JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No matter how you find fame, when it happens things can change in your life. And for AEW’s current megastar Eddie Kingston, the spotlight isn’t something he necessarily adores. Like say his counterpart in the female division “Timeless” Toni Storm (who is known for portraying a Hollywood starlet from yesteryear).
“Cause I ain’t nobody. I’m just me,” said Kingston. “That’s the way I look at it. I’m not a star. Never wanted to be a star or whatever you call it. I just wanted to be a pro wrestler.”
And that’s what Kingston has been for more than two decades. But it’s only been recently that the country (and frankly the planet) has started to take notice of this man who got his start in Yonkers, NY.
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Kingston grew up around 45 minutes outside of New York City and found something that he knew could keep him out of trouble. “Wrestling’s always been there. When everyone else was hanging out on the street, I was at home on a Monday night,” said Kingston. “Or at home on a Friday or whatever to watch wrestling.”
So as a young man he tried his hand at a typical job for someone from Yonkers, iron working. But he quickly found out that wasn’t the direction he wanted his life to take. “I was doing iron working and I looked over at the guys I was working with and they were all like 50, some in their 60′s just hacking up lungs. Drinking on the job site. And I was like yeah there has to be something more,” Kingston said.
And he did something for many years that few wrestlers can claim. He was able to support himself and make a living as a wrestler on the independent circuit. There is not glitz, glamour or frankly much money wrestling in high school gymnasiums and VFW halls around the country. But Kingston was committed and pushed through the tough life.
Along the way he honed his craft and started facing some of the top wrestlers in the world. One he recalled was a match against the Dudley Boyz. One half of that team D-Von Dudley recently appeared on Going Ringside.
“D-Von’s a good dude. But not in the ring. If you’re not up to task with him, he’ll lay it in. Him and Bubba,” said Kingston.
Things changed following the major announcement by Tony Khan in 2019 that he was starting a new wrestling company, All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Finally a national, highly funded alternative to WWE. And a promotion on a major network. AEW now airs its programming on TBS and TNT.
As the company got up and running they took notice of Kingston. A man close to one of their top stars John Moxley.
“He said to me once that we’re cut from the same cloth. Have the same moves,” said Kingston of Moxley.
And he was brought in. Fans immediately gravitated to his no-nonsense demeanor and believability. He was believable because the Kingston on camera is the same as the Kingston off camera. “When you talk to me inside or outside of the ring. You’re like, oh this is who he really is,” said Kingston. “I’m just me. I guess you could just say Eddie Kingston is me at 17 years old. Just turned up a thousand notches.”
And while he was close with Moxley, Kingston has found some opponents he simply doesn’t mesh with. One notable name is Bryan Danielson. Simply put, Eddie Kingston doesn’t like him.
“He’s just judgmental. I don’t like judgmental people. He’s one of those guys. He’s vegan. I’m not knocking any vegan people. But he’s one of those guys who’s vegan but hates on everyone else who is,” said Kingston who has sparred both physically and verbally with Danielson over the past couple months. “He’s looked down on me my whole career. He’s not the only one though. A lot of other poele have done that because I’m not your typical athlete. I’ve got a little bit of a belly. I like to have 5-Guys, Whataburger. Whatever. I like to eat.”
Kingston said Danielson recently referred to him as a “Bum”. That’s a moniker Kingston has embraced. In fact he now refers to himself as “King of the Bums”.
And if that’s a phrase that endears him to the common man, Kingston has once again bonded with the common fan. Fans who see a guy like them.
In fact, Kingston likely can appeal to the average guy who may not have an overly muscular body with movie-star good looks. But he has charisma in spades. And a desire to tell you what he thinks. And if he doesn’t like you, he won’t hesitate to do what makes a wrestler a star... punch you in the face.