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In an interview with the New York Post, Eddie Kingston revealed his initial reaction to hearing that he would be receiving a contract from AEW.
In his 18-year professional career, Eddie Kingston never really had a promotion he could call home. He mostly functioned out of Philadelphia-based CHIKARA, and even worked a few short stints with some of the bigger promotions such as IMPACT and ROH, and even had a tryout with WWE.
However, for a long time, Eddie Kingston's pro wrestling future was up in the air due to an inability to find consistent work thanks to the COVID pandemic. This changed in July when he signed for AEW, and the 'Mad King' recalled his reaction to the news.
"It means the world to me. I didn’t understand why I was crying and my girlfriend was just like, ‘Let it go, let it out because you reached a goal. You did it.’ I was like, damn. I was gonna be broke and homeless and back living with my parents. It hit me then. I just started bawling in the car and apologizing for crying. That whole New York tough guy thing, I can’t let anyone see me cry."
Eddie Kingston impressed in his AEW debut against Cody
Before receiving his full-time contract, Eddie Kingston had to earn it, and he did so by first calling our AEW's Cody Rhodes while he was working an indie show in early July.
In Two weeks time, Eddie Kingston received his opportunity with a chance at Cody's TNT Championship as part of Cody's open challenge. He had his match with the American Nightmare on the 22nd of July on AEW Dynamite and impressed company brass so much when he received a huge reaction from the fans.
After his debut match, Kingston did receive calls from the WWE regarding an opportunity with them, and this along with his performance against the TNT Champion prompted AEW to give Eddie his contract a little more than a week after his match.
There can be no denying that this is nothing short of a feel-good story not just for Eddie Kingston but for the pro wrestling world in general. Kingston faces Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at Full Gear on Saturday.
