In professional wrestling, there's nothing quite like a hometown hero. From Jerry Lawler in Memphis, to the Von Ericks in Texas, to modern-day stars like CM Punk in Chicago, promoters like Tony Khan have made incredible matches out of booking regionally in addition to nationally, and they will continue to do so moving forward because of how well it works.

On such example, Khan surmises, will actually be taking place on Wednesday at AEW Grand Slam, when New York's own Eddie Kingston will wrestle his life-long rival Claudio Castagnoli with both the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship and the Ring of Honor World Championship on the line.

Speaking with Josh Martinez on Superstar Crossover about his forthcoming showcase at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, Khan explained why putting Kingston against Castagnoli is such a compelling contest in New York City, as, in his opinion, the “Mad King” is a lot like booking Lawler in Memphis against his rival, Nick Bockwinkel.

“I don't think it's ever happened. Nobody's ever held singles championships in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling at the same time, and this is taking place on an AEW show,” Khan said via Fightful. “We're open to pro wrestling from all over the world. We've got huge matches up and down the card. It's really exciting because this reminds me a lot of the territory wrestling I grew up on. The biggest wrestling territory, in many ways, was always New York. For me, Claudio Castagnoli is a throwback to a great wrestler, Nick Bockwinkel. Claudio Castagnoli is the thinking man's wrestler. He's very classy, but he's a thorough professional. He's a tough guy, but he's highly intelligent. I think those guys would go on the Mount Rushmore of the most intelligent pro wrestlers, Claudio and Bockwinkel. I really believe Claudio is a great World Champion.

“This match reminds me a lot of when I was a kid going back and tape trading. In Memphis, there was Nick Bockwinkel versus Jerry Lawler. I think New York, as a market, this city is 100 times bigger than Memphis ever was, but if you're a real wrestling fan, you know Jerry ‘The King' Lawler versus Nick Bockwinkel was great wrestling. To me, Eddie Kingston is that kind of a hero to New York City, what Lawler was to the Memphis market. This is 100 times bigger, and he is this city's hero. Eddie Kingston is a great New York wrestling hero. I really believe the whole city's going to be rallying behind him, and it's a great match because it's a double championship match. It's got international implications.”

Is Khan's comp on the money? Will Kingston generate the same hype as Lawler in Memphis, with Castagnoli getting the Bockwinkel treatment right alongside him? Fans will have to wait to find out, but they would be wise to remember that Lawler only won 12 of his 30 matches against Hall of Famer and only took the title off the champion once during their decade in the ring together.

Tony Khan would welcome Jade Cargill back to AEW in the future.

Elsewhere in his conversation with Josh Martinez on Superstar Crossover, Tony Khan was asked about Jade Cargill's contract expiring with AEW and her presumed jump to WWE in the not-too-distant future.

While Khan didn't want to comment on Cargill's future, as technically she hasn't officially signed anywhere, he did compliment her in-ring efforts in AEW and would “always welcome” the original TBS Champion back to the promotion.

“Well, Jade had a great match on Friday night on AEW Rampage, and it was a great match against Kris Statlander,” Tony Khan said via Fightful. “Kris Statlander retained the TBS Championship on Rampage on Friday night, and I thought that was a great match. Definitely one of the best matches I've seen either of them have, and I thought really great main event for the show. As far as Jade goes, I can't really comment on that except to say that Jade has been a great wrestler for AEW and certainly always welcome in AEW. [Jade] could always be somebody we would always love to work with here in AEW.”

Is there a world where Cargill could return to AEW in the future? Sure thing; frankly, few expected to see her leave AEW in the first place, so it's safe to say Cargill views professional wrestling free agency more like the NBA than your typical Superstar. If WWE doesn't book her without a loss for literally years or can't provide the sort of Hollywood opportunities she craves, then who knows, maybe a lighter workload in the future could make more sense.