AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: The real Eddie Kingston is back, Claudio Castagnoli making his case to lead, plus Red Velvet, Anna Jay and Tay Melo

As always, I want to welcome everyone!

The Continental Classic is in full swing at this point and this coming week should be fun. Last week saw some pretty big matches and surprising outcomes.

Let’s see how I felt it played out with some Rising and Fading Stars.

Rising Star of the Week

Eddie Kingston

Finally, the real Eddie Kingston, on the mic at least, is back. I was wondering what was going on with him after his return by this is why you have to let things play out on television and not just be critical prematurely. If this was the plan for Eddie all along, then what he has done up until now, since his injury, has been okay. He needed to knock off some ring rust and hopefully he has now because this is his biggest match since his return and one of his biggest in AEW ever.

Okay, AEW fanbase, do we think Eddie has a chance at winning this title? You probably say no. To that I say, why not? Eddie is such a sentimental favorite among the fanbase and has been since the first promo he cut in AEW before his match with Cody Rhodes, years ago now. AEW has not done a World Title change on television since the Winter is Coming episode on Feb. 2, 2020 when Kenny Omega defeated Jon Moxley. No, I am not counting that weird unification match between Mox and C.M. Punk.

This could be a Mick Foley-type moment for AEW. Hangman gets to be Stone Cold, comes out and hits Joe with the chain, and you get the slow 3 count from the ref and a big underdog baby face win on Dynamite. Subsequently making every other title match on tv feel important due to the fact that the biggest title changed hands on television.

It’s time for some “brave booking” (trademark Wade Keller), and this would feel like that. Even if Kingston loses it right back at the PPV, this changes the TV shows to “must watch” because you don’t know what will happen. Pull that trigger, Tony Khan

1st Runner Up – Claudio Castagnoli

Had Claudio not lost on the last Collision to Mascara Dorada, I think he might have been on top of this list. Despite that loss, he has had one hell of a start to the Continental Classic.

With wins over the always popular Orange Cassidy and then the Death Riders leader Jon Moxley, I now think Claudio might be the one to take over the Death Riders instead of Pac. Listening to Bryan Danielson put over the reason why Mox has always been the “leader” of factions like the Blackpool Combat Club and now the Death Riders was because no one within either faction could ever beat Mox. Now that has been done.

So where to go from here? I am not sure and it feels like the C2 is going to be where this story plays out and I love it. I’m loving that Dynamite AND Collision are must watch shows for AEW fans right now. This is something Tony Khan needs to figure how to do on a weekly basis after the C2 concludes. That said, I’m here for this ride to Worlds End.

Honorable Mention – Red Velvet

While Red doesn’t get a number on the list because her ROH Women’s TV Title win was not on a true AEW show. I think she needs a small mention because of who she beat – Mercedes Mone. That’s right; if you didn’t see Final Battle or Collision, then you may not know that Red became one of three women, alongside Toni Storm and Kris Statlander, to beat Mone in a singles match in AEW. Pretty good company to be a part of.

Fading Star of the Week

Anna Jay and Tay Melo

When the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament started, I can’t be the only one who thought these two women would go deep into the tournament. In fact, I thought they would be where Willow Nightengale & Harley Cameron are right now. So you can imagine my surprise when Jay and Melo were bounced from the tournament in the first round.

Why the surprise? These two are one of the original AEW Women’s tag teams as they were in the first Women’s tag team tournament back in August 2020. Yes, there was a women’s tag team tournament in 2020 called The Deadly Draw. Since that tournament, Jay and Melo have been an on-and-off team on television unless one was out injured or out have a baby. So that’s a team that has been together or associated with each other for over five years.

So that explains my surprise when they were bounced from the tournament in the first round. Since then, Anna Jay has been absent from television. Tay Melo has, at least, made a television appearance when she lost to Thekla on the Thanksgiving Collision.

Anyone who reads this knows I like to end my Fading Stars on a positive note, but I don’t know how to here. Jay’s contract is apparently coming due and that could be a reason why Jay & Melo were bounced from the tournament. That said, you can’t always believe what you read on the internet, kids. Both women have significant others who work with AEW and I really don’t ever see Jay’s significant other, Jack Perry, ever working for WWE, but hey, plenty of wrestlers have significant others working in different companies. Only time will tell what happens with Jay and Melo going forward. I really have no clue.