AEW’s Eddie Kingston would likely have never become a name in professional wrestling had it not been for the original ECW.
With his violent style, Kingston would have been a perfect fit for the Extreme promotion, which was purchased by the WWF in early 2001, and later revamped in 2006.
Appearing on the Talk is Jericho podcast in an episode recorded on the Rock & Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise, Kingston discussed the importance that ECW played on his wrestling career. He said,
“I fell out of love with wrestling because it was very kiddy. I just got tired of it … I was becoming a teenager and a friend of mine put on ECW, the first thing I see is New Jack and I go oh, I grew up with guys like that. I see Raven with his whole depression stuff and I go oh, I feel like that. I see [Tommy] Dreamer, he’s from Yonkers and I see Shane Douglas and I see blood and half-naked women.
“ECW brought me back into pro wrestling where I found guys like Chris Jericho. ECW brought in Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko. A lot of the style that you see today, yes it’s an elevated version but it would never be on TV if it wasn’t for guys like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Mr. Jericho himself. ECW gave them that platform.”
Following this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Kingston ‘quit’ Tony Khan’s promotion.
