Eddie Kingston is set to make his long-awaited return to the AEW ring this Saturday at All Out, but in a candid interview with CBS Sports, the Mad King revealed that the comeback nearly never happened.
Sidelined for more than 16 months with a devastating string of injuries—a broken tibia, a torn ACL, and a torn meniscus suffered at NJPW Resurgence in May 2024—Kingston detailed a grueling recovery process that pushed him to the edge of retirement.
He admitted the mental toll outweighed the physical challenges, particularly during a stretch when personal circumstances left him alone for two months with no physical therapy. “The hardest part of anything in life is the mental game,” Kingston said. “For two months, I was by myself. I wasn’t doing PT, sitting there days in the dark by myself… I coped with food, which didn’t help.”
During that period of isolation, he seriously contemplated ending his career, trying to rationalize a sense of closure. “I went from beating myself up, not knowing if I’d get back in the ring, and trying to be satisfied,” he recalled. “I told myself, ‘Well, I reached this goal and I reached that goal.’ I was trying to convince myself that it’s OK to call it.”
When asked if that decision would have brought him peace, his response was stark. “I couldn’t. Nothing. Death. Honestly. I tried to find everything. I would lie to myself.”
One of the turning points came through conversations with his mentor, Homicide, who was forced into retirement earlier this year due to a brain cyst. Kingston remembered his advice: “He didn’t get to go out his way. So he’d tell me, ‘Go out your way. I know this is not the way you want to go out.’ I want to go out on my shield. I want to go out swinging to the end.”
That determination, combined with unfinished goals like wrestling at Madison Square Garden and capturing the AEW World Championship, reignited Kingston’s drive. Messages of support from fans also played a role, surprising him with their depth. He admitted wondering why so many cared about “just a kid from Yonkers, New York.”
Kingston also reflected on what he would have missed most if he had walked away—the sense of calm he feels inside the ring. “It’s an out-of-body experience when I’m in that ring… It’s peaceful. For me, it’s peaceful and calming, even though I’m getting beaten up or beating someone up. That’s what I’d miss.”
That peace returns this Saturday when Kingston steps back into the ring for the first time since May 2024, as he faces Big Bill at AEW All Out in Toronto.