Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Eddie Kingston

The Last of a Dying Breed

Who: Eddie Kingston
Also Known As: The War King, the King of Diamonds, Last of a Dying Breed, God's Middle Child
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 228 lbs.
Hometown: Yonkers, NY

Promotions: Chikara, CZW, JAPW, AIW, ROH (alumnus), PWG (alumnus), IWA-MS (alumnus)

Affiliations: He's a lone wolf, and I think that's the way he likes it.

Signature Moves:
Backfist to the Future


Backdrop Driver


Sliding D


LARIATO~!


Accolades:

CZW World Champion
CZW World Tag Team Champion (2x, 1 with Joker, 1 with Drake Younger)
IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion
IWA-MS Tag Team Champion (with Blackjack Marciano)
2010 Chikara Cibernetico Champion
JAPW Jersey State Champion

Promos:

Promo from Grit and Glory


Before his match against El Generico


Promoing on Lince Dorado


Pre-match vs. Drake Younger


Promo with Tommy Dreamer


All About Eddie Kingston:

His Matches - Eddie Kingston is the definition of an American strong-style brawler. His matches are very hard-hitting, full of big strikes, suplexes. They're sights to behold. He's a roughneck, and his matches are very much blue collar in feeling.

That being said, even if he is very much a workman's worker, he's still a big match player. He knows how to enhance the atmosphere and turn even an unannounced match in the midcard into one of the best matches on the show. He doesn't need to be in the main event to have his working shoes on, and to me, that's the sign of an elite wrestler.

His Character - Kingston is streetwise, tough as nails and a man whose pride carries his character. It's a very versatile character, one that plays well as a good guy or a bad guy, although really, it's been playing well in Chikara as the top hero there. Despite the fact that he can project a very menacing demeanor, he plays well as an underdog, as proven time and time again during the BDK angle.

I think a big reason why his character resonates is because he's a great promo. Seriously, he hits it out of the park anytime he's got a microphone in hand. Again, it's because he's such a genuine character. He feels real.

Why You Should Know Him - Kingston is arguably Chikara's biggest star. I'd say if you could bet on indie wrestling, you'd get even money odds on the War King taking the 12 Large Summit. While he's not in ROH, PWG or other big name feds, he's a known name on the East Coast, and although Southern California is catching up, this coast, especially in the feds where Kingston is prominent, is still the most important area for indie wrestling.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Claudio Castagnoli

Very European

Who: Claudio Castagnoli
Also Known As: Very European, the Swiss Stalwart
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 222 lbs.
Hometown: The United Banks of Switzerland

Promotions: ROH, PWG, Chikara, NWA Hollywood (alumnus), EVOLVE (alumnus), CZW (alumnus), Pro Wrestling NOAH, IWA-MS (alumnus), JCW

Affiliations: His most famous and classic affiliation is with Chris Hero. As the Kings of Wrestling, they've made the indie tag team scene their bitches on two separate occasions. They're often seconded by Sara del Rey, and in ROH, regrettably by Shane Hagadorn. In Chikara, Claudio is one of the most prominent figures in the BDK.

Twitter: @ccastagnoli
Youtube: Claudio's Cafe Found Here

Signature Moves:
Ricola Bomb


Giant Swing


Swiss Death


Bicycle Kick


Les Artess Driver


KRS-ONE (with Chris Hero)


Ragnarok (with Ares and Tursas)


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Championship (current)
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (2x, Chris Hero 1x and Ares 1x)
2010 Chikara King of Trios Champions (with Ares and Tursas)
Chikara Tag World Gran Prix Champions (2x, 2005 with Arik Cannon, 2006 with Chris Hero)
2007 Chikara Torneo Cibernetico winner
ROH World Tag Team Championships (2x, with Chris Hero)
CZW World Tag Team Championships (2x, with Chris Hero)
JCW World Tag Team Championships (with Chris Hero)
2010 Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year (with Chris Hero)

