Beyond The LEDs: Best Match On Mania Weekend Was On ROH

The date was Friday, April 5th 2024. Just around midnight ET. A man in black bandana paces around a wrestling ring wearing a black leather vest with the words “Dem Boys” emblazoned on the back. He hails from Sandy Fork Delaware. He’s the challenger for a world title that he has never held and he’s waiting for his opponent, a Mad King to arrive and give him the fight of his life… 

Ask a handful of wrestling fans online (or in person if such a thing exists) what the best match was on WrestleMania XL weekend and they’ll probably say it was the insanely overbooked Cody vs Roman or Rhea vs Becky. Some AEW Diehards might have a different answer, Puro fans will definitely say something else.

You don’t need to pry it out of me, I’m an AEW Sicko 4 Lyfe, as long as the company represents my values and continues to create amazing wrestling. I am biased but they’re not immune from my criticism.

I want to make a case for the best wrestling match of last year’s (2024) WrestleMania weekend, which was actually a Ring of Honor match.

This is actually a thought I had that very weekend, I knew people would eat up the ‘Sports Entertainment Extravaganza’ whether it was an overbooked mess or not, but by the conclusion of Eddie Kingston vs Mark Briscoe I thought, “This is the best wrestling match this weekend and only Honor Club members are going to know about it.” 

This was not a marquee match. It was not intended to sell tickets and draw a huge crowd. But the story was far more personal and pulling at the heart strings than anything WWE could cook up that weekend. Because the emotions were very real.

Eddie and Mark have known each other for so many years, and operated on love and respect. This was not a match of a typical story telling device, no one was the heel, Mark was arguably a babyface, and Eddie fighting to hold on to the last of his triple crown championship titles was struggling, as he often does, to keep himself mentally in a healthy place. And an Eddie Kingston who has his demons in check, is about as much a face as you can ever hope to get from him. He’s usually a tweener at best, but the crowd LOVES Eddie. Just like they love Mark. He has to work to make us boo him.

The bell rings and before the two men can even lock the crowd of Ring of Honor faithful come alive after nearly a 4 hour show and start chanting “MAN UP! *CLAP CLAP* MAN UP!”

The two men are almost caught off guard and take a split second to acknowledge the respect being shown for a man whose presence looms over nearly all Mark Brsicoe matches, his late brother Jay.

This is the big one for Mark. His brother Jay has held the ROH World title twice in his career even when they two were dedicated to Tag Team wrestling. Flash back to the year before, Mark, still trying to find his way as a singles competitor fresh after losing his brother, made multiple attempts to capture the ROH Television title and failed consecutively.

“...Tonight is the night Mark, you’ve been so strong for us. We ask one last thing..do it for you. Do it for you Mark!” -Ian Riccaboni

In kayfabe we say he failed to win, in reality many of us could not fathom why? Why wouldn’t Tony book him to win those matches? It would have been so special and emotional for him and the fans to see him get a win. Many of us were left bereft of joy seeing him come up short against Samoa Joe.

Maybe it was the plan all along to give Mark an on screen struggle that took him beyond the TV title, in a story not too dissimilar to Cody Rhodes year long trek to conquer Roman and finish HIS story. Mark did not have a hated rival to conquer, he had a man he might very well call his brother, who would not take it easy on him, who would do just about anything to retain that title. Mark had to find a different kind of motivation, it's easy to fight against someone you hate and win or lose. How do you fight someone you love and what does it mean if you come up short?

“Humble in victory, humble in defeat”

Eddie faces a nearly identical battle. It was easier for him against men like Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson, men he despised. In those fights it is very clearly outlined, Eddie believes he is the righteous man and delivers his retribution upon those who have wronged him and stand in his way. (His enemies) He can work with that, that’s the easy part.

Eddie’s story since before he became a face, has been one of personal struggle. How to cope with losses and demons. “Humble in victory, humble in defeat” a phrase he repeatedly uttered during the C2 tournament when he started off rocky with multiple losses. Eddie knew it would not be easy to fight a man he also considers a brother, but he knows when the bell rings, it's all business, and love you or hate you, he’s going to give it his all to win. Eddie’s greatest battle would be answering the question, ‘How do you cope with a loss to someone you love?’

