AEW's roster has been subject to a lot of criticism from veterans over the years. While he might now be carrying gold, Eddie Kingston has been slammed for his in-ring work by Disco Inferno.
Kingston has notably won viewers' hearts despite being a heel at one point. He's now considered an anti-hero by many AEW fans. But could his character use some revamping to reach a larger audience?
During a recent episode of Keepin' It 100, Disco Inferno explained how The Mad King could make himself a more credible competitor.
"Eddie Kingston would be a far more credible character with the way he looks and his promos if he wrestled like Dick Murdoch. If 50% of his offense was standing there and punching the guy and, you know, like a tough New York Street Fighter." (02:22 - 02:48)
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Disco added:
"But instead, this kid’s a mark for Japanese wrestling and Strong Style wrestling. He looks like an indie mark cosplaying Japanese Strong Style when his look and the way he talks looks like a guy that should be doing street fighting." (02:49 - 02:56)
Kingston has recently secured numerous wins and is a champion in both ROH and NJPW. Naturally, he caught the attention of Chris Jericho, who called him out online.
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Disco Inferno explained exactly where the AEW star is falling short in the ring
Eddie Kingston has had many impressive feuds with top AEW talents, including Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Jericho. Despite this, Disco believes the star needs much improvement.
In the same episode, Disco Inferno mentioned that he did not like The Mad King's in-ring work and criticized his moves.
"I’m not a fan of Eddie Kingston’s work at all. I love the guy’s promos, his promos are excellent – I don’t know why people think this guy’s in-ring is any good because [his] strikes don’t look good, he does that backhand thing – it doesn’t really look that good. His chops are very amateurish." (0:57 - 01:26)
The Mad King recently claimed he wasn't involved in AEW's creative decisions and explained why he wouldn't want to be engaged if given a chance.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Keepin' It 100 and provide a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.