Promos:

CZW Promo


Promo on Chuck Taylor
rt

Responding to Chris Hero's challenge


Clutch of Doom promo on The Colony


Dead Men Don't Laugh promo on Team Frightning


All About Claudio Castagnoli:

His Matches - In the indies, Claudio is a giant among men. Yes, there are other guys, including Hero, who have the height, but Claudio actually looks like he shouldn't be there. This isn't a bad thing, as it totally creates some unique style contrasts the smaller guys around the independent scene. Wrestling Claudio is almost like a litmus test. See, many of the smaller guys in the indies do good flips or have an impressive workrate or they look good against each other. But when they wrestle Claudio, if they can't bump huge for his offense, then they're not worthy of your praise.

But Claudio is not to be a man defined by other people. No, the reason why he's more than just a canvas for guys to bump off is because he looks so natural in the ring. He can do the big power stuff and look really aggressive, but he has a sense of fun, almost whimsical nature to his offense at times. I love his "no hands" approach to his UFO, and the giant spin, especially done on guys like Grizzly Redwood, is an amazing, crowd-involving move. He makes everything look easy and fun.

His Character - It's funny, he's such a mild-mannered-seeming guy from his Tweets or when he's a face, but he can turn the menace on and it works. He's extremely versatile, and honestly, despite his size, you don't expect that from him because he's so charismatic and personable that it can be hard to picture him terrorizing small children and being evil. That's why he needs to be seen to be believed.

And for a guy whose third language might be English, let alone first or second, his promos are surprisingly smooth. He's definitely the immigrant wrestler success story, and over the last decade, he's become one of the most well-rounded character wrestlers in the indies right now.

Why You Should Know Him - It's not a secret. Claudio is one of my favorite wrestlers on any level right now. A lot of people agree with me here. HE always gets a reaction, no matter what side of the alignment chart he's on. He's also made people in higher places notice. Once before, he had a WWE contract. If you believe the scuttlebutt, he and Hero have one on the table now. Again, it's a rumor. Believe me, the only people who know whether there is one there or not are the Kings and the HR people in WWE. I'm fine with that. But, if those rumors are true, I can say that there aren't two guys in the indies right now who aren't signed to a major company (especially since Austin Aries just won an Impact contract as we speak) who deserve to get paid more.

But if they don't have a contract offer or if they choose ROH over WWE? Well, it might be selfish of us, but at the same time, we'll get to see more of Claudio in the indies. That's a good thing for us indie devotees. No matter where he's at though, he's definitely a guy to seek out. He's very much one of the most well-rounded, best wrestlers going today.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Weekend Wrap-Up: Holy Balls, What a Busy Weekend

FUCK YEAH GREEN ANT

- Chikara's tripleshot over the weekend was greeted with great critical acclaim, as always, and some big things went down. For one, the Colony got the win over the BDK in the main event Saturday in Taylor. It was supposed to be a battle of the last two King of Trios-winning teams, but Ares had to drop out because of a family emergency. In his place was Sara del Rey. That's not the biggest news. For me, it was the Colony won via Green Ant tapping Claudio Castagnoli with the cloverleaf. I don't know about you, but I think that's awesome. So happy for Green Ant getting the big moment in the sun. Hell, it wasn't a very good weekend for the BDK at all, as they were getting their comeuppance like whoa. Friday night's main event saw Da Soul Touchaz finally get a measure of revenge on the devious Germans with a massive splash on Jakob Hammermeir by BlackDust himself, Willie Richardson. The Throwbacks got a win Saturday against Tim Donst and Hammermeir, and the Spectral Envoy of UltraMantis Black and Hallowicked took out the Donst/Hammermeir teaming on Sunday.

