"He can retire then," "The game misses you - Fans react after popular star hints at never returning to AEW

A popular star recently hinted that he might not return to AEW. Fans have now given their thoughts on this development.

Eddie Kingston was on a meteoric rise in AEW last year. However, his push came to a screeching halt during his match against Gabe Kidd at NJPW Strong Resurgence. Kingston suffered a fractured tibia, a torn ACL, and a meniscus tear during the match, which forced him out of action for a considerable period. He underwent surgery in July 2024.

Reports suggested that the Mad King could return to the ring in mid-May or early June 2025. However, recent developments indicate that he might never return to the Jacksonville-based promotion again. Eddie Kingston recently took to social media to express that he no longer understands the company, and as a result, he might never return to the promotion:

"LOVE IS THE HIGHEST ELEVATION OF UNDERSTANDING. I don't understand AEW anymore after last night. Why come back smh," Kingston wrote.

Following this revelation, fans took to social media to give their thoughts on the situation. Check out some of their reactions below:

Screengrab of fan reactions (source: X.com)

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Malakai Black left AEW earlier this year

On the November 6, 2024, episode of AEW Dynamite, Malakai Black faced Adam Cole. After losing the match, Black and Cole shared a moment in the ring where they hugged each other. As Black was heading up the ramp, he glanced back at the ring for a brief moment, which sparked speculation about his future in the company.

At that time, Malakai Black denied any rumors that he was leaving the Jacksonville-based promotion. However, he only competed in three more matches for the promotion before he was taken off TV. Earlier this year, it was reported that Black was no longer with All Elite Wrestling.

During a recent interview on the In The Kliq podcast, Adam Cole addressed Black's departure from the company, stating that he had no idea what his former colleague's position was when they shared their moment in the ring. He further noted that their moment was shared out of mutual respect they had for each other due to the years they spent competing against each other:

“No, no. I really didn’t (know what was happening with Malakai Black & AEW when we had our moment on Dynamite). So, again, I do have a history of working with Malakai. Just an unbelievable opponent, an unbelievable guy to step in there with and we’ve shared a lot of really, really cool moments together. So for me, all it was was this personal moment between two guys who have a lot of respect for each other. I don’t know anything about — or didn’t know anything about what his plans were or anything like that. For me, it was just a cool moment with a friend after getting to work together for a long time.” [H/T Inside The Ropes]

It will be interesting to see if Eddie Kingston will return to AEW despite his recent comments.