Eddie Kingston is inarguably one of the most beloved wrestlers in the All Elite Wrestling roster. The sheer authenticity of the Mad King’s story thus far saw him challenge for the TNT Championship and the AEW World Championship within a few months of debuting, not a small feat considering the roster Tony Khan has assembled. However, the Mad King’s ambitions go beyond the company he’s working for.
For those not aware, the G1 Climax is a tournament hosted by New Japan Pro Wrestling. It is held in round-robin format and there’s a final to decide the winner. It’s a highly prestigious tournament, won by a number of legendary figures, both past and present.
A huge fan of Japanese wrestling, Eddie Kingston is quite keen on not just participating in the G1 Climax but winning it. In a recent interview with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, the beloved babyface revealed his desire to emerge victorious in a bid to immortalize his legacy.
“Yeah. The last time I was in Japan was in 2011 for Osaka Pro, at the time,” he recalled. “Yeah, G1 has always been a goal. I was talking to somebody the other night, it was a youngin’ in the locker room—I’m not gonna say who—but I was trying to explain that when I broke in my biggest goals were ECW, right before they closed; All Japan, at the time, before the NOAH split; and then New Japan and I wanted to be in all the tournaments. So, of course, the G1’s always a goal. If not this year, then it’ll be a goal next year. For me, personally, the competitor in me, it’s not just about being invited to the G1. It’s about actually winning. Not just doing good. Not just making it to the finals and other people would be happy about that. No, I’m trying to live forever. I’m trying to have my legacy live forever, so I’m trying to win the whole thing. So G1. There’s your answer. To anyone listening—G1! Let’s go.”
– Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston went on to express his aspirations to face Japanese greats Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yuji Nagata. He credited the former for “saving puroresu at one time” and went on to name his favored opponent for the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view: Jun Akiyama. Kingston has stated in previous interviews that Akiyama, KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji are his dream opponents.
For now, the King of Diamonds has the Jericho Appreciation Society to tend to with Chris Jericho and co. making life difficult for Kingston, Santana and Ortiz. On the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, the trio received help from the Blackpool Combat Club, setting up a fascinating dynamic heading into Double or Nothing which will emanate from the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 29th.
