Eddie Kingston had considered calling it a day on his in-ring career, but his mentor helped him gain a new perspective on things.
Kingston will make his long-awaited in-ring return at AEW All Out on Saturday. Kingston has been sidelined for over a year with a serious knee injury. He spoke with Shakiel Mahjouri for CBS Sports ahead of the event, sharing how he had serious doubts about his in-ring return.
“I went from beating myself up, not knowing if I’d get back in the ring, and trying to be satisfied,” Kingston said. “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.”
Kingston said he couldn’t find any closure. He dealt with binge eating as a way to cope when he was left to his own devices. Kingston tried to find answers and consulted a doctor for his binge eating, but finally found a way forward, thanks to some advice from his mentor, Homicide. The legendary wrestler retired from in-ring competition this year due to a brain cyst, and he told Kingston he needed to go out on his own terms, which he didn’t get to do.
Eddie Kingston found something to keep him going
“He didn’t get to go out his way,” Kingston said. “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.”
Kingston also shared that support from fans has aided him, having his back when he needed it.
“And as corny as this sounds, but I need to say it, I’d read messages from fans…” Kingston said. “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.”
Eddie Kingston will face Big Bill at AEW All Out on Saturday, September 20.
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