Eddie Kingston to have surgery, gives motivational message

Eddie Kingston had a chance to make his dreams come true by defeating Claudio Castagnoli to become a ROH world champion at Supercard of Honor, but he came up short. Kingston disappeared from the screen since then, and rumors circulated that the Mad King was injured. Kingston delivered a promo on episode seven of ROH TV addressing his current status.

Kingston explained that he will undergo surgery for a hernia that has been bothering him since September. He weaved that into a storyline promo with a motivational message. If you are a fan of Kingston, then you’ll enjoy this clip.

Kingston entered the world title match thinking he could bully Claudio, but he didn’t stick to his game plan. Kingston compared himself to Arturo Gatti. The pugilist always started his bout by boxing, then it would always turn into a brawl. During the match with Claudio, Kingston reverted to what he knows, which is brawling.

Kingston credited Claudio as the better man on that evening. The Swiss Superman put a whooping on the Mad King. That’s actually the reason why Kingston discovered he needed surgery. Kingston graphically described his discomfort and pain experienced in his hotel room after the match.

At that moment alone, Kingston thought about quitting. He revealed inside information that he is still under AEW contract, despite this ROH storyline. Kingston admitted that he wanted to blame everyone else for his failure, because that was comfortable behavior for him. Then Kingston had a realization. You win or you learn. He forgot that lesson and regressed back to the mentality of winning or losing. The reality is that the only time you lose is if you don’t learn. Kingston learned from that loss to Claudio.

Kingston continued with the message to move forward. Without struggle, there’s no progress. He is in the eternal struggle of the Mad King. He will move forward, because he has no choice.

That was a very good promo in context of Kingston’s story. Taking responsibility is a strong step for the Kingston character to evolve. This is ripe for an arc of personal improvement. Kingston will probably have to lose weight in the short-term to aid his healing from hernia surgery, so he might as well turn that into a training montage to create anticipation for his return. Put together some meetings with Katsuyori Shibata, and we have solid building blocks for a great story of Kingston conquering Claudio to win the ROH World Championship. Even if Kingston doesn’t actually change much, it is all about giving the perception that he has to make the story work.

On a personal level, best of luck to Kingston in recovery from his hernia surgery.

What is your reaction to Eddie Kingston’s promo?