Eddie Kingston plans to scale back his schedule.
At Dynamite Grand Slam in Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York’s own Eddie Kingston finally became a World Champion. In the opening match of the night Kingston challenged long-time rival Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship, while his own NJPW STRONG Openweight Title was also on the line.
The rivalry between the pair stretches back 15 years and is one of the most personal feuds in wrestling. After a stunningly hard-hitting contest, Kingston scored the win after felling Castagnoli with a Spinning Back Fist and later a Powerbomb.
With the win, Kingston became a double-champion.
Posting on social media, Kingston has now confirmed that he’ll be stepping away from the independent scene to focus on defending his titles. The Mad King also revealed he’s dealing with a lower back injury that he plans to get fixed.
Eddie Kingston was pulled from an independent booking in the lead-up to Grand Slam, and he was replaced by Lance Archer.
I love the Independents but times have changed. I am truly sorry for not being able to do them right now. But I am truly no bullshit trying to be the best Champion for both NJPW strong and ROH and must put that above anything else right now. This sucks.
Eddie Kingston Dedicates ROH World Title Win To Xavier
Speaking backstage after the show, Eddie Kingston toasted the NJPW Openweight Championship and his newly-won ROH World Title. The Mad King dedicated his World Title win to Xavier who was the second-ever Ring of Honor World Champion.
Xavier sadly passed away in 2020.
Eddie Kingston has since revealed he’s signed a new four-year deal with AEW.