In other matches of interest, Eddie Kingston defeated Colt Cabana on Friday, but as the weekend progressed, he started getting harassed by one Vin Gerard. Gerard attacked Kingston after his 12 Large Summit match on Saturday against Mantis, and then again interfered on Sunday in his match against Hieracon. That could be interesting going forward. In Sunday's main event, the team of the Colony and Mike Quackenbush defeated FIST and Gerard in an atomicos match, via an Ant Hill splash on Johnny Gargano. Also, Frightmare retained his Young Lions Cup against Kodama.

As for the 12 Large Summit, here's a recap of those matches:

FRIDAY - Sara del Rey d. Icarus, Claudio d. Hallowicked, Mantis d. Fire Ant
SATURDAY - Quackenbush d. Ophidian, Kingston d. Mantis

Those results have a logjam at the top of Group A, with Quack, SDR, Claudio and Hallowicked all with two points. Group B has a similar jam, although with one fewer wrestler in the mix. Gerard, Kingston and Mantis all having two points. I have a feeling this one's going to be interesting to the wire, folks.

- Chikara's Sunday afternoon festivities weren't the only thing going on in Cleveland. Yes, AIW's Absolution 6 took place, and my my, it wasn't a very good day for Gargano at all. After eating the pinfall in the Chikara main event, he went and lost his Absolute Championship as well. Now, was it to Tim Donst, the guy he was scheduled to defend against, or was it against someone different who happened to work for Flexor Industries? At this point, I'm not sure as I can't find ANY results for the main event anywhere on the Internet. I wonder if this is intentional. I'll report as soon as I find out, but if Donst is the new Absolute Champion? Get ready to buy earplugs, because we won't hear the end of it. Also on the card, Kingston and a newly rejuvenated BJ Whitmer had one of the best matches of the weekend by observers. Whitmer got the duke. Also, Chest Flexor of the aforementioned Flexor industries got squishified by Tursas, in what I can only describe is perhaps the faciest thing Tursas has ever done.

EDIT: Good news, Donst isn't the new Absolute Champion. It's Shiima Xion, who cashed in his shot at the title via winning the Todd Pettingil Invitational Tournament. So, big month for Xion, who made his Impact debut last week, and is now the top guy in his home fed.

- Arguably the biggest event of the weekend was ROH's Best in the World, which saw two new Champions crowned. In the main event, Davey Richards defeated Eddie Edwards in a reportedly epic match that TWB superfan Billy Dunlevy claimed that "you'd have no soul" if you didn't enjoy. I'd say that was high praise. Also on the card, Christopher Daniels dropped the Television Championship to El Generico. Side note, if you bitch because they defended the title on something that wasn't on TV, then please reconsider your priorities and perhaps why you're a wrestling fan. Same deal goes if you bitched that Kevin Steen didn't honor his stipulation to leave town for good. I for one am thrilled as fuck to see Steen back in ROH, and even more thrilled that he turned on Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs, partially because he's one of the few guys that the smark maxim of "everyone's better heel" works for, but mostly because Steen vs. Corino most likely be the greatest brawl in the history of professional wrestling. I am not exaggerating. Okay, maybe I am, but it'll be damn close and damn cool. Also on the card, the World's Greatest Tag Team kept their titles, which makes sense, because the All-Nite Express isn't ready, the Briscoes are old hat and the Kings of Wrestling? Well, the scuttlebutt is that they have contracts on the table to go to WWE. VERY EXCITING SCUTTLEBUTT.

- Anarchy Championship Wrestling in Austin had their Queen of the Joshis Tournament yesterday, and I have results courtesy of With Leather managing editor and ACW superfan Brandon Stroud. Anyway, Rachel Summerlyn won the tourney, defeating Athena in the finals. Also participating were Portia Perez, Mia Yim, Christina von Eerie, Angel Blue, Serena Deeb and Amanda Fox. Outside of Summerlyn taking the tournament, the biggest thing to happen on the card was Perez's manager, Super Electro, unmasking to reveal himself as Robert Evans. He ended up costing Perez her semifinal match against the aforementioned Summerlyn. That's a feud that I'd move to Austin to see. Yes, I am dead serious. Here's a complete rundown of the tournament, because B-Stroud was kind enough to send it over to me:

ROUND 1:
Perez d. Yim, Summerlyn d. von Eerie, Athena d. Blue, Fox d. Deeb

SEMIFINALS:
Summerlyn d. Perez, Athena d. Fox

FINAL:
Summerlyn d. Athena

Also on the card, Davey Vega defended his ACW Championship against Darin Childs.

