The Eddie Kingston situation

Professional wrestling, by nature, blurs the line between entertainment and reality to draw money, or at least it used to.

Amid the controversy that CM Punk went off-script a few weeks ago in a promo to attempt to make Adam Page look weak on television, more behind-the-scenes drama was made public when it was revealed that Eddie Kingston was suspended for a few weeks after a backstage confrontation with Sammy Guevara. From what was stated by both Eddie and Sammy via statements online, Guevara cut a promo to hype the originally scheduled match with Kingston at next weekend's All Out pay-per-view and mocked Kingston's appearance. Kingston took legitimate exception to the comment and attempted to get into a physical confrontation with Sammy backstage. Kingston spent a few weeks at home and the match was scrapped.

Who's working who here?

With the nature of the comments, I think it's important to point out that obviously mocking someone in real-life usually isn't called for, and subsequently those that were tweeting to Sammy to wish death on him are deranged. That being said, this is professional wrestling and the comments were made in the ring in the context of a worked environment to spark interest for the pay-per-view. Granted, if Sammy went over the line and unintentionally got too personal then apologize behind-the-scenes. Why exactly are they letting the audience know all the tricks of the trade? Isn't the purpose of this to generate anticipation for the grudge match?

Eddie Kingston accepted responsibility and admitted he was wrong for his reaction. From strictly a real-life perspective, that was absolutely the right thing to do. Furthermore, when Guevara issued a statement, he said that had he known that Kingston didn't want those comments made then he wouldn't have said them in the promo, which is also the right stance.

But, what does any of this have to be public?

Are we really to a point in the wrestling industry that it's not politically correct to think that wrestlers might actually be made at each other? Wasn't the originally the entire premise of this business?

Don't get me wrong, Kingston did the right thing to apologize, but as soon as he and Sammy acknowledged that it was just a series of miscommunication, there's no heat or believably for any potential match in the future. If the audience knows that real-life Eddie apologized for being mad at Sammy, why should they believe the Kingston character would want revenge in a match? Along the same lines, if the audience knows that Sammy outside of the ring wouldn't have said the comments in the promo if he knew they would upset his opponent, why should any of his on-screen actions generate heat?

If there's no way to blur the line of reality then there's not an emotional investment in the angle. More specifically, at a time when fans think that everything is exposed with numerous wrestling documentaries and network specials, an angle that sprinkles in reality would stand out even more. For example, squash the heat behind the curtain to be able to draw money in the ring. I know some will say that the horse is already out of the barn in terms of believably in pro wrestling and that generally might be the case, but most of the time, that happens because more often than not, there's no an attempt to blur the line of reality. You don't have to make the audience believe that everything on a wrestling show is real, but when you can make them believe something is real, that's the key to drawing money. Did the record-setting television audience believe that Steve Austin could steal a zamboni to cause chaos in public without a swat team showing up? Probably not, but they believed in Stone Cold as a grizzled Texan that was there for a fight, which is why he's the biggest star in the history of the industry.

As much as Tony Khan wants to hug everyone and have a two-hour press conference after pay-per-views to get to sit next to his favorite wrestlers, the audience doesn't have to know everything. Please don't misunderstand me on this, as I've written before I think Eddie Kingston should get a run as world champion. He has a level of authenticity that very few in the entire sport bring to the table in the modern era, which is why the audience connects with him. However, the public statements from everyone involved dilute that authenticity, and it takes heat away from Guevara. In theory, the Kingston character would attempt to smack his opponent backstage, and the Sammy persona would say something disrespectful. Make amends behind the scenes and allow the story to evolve as part of the angle. Would the Bret Hart/Shawn Micheals rivalry have been as memorable if Bret and Shawn apologized to each other after the "Sunny days" promo on Raw? The fact that the fans knew there might be some real-life hostility between the two added to the drama of the feud.

A side note, Disco Inferno chimed in on all of this, which was probably a way to get publicity for the podcast that he does with Konnan. Yes, Disco was on television during the boom period of the 90s, but no, he made no difference to the wrestling war. Sure, Disco is trying to get a reaction from wrestling fans on social media, but if he wants that reaction then he will have to acknowledge that he honestly wasn't some "star of the 90s" that helped WCW. He was a lackey that was kept around for comedy purposes. Just being on television in the late-90s doesn't give a wrestler the credibility to comment on the business. Erik Watts and Scott Putski were TV, too but nobody is clamoring for their thoughts on Raw. Remember that great Disco Inferno match? How about that really memorable Disco promo? How about that Disco Inferno main event on pay-per-view that drew a good buy rate? Nobody else does either.

Still, the biggest problem that this story brings for All Elite Wrestling is that often in the pro wrestling industry, perception is reality and the narrative around the company is that it's chaotic behind the scenes. There might be some merit to that because there was speculation of discontent backstage and then the company announced the addition of more agents. If Tony Khan starts to react to perceived pressure from social media, it will effect the progress of AEW. Something that Tony Khan has to learn, as admirable as his efforts are to provide more options in the industry, you can't attempt to make everyone happy in a pro wrestling company. There have been disputes between promoters and talent as long as the business has existed. Unfortunately, on a national level, it's about making the right business moves, not making your friends happy. If CM Punk went off-script, maybe Tony shouldn't put too much stock in him to be the top guy in the company. If Eddie Kingston and Sammy Guevara got into a legitimate confrontation, the audience doesn't have to know that they made peace before their next match on television.