They love differently than you and I

After several uses of a chair and head bashes into the announce desk that left Mark Brisco donning the crimson mask, both men lay on the mat exhausted, 23 minutes into the Main Event and the crowd is chanting “BOTH THESE GUYS!” commending the efforts of both wrestlers, that they all love.

Mark is bleeding so much he leaves a pool of blood anywhere his head lays.

Eddie suplexes Mark to the outside, the ROH 20-count begins, Eddie makes it back to the ring.

Mark struggles to climb up, and a gasp overcomes the audience as he collapses back to the outside at the count of 17! Commentators start screaming “COME ON MARK!!”

With a count of 2 left Mark manages to pull himself back into the ring before he’s counted out.

The crowd is red hot, dropping sporadic “MAN UP!” chants. They will not let Mark give up.

Depleted of all reserves, the men continue to engage in a back and forth of clever counters and reversals of devastating moves that could have scored a pinfall logically at any time. But they won’t quit, not yet.

The mat is stained from end to end with blood. Mark slaps Eddie, Kingston counters a Jay-Driller and hits a dragon suplex, and his back fist finisher, 1, 2, KICK OUT! Mark won’t die!

MAN UP! MAN UP!

Eddie, covered in Mark’s blood, attempts a suplex, Mark counters into a cutthroat driver that he hasn’t done in years. He points to his brother’s visage embroidered on his shorts, covered in blood sweat and tears he screams out, 

“JAAAAY DRILLLLLA!”

Calling his shot he picks up Kingstons’ exhausted body and hits his late brother’s finisher that is now his own, 1, 2, 3. He’s done it! The bell rings and streamers fly across the ring draping both men in brightly covered ribbons before Mark can even pull himself up. Before he can even collect himself, the ROH originals rush to the ring with Mark’s family to congratulate and embrace him.

“We know how Kingston reacts to wins, what we don’t know is how he reacts to losses”

Eddie starts to pull himself up, he can feel the eyes of his peers and fans and Mark on him. He knows this is the final hurdle of his great battle. Can he be humble in this moment in defeat? He gives a smile and a nod as he pulls himself up, he wants to leave but Mark won’t let him, not without the code of honor handshake, but instead the two men embrace in a hug sends the crowd screaming with joy. 

Blood, Sweat and tears, all so incredibly real in this moment. These are not sports entertainers, these are warriors. Commissioned to battle each other not out of hate but happenstance.

Artwork Courtesy of Keybebop_

Watching this match back to make sure I had all this information correct not only reminds me of how much I cried at seeing Mark Briscoe finally achieve that dream, the ROH World Championship, that title and that brand that meant everything to him and his brother, I was balling like a baby then, and I’m typing through the tears from it now. And to be put over by a guy like Eddie Kingston, who was indeed humble in all his title victories, could not have asked for a better opponent to lose to. Someone he could continue to love and be proud of. Mark gave it his all. The crowd and the spirit of his brother gave him the strength to persevere. Eddie was not bested, he simply lost that night to a force that refused to die. We’ll never know the full extent of the personal battles and demons he faces in his real life. But for what he brings to the screen, for his character which is really just him, that’s why we love him. He might be the realest person in the most make believe industry. 

As for Mark, he was hoisted onto the shoulders of his ROH peers, men that traveled up and down the road with him over 20 years all crying and emotional because a man who no one believed could be a champion outside of his brother’s success, had finally earned that right, the right to call himself for the first time ever, a World Champion. His humble and unwavering positivity is his defining characteristic, Mark was so strong he was the one consoling people and pulling THEM out of dark places in the wake of Jay’s passing. Never letting the fans see his emotions publicly. You could not write a stronger heart of a champion than this man.

In April of 2024, WrestleMania weekend, this was the best wrestling match. And only Honor Club members knew about it.

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