Eddie Kingston almost quit pro wrestling.
After being on the shelf for over a year, the first Continental Champion finally made his return this past Saturday at All Out beating Big Bill in Canada.
It was a triumphant moment as it appeared that Kingston was still in the recovery process throughout the several training videos he released in the Summer. The AEW star has detailed his mental struggles throughout his journey to get back into the squared circle and apparently, Eddie Kingston had some serious thoughts about quitting the business altogether.
“I went from beating myself up, not knowing if I’d get back in the ring, and trying to be satisfied. I told myself, ‘Well, I reached this goal and I reached that goal.’ I was trying to convince myself that it’s OK to call it.” he told Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports.
Mahjouri went deeper into the conversation by questioning if Kingston found any closure.
“I couldn’t. Nothing. Death. Honestly. I tried to find everything. I would lie to myself.”
Kingston compared his situation to Homicide, who made the recent call to retire. Unfortunately for Homicide, his retirement was forced by the former X-Division Champion due to a cyst found in his brain. Homicide didn’t get to go out on his terms; however, the former TNA star encouraged Kingston that he should go out on his.
“He didn’t get to go out his way. So he’d tell me, ‘Go out your way. I know this is not the way you want to go out.’ I want to go out on my shield. I want to go out swinging to the end. People can say whatever they want about Eddie Kingston, but one thing they can’t say is that I wasn’t defiant to the end. That’s what kept me going.”
Eddie Kingston does read fan messages. And he doesn’t seem to understand why people care about him so much.
“And as corny as this sounds, but I need to say it, I’d read messages from fans. I would sit there and wonder why these people even care. I’m just a kid from Yonkers, New York. That’s it. I got to live out my nine-year-old dream and be a pro wrestler.”
What’s next for Eddie Kingston? It’s unclear at the moment. So far, he hasn’t been confirmed for Dynamite Wednesday, but that can change at any moment. It should be interesting to see how long it takes for him and Jon Moxley to cross paths with one another.