Bryan Danielson believes that Eddie Kingston is an incredible wrestler that could be even better if he applied himself a little more.
Heading into AEW Full Gear, Kingston and CM Punk captivated the wrestling world with a remarkably personal feud that incorporated the real-life issues between the duo, dating back to their days on the independent scene. In a renowned promo exchange between the two on AEW Rampage, Punk criticized Kingston’s work ethic and mentioned Danielson as someone who felt the way he does.
During the AEW Full Gear post-show scrum, Danielson shared his two cents on the matter. He noted that he had a similar message about “The Mad King” during the promos ahead of their match in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. He complimented Kingston by calling him an inspirational person before he criticized the fan-favorite star’s lack of “extra effort.” Danielson then emphasized the importance of putting in the work both in the ring and outside of it, as he recalled the way Kingston stayed out too late one night.
“It was interesting because Eddie and I had actually had interviews where I pretty much said the same thing,” said Danielson. “One, I wanna say this — Eddie is a very inspirational person, a very inspirational human being. But when I look at Eddie, and CM Punk looks at Eddie, and you could see it tonight, right? You look at him, he’s freaking awesome. What would happen if he put in that extra effort, right? You know what I mean? Like he works his ass off when he’s out there.
“But one of the things right before we had our first match, it was, I think we were in Miami. And it was the week before. After Miami, he goes out til three in the morning. After I show, I’m back in my hotel room, stretching, getting ready so that my body is physically prepared for the next week. Eddie’s shoulder right now is really banged up, right. I’ve been wrestling for 22 years, I feel invincible, right, and I’ve been wrestling every single week since I started here. So there’s putting in the work when you’re wrestling, and then there’s putting in the work when you’re not wrestling. And I think that’s the difference.”
READ MORE: Eddie Kingston Says He’ll Miss ‘No Time At Work,’ His Shoulders Are Fine
“The American Dragon” repeated his stance that Kingston has a lot of heart and called him a “great” wrestler. He even admitted that he’s sometimes jealous of Kingston’s natural abilities. He then applied the saying, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all” his description of the way Kingston never stops working, no matter how tired he gets.
“But this is what I wanna say about Eddie — one, he’s got incredible heart,” said Danielson. “Two, he’s such a great wrestler. I don’t know what you guys thought about that CM Punk/Eddie Kingston match, but it was unbelievable. And sometimes I get jealous because I’m not that naturally talented. And I see him and I’m like, ‘Oh god, what if I had that?’
“So I think that’s where the disappointment comes in. But then, this is one of the things that Tony wouldn’t let air, that I said about Eddie, is I said, ‘Fatigue makes cowards of us all.’ It’s in every amateur wrestling locker room all across the country. ‘Fatigue makes cowards of us all.’ I work my ass off, so I never get tired. Eddie’s the one guy I know who gets tired and doesn’t stop. And that just I think speaks to his heart.”
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