- Women's Superstars Uncensored held their Uncensored Rumble Saturday, which was won by Lexus over 22 other women. She'll get a crack at Mercedes Martinez, whose reign as Champion has now stretched over 44 defenses and 30 months, making her maybe the longest reigning Champion, male or female, around right now? I don't know, maybe some arcane NWA title that gets defended once every solar eclipse is longer held, but holy shit, for a fed that operates as regularly as WSU seems to, that's impressive. And remember, she defended the title like three or four times on EVOLVE cards too. Also on the card, Jillian Hall made her wrestling return, putting over Kristin Astara in her first match since leaving WWE. Cindy Rogers retired by defeating Allison Danger and both Sassy Stephie and the Boston Shore retained their respective Spirit and Tag Team Championships.

- And just in case you couldn't get enough indie wrestling news, CZW held its annual Tournament of Death Saturday, won by MASADA (who hopped on a plane and landed in Austin the next day to appear in ACW). He defeated Dysfunction, Matt Tremont and then Masashei Takeda for the win. He'll get a shot at Danny Havoc's Ultraviolent Underground Title, and the winner of that will go onto a garbage match Champion vs. Champion affair against Ryuji Ito, Big Japan's Deathmatch Champion. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea, but it's certainly a big deal. Also on the card, Sami Callihan, whose star is ascending exponentially in the indies, earned a chance at DJ Hyde's CZW World Championship by defeating Greg Excellent.

- And in one bit of Impact Wrestling news, Hulk Hogan dropped on his Twitter that the former TNA would be going on the road every other week to tape Impact starting in August. Good move for the company. Now if they can only stop booking shit shows...

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Kevin Steen

Mr. Wrestling

Who: Kevin Steen
Also Known As: Mr. Wrestling IV
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 238 lbs.
Hometown: Marieville, QC

Promotions: PWG, ROH (alumnus), C*4, IWS, CZW (alumnus)

Affiliations: His most current affiliation is in the Nightmare Violence Connection in PWG with Akira Tozawa. Even though Tozawa will be leaving America for the time being, I assume the bond will remain strong. In ROH, he was last seen palling around with Steve Corino, and the rumor is he'll be returning a changed man with Corino and Jimmy Jacobs to combat the House of Truth. His most classic pairing was with El Generico, but that was shattered at Final Battle 2009 with a chairshot to the head.

Twitter: @SteenIsChange

Signature Moves:
Package Piledriver


Steenalizer


Apron Powerbomb


CAAAAAANONBALLLLLLLL


The most impressive 450 splash I've ever seen


Moonsault


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Championship
PWG World Tag Team Championship (2x, w/ El Generico)
ROH World Tag Team Championship (w/ El Generico)
IWS World Heavyweight Championship (3x)
IWS Canadian Championship
C*4 Championship
C*4 Tag Team Championship (w/ Mike Bailey)
CZW Iron Man Championship
2010 Wrestling Observer Best Brawler
2010 Wrestling Observer Feud of the Year (vs. El Generico)

Promos:

Promo to Sylvian Grenier en Francaise


Pre-Survival of the Fittest 2010


2005 Promo for PWG as Champion


Interrupting AJ Styles


C*4 Promo


Steen vs. Southwest


Post-match promo with Akira Tozawa


All About Kevin Steen:

His Matches - If you've never seen a Kevin Steen match, then I feel like you're missing out. Seriously, he's one of the best all-around grapplers in the game today, indies, mainstream, American or foreign. You have this guy, and he's not a bodybuilder or a beanpole, and yet he flies around more gracefully than most spot machines anywhere. I mean, did you see the moonsault and the 450 I posted above? They're among the best in the business. He also is among the best brawlers in the industry. Dave Meltzer and his readers weren't full of shit here when they voted him Best Brawler last year. I've seen him in person tearing it up with Colt Cabana and El Generico.

