Eddie Kingston: ‘I Found the Perfect Home in AEW’

– Sports Illustrated interviewed AEW’s Eddie Kingston this week ahead of his title match with Jon Moxley this Saturday at AEW Full Gear. Below are some highlights.

Eddie Kingston on finding a home in AEW: “I found the perfect home in AEW. WWE has shown interest in the past, but not always as a wrestler. That was always the sticking point. After my match with Cody, they saw me more as a player-coach, and that piqued my interest. My mother made the call. She said I would be happier in AEW than WWE, so I said, ‘OK, that’s where I’ll go.’ You have to be good to your mother; she gave you life. No one will ever know me better than my mother, so I listened to her.”

Kingston on what the title match means to him: “This is my chance to prove what I need to prove. I want to show that championship title to my mom, to my dad, to my brother and to my uncles, my nieces and nephews. I want to show it to everyone that has known me since I was a child. When I show them that belt, I’m going to tell them, ‘This is why I acted the way I acted. This is why I made the decisions I made.’ When I show that championship belt to my uncle, I’ll tell him, ‘This is why I didn’t join the union.’ When I show that championship belt to my dad, I’ll say, ‘This is why I didn’t go to college.’ When I show it to my mom, I’ll say to her, ‘This is why I didn’t get married yet and give you a grandkid.’ When I have that championship, that is the reason. This is the top world heavyweight championship, and that is going to signify every decision I’ve ever made.”

On wanting to become the top guy: “If you’re waiting to see Moxley-Omega, then good, keep looking past me. That’s disrespect to me. I’m going to win. If that puts a wrench in some people’s plans, that’s O.K. Those are their plans, not mine. I’m in this business to be the top guy, I’m in this business to be champion. I am working my ass off to prove I can be the world champion for the top company in America. This means everything to me. I will be AEW champion, and when I’m champion, my goal is to be better than ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, so the work never ends.”