Mad King defeats Danielson as reign continues
AEW’s Revolution pay per view event on March 3 saw the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship defended as part of the AEW Continental Crown when Eddie Kingston faced the American Dragon Bryan Danielson.
A tense start to the contest saw both champion and challenger jockey for position as the Greensboro crowd was electric with duelling chants. Danielson scored first contact with an inside leg kick and a hard chop, but it wouldn’t be long before Kingston opened up on Danielson in the corner. A machine gun round rang off the chest of the American Dragon before a backdrop suplex sent Danielson rolling to the floor, only to be met with a tope suicida. Both men recovered to the apron, but there the challenger lured the champion into chopping the ringpost and opening himself up for a suplex from apron to floor.
Targeting the damaged right hand and arm of Kingston, Danielson was relentless in inflicting pain on the champion, who grit his teeth to summon up an exploder suplex and then a DDT to buy space and time. From there, Kingston found the Stretch Plum on Danielson, but it was an easy escape from the challenger; Kingston tried to pull an audible with hammer and anvil elbows, but instead was blasted with a pair of corner knees and blistering kicks.
A Dragon suplex from Danielson got two for the champion, who then went back to the arm, and then more strikes in the corner. After a top rope butterfly suplex, Danielson transitioned into a modified LeBell Lock, that sent the champion struggling for the ropes. Danielson had the match well in hand, but Kingston withstood immense pain in his right hand to land a backfist and then the Northern lights Bomb, a late cover due to the pain saving Danielson’s title hopes.
A second backfist proved ill advised, as Danielson buried a kick to the right arm and then Busaiku knee for two. As frustration began to set in, Danielson got double wrist control and buried feet to Kingston’s face; more kicks only served to fire up the champion who finally ducked a kick and delivered a suplex. Both champion and challenger had adrenaline flowing, trading throws to a standing ovation from the crowd; after resetting to brutal open hand strikes, a left handed lariat stopped Danielson’s Busaiku Knee attempt, and a Soul Powerbomb saw Kingston retain.
A long desired for handshake of respect from Bryan Danielson to Eddie Kingston put a show of respect as punctuation to a stunning title fight.
