In a recent appearance on the “Gabby AF” podcast ahead of AEW Worlds End 2023, AEW Triple Crown Champion Eddie Kingston expressed his desire to wrestle in Japan again, noting that his first time competing at Korakuen Hall was like a religious experience.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On wrestling in Japan: “Mox put it the best in the interview. 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.”
On the wrestlers who inspired him: “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.”
Kingston won the finals of the Continental Classic tournament last Saturday after beating Jon Moxley at AEW Worlds End 2023.
As the AEW Triple Crown Champion, Kingston simultaneously holds the AEW Continental Title, the ROH World Title, and the NJPW Strong Openweight Title.
