AEW's Eddie Kingston Talks Desire To Return To Japan, Why He Never Wanted To Go To WWE

AEW's Eddie Kingston has always been a unique figure in pro wrestling, someone who was inspired by the stars of All Japan and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s. As such, it was a fitting moment at AEW Worlds End, when Kingston defeated long-time friend Jon Moxley to win the AEW Continental Classic and the AEW Continental Crown, a title modeled after All Japan's Triple Crown Championship.

Days before the victory, Kingston sat down with "Gabby AF" to talk about his love for puroresu, and how happy he was that he got to compete in New Japan's G1 Climax earlier this year. But as much as Kingston enjoyed working in famed arenas like Korakuen and Sumo Hall, he's already thinking about going back.

"Mox put it the best in the interview," Kingston said. "He said 'Watching me in Korakuen Hall was like watching someone have a religious experience, or going to church.' And that's what it was for me. Going to Korakuen and Sumo Hall, and hopefully one day Budokan. That's church to me. That's what I always wanted to do, that's where I always wanted to be. When I broke in, there was only one company [WWE]. And I never wanted to go there anyway.

"All I ever wanted to do was be like [Toshiaki] Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, [Mitsuharu] Misawa, [Akira] Taue, [Jun] Akiyama, guys like that. I wanted to be [Keiji] Mutoh, [Masahiro] Chono, [Shinya] Hashimoto, I can go on and on and on. That was probably the best thing, not just this year, but my life in general, to reach something that you never know that you could reach, and you did it. That's why I say...if I can do it, honestly, anyone can do anything they want. It doesn't matter, just do whatever you want."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Gabby AF" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription