The former AEW Continental Champion shares his thoughts on AEW’s recent releases.
This past Monday, CM Punk spoke to Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour, where he broke his silence on a number of issues, including his infamous confrontation with Jack Perry that led to his termination. Later that day, AEW released ten of their contracted talents, and one of their top stars has now shared his thoughts on the situation.
Speaking to Adrian Hernandez, Eddie Kingston was initially asked about Punk’s comments, however he instead chose to first address the aforementioned releases, noting that his heart goes out to his former colleagues, but that that’s just the nature of the business.
“You know what I’m more concerned about? I’m not gonna front, are the people who lost their jobs (at AEW). Honestly. That’s what I’m more worried about. I’m more worried about Dasha (Kuret) and I’m more worried about Anthony Henry and Stu Grayson and others who got — sorry if I didn’t mention y’all names, no disrespect but I’m worried about them. My heart goes out to them, so I know how it feels to lose a job. Not just that, I mean a job. Either way you look at this, wrestling or not, it’s still a job and that’s how you feed yourself and your family. My heart goes out to them. That’s what I’m more concerned about, than what Phil said. Because the people that got let go, did work for us and now they have to find another way to make ends meet and that’s what concerns me more. Whether I knew them, because some I knew very well, some I didn’t. Still, my heart goes out to them. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not saying it’s wrong. What I am saying, it’s the business. People get hired and fired daily. It’s just part of it but still, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t leave me heartbroken that some of the people like Dasha, that I won’t see every week, that I loved seeing every week, who put a smile on my face every week I saw her. That’s what I’m more concerned about… I care. I care about that more. That’s it.”
-Eddie Kingston
Kingston was then asked to share his thoughts on the remarks made by Punk during his MMA Hour appearance, although he made it very apparent that he isn’t concerned about comments made by people outside of the company.
“And? He don’t work for us. I don’t give a f*ck. Honestly, honestly, he don’t work for AEW, so I don’t care. That’s it, I’m not even mad. If it sounds like I’m mad, it’s just the way I talk (he laughed). But no, I don’t care. I know other people do but I really don’t give a f*ck because he doesn’t work for AEW. That’s the way I look at it. If he worked for AEW and did that, then I might feel a certain way, for a little bit and then I would just let it go and go, welp, that’s Phil being Phil. Can’t control him, that’s his thing. He ain’t me and I ain’t him, so, but he doesn’t. So I don’t care what he does.”
-Eddie Kingston
The 10 talents released by AEW on Monday were Anthony Henry, The Boys (Brandon Tate & Brent Tate), Stu Grayson, Dasha Kuret, Gravity, Parker Boudreaux, Slim J, Jose the Assistant and Jora Johl.
Kingston is set to defend the ROH World Championship against Mark Briscoe at Supercard of Honor this Friday before teaming with Briscoe and TNT Champion Adam Copeland to take on House of Black at AEW: Dynasty.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the reaction to CM Punk’s comments and the recent AEW releases as soon as we hear more, and we wish all the best to those who received their releases with their next moves.
H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription.