The best part about him isn't the flying or the brawling. No, he's a bona fide head dropper. That package piledriver, taken by the one and only Bryce Remsburg TWICE, is one of the best moves going today. And if that weren't all, the guy's so expressive and emotive in the ring. His facial expressions are top notch. As a heel, his taunting is excellent and adds so much to his matches. Hell, he even COMMENTATED his own match a couple of time last year in ROH. Seriously, you want to talk about the "Best in the World" moniker now that Danielson's left the indies, don't look at Davey Richards. Don't look at Eddie Edwards, or Low Ki or even Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero or Akira Tozawa. It's Kevin Steen. It's always been Kevin Steen.

His Character - The meme among Internet fans is guys are always better heel than face. While I think that's bullshit in most cases, in this one, it's true. While Steen's an alright face character, his best work comes as a heel, a sadistic almost psychopathic heel with silly undertones that only serve to bolster his sickness in-character. Just go back to the feud with Generico last year; Steen played his character perfectly.

As a face, he can be a little dry, but then again, there have been some great moments of him as a babyface in promos where he'd just deadpan lines or look at the guy in the segment with him like he was nuts, totally making the scene work. Still, while his face work isn't bad, as a younger Hannibal Lecter, he shines brightest.

Why You Should Know Him - Steen is one of the most versatile wrestlers out there in the indies today. Why he's not on WWE's radar is beyond me, but if I were in Johnny Ace's or Jim Ross' spot, I'd be throwing a developmental deal at him faster than you can say l'etats, c'est moi. Be that as it may though, he's definitely one of the best guys on the indie scene, which makes it that much more baffling why ROH let him go at the end of last year, just to replace him with guys like Homicide (who's good, but a retread) and Rhino (who blows).

Regardless, we're lucky for having Steen on the indies. He's a treat to watch, and I'm not alone in this. Steen is among the most fan-favorite wrestlers among the indies, garnering huge positive reactions despite his alignment. The fact that he's so over means that feds want to book him. If he comes to a promotion in your town, buy tickets as soon as he's announced. Seriously, he's that good.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Weekend Wrap-Up: Happy Slammiversary, Impact

New Champion
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

- Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary PPV was last night, and the big winners were Ken Anderson and Kurt Angle. Anderson defeated Sting for the Impact World Championship, while Angle made Jeff Jarrett tap out to presumably end their feud (or at least one would hope, since it's dragged on for so goddamn long it's not even funny). Bully Ray defeated AJ Styles in a last man standing match, and Alex Shelley and James Storm retained the Tag Team Championships, again, teasing dissension because EVERY TEAM NEEDS TO TEASE DISSENSION GAWD.

- CZW Prelude to Violence took place at The Arena on Saturday. The show was a prelude to their Tournament of Death to take place in Delaware later on this month. The main event saw Scotty Vortekz defeat Drake Younger in a TLC match to qualify for the tournament. Other winners included AR Fox, who defeated Drew Gulak for the Wired TV Title, Adam Cole, who retained his Light Heavyweight Championship against Jonathan "Hieracon" Gresham and Philly's Most Wanted (BLK JEEZ and Joker), who retained their Tag Titles against Azrael and Bandido.

- Frank Iadevaia of JAPW announced this weekend he was starting a new brand under the company's umbrella. Jersey Shore Championship Wrestling will open for business later this year. You can find the pertinent FAQ here. Basically, JAPW will become a sort of PWG-dream match promotion for the East Coast, while JSCW will feature more of the unknown talent from the area, be it select, lower-card talent from JAPW or other local indie guys. Iadevaia plans on running JSCW as the full-time promotion while JAPW will be the special occasion fed. Also, guest shows with NJPW and Impact will still be promoted under the JAPW banner. This is pretty interesting news. I'll be keeping up with it.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Chris Hero

That Young Knockout Kid

Who: Chris Hero
Also Known As: That Young Knockout Kid, Your Hero
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Hometown: Metropolis

Promotions: ROH, PWG, Chikara (alumnus), CZW (alumnus), JCW, EVOLVE (alumnus), various foreign promotions

Affiliations: He forms one-half of the Kings of Wrestling with Claudio Castagnoli in ROH and in other promotions. He can also be found managed by Shane Hagadorn and seconded by Sara del Rey. He also is known from time-to-time to enter the broadcast booth with Excalibur in PWG.

Twitter: @TheChrisHero

Signature Moves:
Death Blow


Hero's Welcome


Elbow montage


Death Is Welcome


Hangman's Clutch


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Champion
ROH World Tag Team Champion (2x, with Claudio Castagnoli)
ROH Survival of the Fittest, 2007
ROH Tag Wars Champion, 2010 (with Claudio Castagnoli)
ROH Undisputed World Intergender Tag Team Champion (with Sara del Rey)
Chikara Campeon de Parejas (with Claudio Castagnoli)
Chikara World Tag Grand Prix Winner, 2006 (with Claudio Castagnoli)
JCW World Tag Team Champion (with Claudio Castagnoli)
IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion (4x)
CZW World Heavyweight Champion
CZW World Tag Team Champion (2x, with Claudio Castagnoli)
CZW Iron Man Championship
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Tag Team of the Year, 2010 (with Claudio Castagnoli)

Promos:













All About Chris Hero:

His Matches - Hero has gone through a few phases in his career. First, he was all about the cravate. Then, he morphed into "That Young Knockout Kid", using his elbows at every chance he could. He still loves him some elbows, but he's rounded out his style. What you get with a Hero match depends on the setting. He loves his strikes no matter what setting, but the level of storytelling differs with where he's at. In Japan, he blends in with the style. In PWG, he's arguably their ace performer and will go balls-out to have the best matches on the card. In ROH, his style is mixed more with the classic, North American main event style with emphasis on selling and pacing. He's become also one of the preeminent tag team wrestlers in the land, as he and Claudio Castagnoli have established themselves as an elite team twice during the last decade.

His Character - Hero has the cocksure, supremely talented heel character down to a tee. It's evolved a lot over the years with different levels of refinement. Right now, it's about as polished as you'll find it. He speaks with a certain confidence, a bravado that an elder indie statesman should be expected to promo with. The best is his chemistry with Castagnoli. They really are the perfect tag team, even though both of them are also stellar on their own as singles wrestlers.

Why You Should Know Him - He's too good for TNA and shockingly and disappointingly ignored and rebuffed by WWE. You need to get to know Hero because as long as he'll be wrestling in America, he'll belong to the indie scene. That's not necessarily a bad thing for us the fans. Hero is a hard worker, a talented character and someone who wrestles in as many feds as he can while Stateside, honing his craft and becoming one of the best in the world at what he does. He can wrestle in any style, against any kind of opponent, and still be excellent. He's also one of the best pure heel wrestlers in the land, and is able to make whomever he feuds against, be it an underdog, a fan-favorite elite level worker or even a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior like Eddie Kingston, feel like someone you can get behind.

Hopefully, the WWE does see the light on him, because he deserves to get to the next level without having to fly across the Pacific every couple of months. Until then though, he remains one of the biggest reasons to follow ROH and PWG and one of the only reasons why you'd want to associate with the Insane Clown Posse (who, for all their flaws, do get big names for their wrestling promotion). Chris Hero is one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and he's a big reason why you should dig deeper than what you find on cable TV.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!