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AEW star Eddie Kingston is one of those respected veterans who has brawled around the world for decades. While preparing for his big AEW comeback, Kingston has just revealed curious plans for life after the ring.
The Mad King grew up a wrestling fan, then debuted in 2002 at age 20. Kingston found success on the indies, and in TNA, ROH, NJPW, NWA, CZW, and PWG, among others. He joined AEW in July 2020, which led to his ROH return. The 43-year-old hasn't wrestled since dropping the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship to Gabe Kidd in a No Rope Last Man Standing match on May 11, 2024. He's still recovering from a torn ACL, torn meniscus, and tibial fracture.
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Kingston was expected to be out of action until May 2025. He has remained low-key for the most part but just appeared on Cezar Bononi's YouTube channel.
The former WWE and AEW talent welcomed Kingston to his personal facility for a workout and discussion. Bononi commented on how he chose to move to the middle of nowhere, joking that he's in hiding. This matches perfectly with Kingston's attitude over the years as he's never been big on the spotlight. The often controversial veteran grappler gave a glimpse at retirement plans:
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"I would like to be somewhere, nowhere. That's always been my thing. People who have known me for years... [they know that] when I was planning on leaving wrestling, like before everything happened, I was looking up jobs in Alaska because I know how to weld. I just wanted to be away. So, once I'm done with wrestling, I'm away. I'll have a flip phone or landline," Eddie Kingston said. [From 5:16 to 5:38]
Kingston won the 2023 Continental Classic to become AEW's first-ever Continental Champion. He's also a one-time ROH World Champion, a one-time NJPW Strong Champion, a one-time EVOLVE Champion, a one-time CHIKARA Champion, and a three-time CZW Champion.
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All Elite Wrestling will debut Down Under on Saturday, February 15 for the inaugural Grand Slam: Australia event. The fifth annual Grand Slam show will take place at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland.
New Zealand-Australian star Toni Storm will be out to get revenge at Grand Slam. AEW's three-time Women's World Champion won the Casino Gauntlet on Wednesday's Dynamite to become the new #1 contender to Mariah May. The former partners will clash at Grand Slam for the first time since May dethroned her of the title at All In on August 25.
May's last title defense came at Worlds End on December 28, where she retained over Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight. She then defeated Harley Cameron in a non-title match on Collision last weekend.
