleashed with a glorious display of defiance. He took Danielson's entire body and threw it into the corner to reverse the momentum, as if guided by two decades of being told he was never good nor motivated enough. Eddie's body language was something else. He didn't just perform as if he meant it; he looked like he was possessed, like his soul was on fire. Danielson was the ideal contrast - composed, precise, displaying just enough arrogant charisma to fuel and punish Eddie's maniacal contempt.
The strikes were vicious - Danielson's launched with technique, Kingston's with pure spirit - and the match was so charged with emotion that the fans erupted into a standing ovation, just as the finish was imminent, hoping Eddie might just do it. It was a special scene at a special time in wrestling. Seconds before the bell sounded, the idea that Eddie would beat the living legend star signing was unthinkable - but wrestling is about feeling.
And, at the finish, Kingston was defiant until the end; putting his own, characterful spin on the legendary WrestleMania 13 finish, as he passed out, he told Danielson to go f*ck himself.