Eddie Kingston aims to remind people what Ring Of Honor was built on.
The ROH World Champion spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of ROH Supercard Of Honor. There, Kingston will defend his title against Mark Briscoe. Pritchard noted some of the similarities between champion and challenger, including being men of faith and growing up close to Philadelphia.
Kingston said as far as pro wrestling is concerned, they were also both born in ROH. He said Ring Of Honor was built on the spirit of competition, and they’ll pay tribute to that on Friday night.
“I think you can say Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston, those names, were born in Philadelphia. We were made in Philadelphia for pro wrestling. And thank God we were cuz we were able to go through a lot of stuff and still make it through because of Philly.”
Built on competition
“I feel good. I feel healthy as I can be of 22 years in this. Been training. Feel good about that, feel good about what I want to do in the match against Mark. But what I love about this match is that it is basically what Ring of Honor was built on. And it was built on competition. You don’t have me and Mark doing something fake where we have to make something up to make each other hate each other and ‘Grrrr.’ And build up a match. This is not about building up.
“This is about two men fighting for the top prize in Ring of Honor, which is the Ring of Honor World Championship. And two men who love Ring of Honor, want to represent Ring of Honor. And will fight, and will compete, and… I’ve said it in the other interviews and I’ll say it again. Me and Mark are going to write our love letter to Ring of Honor in violence. Cuz, this is what it was built on, competition. Two men just going at it and see who is better that night.”
Where is the story?
In some social media circles, there are complaints about storytelling. Or, in some cases, the lack of a story. Eddie Kingston noted that he doesn’t go on social media much at all, so he doesn’t see the criticism. However, he pointed out that the same spirit of competition and winning championships, or trying to be the best, is the story in his mind.
“To me there is a story in every match. It’s just, maybe you’ve got to look a little bit harder into it. Maybe it’s not blatant right in front of your face. But to me a story that will never end and that never changes, just two people men or women, going into that ring and fighting. And trying to win,” Kingston said. “That is the basis of everything.
“It’s competition, that’s the basis of pro wrestling. Then you add anything else, that you want to say. Story or whatever. With me anyway you always know, I’m trying to win,” Kingston adde. “I’m trying to make money, trying to be a champion, that’s it. This is what I’m in here for. I’m not in here to be, ‘happy-go-lucky guy.”
Rebounding from a loss to Okada
ROH Supercard Of Honor will mark Eddie Kingston’s first match since losing the AEW Continental Championship to Kazuchika Okada. Kingston said the loss certainly stung, especially that night in Toronto, but he’s moving on. Kingston says no one in wrestling remains unbeaten, so he’ll continue to fight and try to win his next match.
“Nothing changes. And I’m going to do what I have to do to win and… The loss to Okada, it hurt that night in Toronto. When I went back to the hotel room took an ice bath and then a hot shower so I can relax. Yeah it sucks. But in this life, you win and lose at life. No one goes undefeated in wrestling. Nobody. So you gonna have to win or lose man. And the test of a real man, I have to show that I’m a real man, not just for myself but for my family too, I got to show that I’m a real man. To then set an example like, ‘Yeah okay, I lost. But I’ve grown.’”
You win some, you lose some
In the past, Kingston might have drowned his sorrows with alcohol. However, he’s matured over time and knows he must move forward, defending his other titles and getting back to winning.
“I’m not doing that. Not no more. Cuz I can’t. I got to grow. So, it sucked when I first lost, yeah,” Kingston stated. “Then I start thinking in my head, ‘Man! I should drown my sorrows away.’ Maybe I don’t go to work anymore. I was embarrassed let alone… I was embarrassed I lost and just frustrated. That’s the key thing, just frustrated.
“But, I’ve learned over the years, man, you win some, you lose some. That is life. It’s not just pro wrestling, it’s not just competition, it’s life,” he noted. “There’s some days you wake up and you’ve won the whole day. And there’s some days where it feels like you lose the whole day. But I don’t got time to think about that. I got to hurry up and defend these other championships and move forward. I can’t be the old me no more, I can’t. And it’s tiring.”
ROH Supercard Of Honor takes place on April 5, 2024, at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
Watch our full interview with Eddie Kingston below:
