Skip to main content
Wrestling On FanNation

Eddie Kingston Represents All Eras Of Ring Of Honor Ahead Of Global Wars Canada (Exclusive)

From his initial debut in 2006 to becoming the ROH World Champion, Eddie Kingston brings every era of Ring of Honor with him into this Friday's Global Wars event in Canada.
Sid Pullar III|
Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Eddie Kingston has etched his name among the most popular and influential figures in the modern pro wrestling scene thanks to his believability and captivating promo style.

With his influences to the King's Road era of AJPW, Kingston is someone who cut his teeth in the New York and East Coast independent scene before traveling all over the world to put his name on the map in an industry he has loved since his youth.

Back in 2006, Kingston made his first appearance for Ring of Honor as a member of the CZW roster in their war with the promotion. Then in the 2010s, he made his return to ROH alongside his mentor Homicide as one half of Outlaws Inc. Now all these years later, he represents several different eras of the company as a former world champion in 2026.

"I was in the era of when Gabe (Sapolsky) was there. And then I was in the era of HD Net, and then I was in the era of, I believe, Destination America. Then, I was in the era of Sinclair for at least you know a little bit before I got in trouble. On my own, it was my own fault, and Homicide, but no it was my own fault," Kingston told The Takedown On SI.

"And then I was in the era of this Ring of Honor and became world champion in this one. So yeah I’ve been in every era of Ring of Honor and Ring of Honor means a lot to me, because when I broke in the style that Ring of Honor was presenting, they were the only ones presenting it... And Ring of Honor was the place to be if you were an independent wrestler at one point and time. Ring of Honor was AEW without the money."

"The Mad King" will represent once again ROH, as well as AEW, for a landmark co-promotional event with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling for the Global Wars Canada event Friday night. Kingston will team with his tag team partner Ortiz to face "The Dynamite Kid" Tommy Billington and Adam Priest.

Kingston reunited with Ortiz in All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor following his return from a fractured tibia, torn ACL and a torn meniscus that kept him sidelined for a year and a half.

Making his official comeback at AEW All Out 2025, Kingston has been finding his footing back inside the squared circle where he feels most at home.

"Oh I love it. I finally have a little peace in my life, believe it or not," Kingston said. "Being in the ring brings me peace and all that chaos in the ring and fighting in the ring brings me peace. It is what it is, you know what I mean."

"So having that in my life is great, but nah it’s normal, it’s the same old stuff. I don’t get paid to wrestle, I would wrestle for free. I get paid for everything else before the ring. But that’s all the same, that’s all the same, but I’m back where I’m meant to be in the ring."

Ring of Honor means everything to Eddie Kingston

Eddie Kingston defeated Katsuyori Shibata on Collision Thanksgiving.
Eddie Kingston defeated Katsuyori Shibata on Collision Thanksgiving. | All Elite Wrestling

The former ROH World Champion took some time to reflect on where Ring of Honor has been and now not only representing this company, but also All Elite Wrestling this far in his career.

"This ain't me kissing the guy’s ass, but before I think I was 16 years, 17 years in wrestling before AEW opened, so it’s nice there’s another spot," Eddie explained. "So no, I give Tony Khan all the credit, but that was what Ring of Honor was to me. That was the spot that everybody wanted to be, so representing that, that means a lot to me because that’s where I wanted to be earlier in my career."

Kingston not only has his own history in ROH, but he also has loved what it has represented as a fan when he first got started in the pro wrestling business. Dating back to the inception of the promotion in 2002, Eddie remembers everything the letters of ROH used to and still stand for to this day.

Being a proud New Yorker, the inaugural AEW Continental Champion takes great pride in the history that his home has in relation to the lineage of Ring of Honor.

"I remember the Murphy Rec shows in the beginning. I remember Ring of Honor before the lights as I like to call it, before they had the lights and everything like that," Kingston stated. "And also being a New Yorker and people can say whatever they want, I have my New York bias, but three, well counting me four, maybe more, I’m just going by what I know, no disrespect to anybody, but like guys like me, Homicide, Low Ki, Xavier, New York guys."

"It was a New York guy who opened up the show. First match in Ring of Honor history was Amazing Red, Queens dude, you know what I mean, my man. A guy who trail-blazed the style that you see today, started what you see today. Him and Jay Briscoe, the late, great Jay Briscoe opened up Ring of Honor. A New Yorker and my man from Delaware, but anyway it’s the New York bias of being a New Yorker being Low Ki in the first main event, all that stuff."

"So anyway in general, giving you the long winded answer, it feels amazing and it feels actually right that I’m representing Ring of Honor in this.”

Nearly 24 years in pro wrestling, Kingston has become someone that younger wrestlers look up to and admire, but that is something that Eddie just hasn't gotten used to or comfortable with over his career.

"Stupid, it’s dumb. I tell them, 'don’t look up to me. It took me 18 years, what are you nuts?' Don’t do what I do, let me crash out, let me yell, let me scream, let me do all that, let me be a pain in the ass. You do the opposite of me and you’ll be ok."

"Look, you can do it my way, it’s just gonna be hard. And you’re gonna make it harder on yourself, but you’re gonna have your morals, you’re gonna take your stand and you’re gonna die on your hill or hills. I’m learning how to take that ‘s’ out of the equation and just have a hill. It’s like I wake up in the morning and say ‘which hill is it today.’"

Looking at his advice to the next generation, Kingston explained that he wants younger stars to learn from the past legends and the iconic names that he followed in the footsteps of, instead of following his lead.

"Anyway, I actually tell the younger guys that it’s wild to me because I don’t see myself as that, because I don’t see myself as anything," Kingston said. "I’m not Terry Funk, I’m not Kawada, Kobashi, Misawa, Taue, Muto, Hashimoto and Chono, I could go on and on and on of my inspirations, Eddie Gilbert all of that."

"But I’m not done, so look at them, 'don’t look at me as an inspiration,' you know what I mean. It’s just weird, I don’t like attention like that because I still feel like I haven’t done nothing. Like I’ve reached goals, you know, that’s great, but I’m not done, I’m still going."

"So that’s like, I still have those goals, so that’s why to me when I tell them I’m an inspiration, I go, ‘you’re nuts.’ Look at the guys who inspired me, trust me. Those guys made money, inspired people, I’m just me. I don’t want to be special, I’m just me because I get to do what I wanted to do since I was nine years old, so what’s so special about that? I don’t know, I don’t know. I just don’t like the attention as you can tell as I start getting uncomfortable."

The first ever Continental Classic winner further elaborated on the goals that he still wants to achieve in his career. Whether it be on his own or with his tag team partner Ortiz, there is still more for Eddie to accomplish before he hangs up his boots.

"The goal of being in Budokan’s still there, but hey, I put things out in the universe and it’s like in my head I think, every time I work out when I don’t want to, which is basically everyday. Like after we’re done with this, I gotta do cardio on the assault bike and I don’t feel like doing it, but I have to and I just think about some of the goals I still have left."

"One being the world champion, of course. Two being a tag champ with Ortiz, of course, but also the big one for me is, and it’s always think big or just don’t think of it at all, the biggest thing for me would be main eventing Budokan in Japan."

Those goals are what continues Eddie to keep pushing forward and fighting with the passion that has defined his identity over the course of the past two decades.

Kingston will now head to Canada for this huge Global Wars event and reflected on his history in the country throughout his legendary career.

"I love it, I love Canada man, all parts of it, bro. I remember doing Montreal for IWS, I remember doing C4, I remember doing, speaking of Toronto, I remember doing Alpha-1 over there out in Hamilton, which I always loved doing back in the day."

"I remember doing, I think it was UWA way back in the day when me and Sweeney did a Yellow Belly Strap Match where we just, you know, beat the piss outta each other. We were young and dumb and angry at each other and yeah whatever. I still do it now and I’m not young, I’m just dumb, but yeah I love Canada."

Eddie's connection with the fans is one of the most defining elements of what makes "The Mad King." This link to the audience is something that excites Kingston about this big show in front of Windsor fans at Global Wars.

"I love the fans out there, I just love hardcore fans and Canadian fans in general are just hardcore fans wherever you go in Canada in my opinion," Eddie said. "Everywhere I’ve been it doesn’t matter where, you have a hardcore fanbase there."

"When people talk about hardcore fanbases, they think of, again East coast bias, like Philly and Baltimore and Jersey and New York of course and yes even Boston. And they think Canada as well. Nah man and Canada was the first, if you want to say, 'out of country' booking that I had, so that always holds a special place in my heart. So I can’t wait to be honest with you. I’m excited if you can’t tell."

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz will face Adam Priest and Tommy Billington in a tag team match on the ROH x MLP Global Wars Canada event from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. You can watch the show live on Triller TV this Friday, March 27.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who has been covering the business for the past eight years. Starting off as a podcaster and creator of the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling YouTube channel, he made the transition to news and feature writing with Sportskeeda and WrestleTalk in 2020. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as Fightful, WrestleTalk, The Takedown and more. Follow him on X @TruHeelSP3

Share on XFollow TruHeelSP3
Home/Features