This was for Kingston’s CHIKARA Grand Championship title.
The name of the show is fitting in a way CHIKARA’s media themed shows rarely are, as this is Brodie’s last night in town, soon to depart for developmental. As such, he obviously won’t be winning the title, and it puts the slightest pall over the proceedings. Fortunately, it’s Eddie Kingston vs. Brodie Lee. This is both a must-see slugfest between arguably the two best heavyweights in independent wrestling at this point and a first time match with a ton of history and build up in CHIKARA, from their time together in the Roughnecks and Brodie’s gripe about having to leave the 12 Large Summit with an injury.
This is hurt, to some extent, by the atmosphere. I say that as a former long time and once-devoted CHIKARA fan. It’s the sort of match that deserved the Arena, or the New York venue. It’s not a church basement sort of a match. But, I get the feeling that this came about earlier than expected because of Brodie’s departure, and this show was booked. Again, you work with the tools you have.
Ultimately, that doesn’t matter all that match. None of that does. It’s Eddie Kingston vs. Brodie Lee, and while there are maybe contributing factors into it not being some absolute barnburner all time war, it still absolutely whips ass. Brodie Lee is the best big man of his generation and delivers a phenomenal beating. While CHIKARA commentary or story would never acknowledge something so real and something that isn’t some intricate comic book ass fifteen year backstory laden story of their own making, the two men in the match acknowledge and work to what’s actually going on. Brodie taunts Eddie and the fans about where he’s going. Eddie pisses him off by derisively calling him “entertainer”. Brodie’s mean as hell, he has a perfect right hand uppercut, but he gets a lot of simple stomping and dropping limbs across Eddie’s body too. It’s not as gutsy or emotional as his work selling a leg, but Kingston puts forth a great exhibition on how someone should sell an attack on the chest. Always wheezing, rolling away for space, rolling out over the apron like he might throw up. Another perfect Eddie Kingston selling performance in a much more low key sort of way.
They turn it up, and it’s good. It’s less interesting to me than the first half of the match, but that’s not an insult to the work they’re doing. Brodie lands a lot of great boots, Eddie dumps him on his head and swings for the fences. There’s maybe a thing or three too many at points. As rock solid as all the work is, it’s still a little hard to buy into certain things here, given everything we already know going in. Eddie eventually topples the Big Rig and hits a northern Sliding D for the win, lacking some of the punch and bombast of the regular version.
While it’s hardly the epic it could be, I cannot imagine someone not leaving this at least satiated to some extent. It’s a very satisfying pocket defense, great smaller show stuff. There’s a bully and the bully eventually fucks around and finds out. Not quite a pay per view level epic, but a great television main event. A heated early defense in a long reign, and as fitting an end as there could be to Brodie’s CHIKARA tenure given the departure of his greatest rival and his original running buddies. Perhaps a novelty to newer fans, and one absolutely worth seeking out.
HANDWERK 