AEW's Eddie Kingston Opens Up About Wrestling In Japan, Favorite Matches

It's no secret that Eddie Kingston is a fan of Japanese wrestling, whose ring gear is a tribute to one of his favorite wrestlers, All Japan Pro Wrestling icon Toshiaki Kawada. In 2023, Kingston got to live out a dream of his by competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax tournament. 

"The Mad King" didn't qualify for the tournament finals, but picked up victories over the likes of Shingo Takagi, Tama Tonga, and HENARE in his campaign. During a recent appearance on "The DAVINci Report," Kingston revealed his favorite matches of his G1 run.

"If I tell anyone what matches to watch of mine in New Japan, it's definitely me versus Shingo and me versus [Tomohiro] Ishii in Korakuen [Hall]," said the AEW star.

Kingston explained that those matches embody the style of wrestling he loves and the emotional elements that come with it. However, he admitted that he likes all of his G1 matches for the simple fact that he loves being in Japan. 

"I don't know if I was, in another life, born in Japan or something. I don't know. I just feel — the best way I can put it to someone is, I feel no stress. It was the first time I didn't get angry for like 30 days when I was there, I felt like I could breathe in Japan," admitted Kingston.

He explained that the routine of being a pro wrestler in Japan put him at peace and made him grateful that he went down the rabbit hole of watching Japanese wrestling. He revealed that his love for Japanese wrestling began when he watched Kawada wrestle Kenta Kobashi to a 60-minute draw for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship in 1995.

Please credit "The DAVINci Report" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.