AEW star Eddie Kingston has opened up about the immense physical and mental struggles he has endured during his year-long absence from the ring. In a raw and emotional new training video, the “Mad King” detailed his difficult recovery from a major leg injury, his battle with his own mental health, issues with his insurance, and the moments where he contemplated retiring from professional wrestling altogether.
Eddie Kingston on His Mental Health Battle and Contemplating Retirement
Eddie Kingston has been out of action since May 11, 2024, when he suffered a severe leg injury in a match against Gabe Kidd at a New Japan STRONG event. In a new training video with Cezar Bononi, Kingston gave an unflinchingly honest look at the dark places his mind went to during his recovery, especially during a period where he was unable to get physical therapy due to insurance issues.
“I’m sitting in my own shit. I’m watching AEW, and I’m seeing all the great shit these guys are doing in the ring. Like an emotional bitch, sometimes it happens. I tweet out, ‘What the fuck am I going to do when I come back?’” Kingston said. “That’s why the thing came out about me thinking about retirement. I don’t want to fucking retire. I don’t, but during that four or five months during PT, once in a while, I just sat in my own shit thinking, ‘Yeah, fuck. I did the G1. I wanted to do more, but ah, fuck it.’ I’m making excuses for why it’s okay to quit.”
His candid comments provide a powerful look at the self-doubt and depression that can affect athletes during a long and uncertain injury layoff.
The Struggle of Watching from the Sidelines
For a competitor as passionate as Eddie Kingston, being forced to watch from the sidelines while his peers and rivals continued to perform at a high level was a form of torture. He described the mental battle of seeing the incredible matches on AEW Dynamite and pay-per-view each week while he was unable to compete.
“I’m thinking to myself, how am I going to fight these dudes…people can say what they want about wrestling, but my mental is, ‘How am I going to fight people when they are this good and I wasn’t even that good to begin with, and now I’m coming back off ACL surgery,’” he recalled thinking.
He explained that he would get stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts, a feeling he believes many people can relate to. “I knew I’d get out of it, but I didn’t want to,” he admitted.
Learning to Push Through
Kingston has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness throughout his career, and his latest comments are another powerful example of his honesty. He made it clear that he doesn’t see these struggles as a sign of mental weakness, but rather as a common human experience. He reflected on his own growth, stating that when he was younger, he didn’t know how to push through these difficult periods, but now he does. He believes that the key is learning how to push past the mental hurdles and the self-doubt, a lesson he has learned through years of struggle.
Eddie Kingston is now back in the ring and actively training for his return, though it is not yet known when he will appear on AEW television. His raw and emotional story is a powerful reminder of the unseen battles that professional wrestlers face. After more than a year of physical and mental warfare, the “Mad King” is preparing to make his comeback, and his journey of recovery has only added another layer of depth and authenticity to one of the most beloved and respected figures in all of wrestling.
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