All Elite Wrestling superstar and reigning ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston is a beloved figure, but one known for his ”non-traditional” physique. However, that doesn’t matter to Kingston.
Speaking to Cam Hawkins in a recent interview for Fightful, Kingston was asked about how he doesn’t look like a “traditional” champion, but people know he’s still very talented. Hawkins prefaced his comments by bringing up a past conversation on Twitter, noting how attempting to have a nuanced discussion on social media has its disadvantages. He noted that Kingston was so good at all of these other things in wrestling, but pro wrestling, in general, was a physique business, with pros and cons.
To Kingston, none of that matters too much. According to the double champion, Kingston said that fans don’t know just how hard he practices and trains his body to compete. He went on to say that if fans don’t want to watch him due to his body type, then they don’t have to.
“But it’s funny to me because if you read my Player’s Tribune interview, there was a moment in my life I’m not going to repeat it… There was a moment in my life where I had a choice and I was in second or third grade, I had a choice of whether to prove a certain parent wrong or being a black sheep like she thought my family was,” said Kingston. “And I said, “I’m going to be the blackest sheep you ever seen.” I remember thinking that in second and third grade. So being the black sheep in wrestling, that doesn’t bother me at all. I wear that as like a badge of honor. I should get that tattooed on my face. But yeah, man, people can say whatever they want about my look.
They Don’t Know The Work That Goes In
“It doesn’t bother me. They don’t know the work that I do,” continued Kingston. “They don’t know the stuff I do at the gym. [Or] what I do at Muay Thai, you know what I mean? They don’t know. And then having to stretch for hours just to get a little bit loose and take a hot bath and a cold shower and jump in an ice bath and do a sauna after every workout and after every Muay Thai class and every Jiu Jitsu class that I’m starting to get back into again.You know what I mean? They don’t know the work I do, and that’s fine.
“They don’t need to know the work I do. Just watch or don’t. That’s not my concern. My concern is winning. [I’m concerned with] my opponent, you know what I mean? My concern is when it’s time for me to speak, to reach people, you know what I mean? To make people feel something. And that’s it. That’s all I concern myself about, you know what I mean? Plus what I mean, on my cheat meals, they say maybe I go a little bit too far, but I’m gonna do me. At the end of the day, people don’t know what I do for this.”
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