According to Chris Jericho on the latest Saturday Night Special podcast, he had no idea who AEW’s newest recruit Eddie Kingston was prior to the wrestler’s match with Cody Rhodes on a recent episode of Dynamite .
As quoted by Sportskeeda , the former World Champion confessed that he even mistook Kingston for another wrestler when he first learned about the bout taking place.
“I think it’s great that Eddie Kingston got signed, very very excited for him. I’d never heard of him. I had never heard his name, maybe read his name but it didn’t really register. As a matter of fact, when Cody first said Eddie Kingston, in the back of my mind I was thinking Eddie Edwards….so I didn’t really know him.”
While Jericho wasn’t familiar with Kingston until recently, he is now a fan of the performer. During the conversation, he even took the time to praise his promo skills and the way in which he presents his character.
According to Jericho, Kingston is “one of those guys who has that vibe of being a tough guy which is rare.” He thinks that’s rare in the business nowadays, even though it used to be commonplace back in the day.
Kingston answered a call to face Rhodes for the TNT Championship. While he was brought in to work as a free agent, he ended up receiving a full-time contract with the company as a result of his performance on Dynamite .
Welcome to the team #MadKing #EddieKingston is #AllElite #SignEddieKingston is now #EddieKingstonIsSigned pic.twitter.com/5O8KWHXvoI
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 31, 2020
Jericho went on to say that Kingston wasn’t brought in with the intention of giving him a deal. However, he’s happy to see his “dreams” come true and praised the fact he looks like a “street fighter,” much like his Inner Circle compatriots Santino and Ortiz.
Kingston is a veteran who competed for several independent companies before AEW. He is arguably best known for his time in Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerilla and Ring of Honor. He also had a brief stint in TNA.
The 38-year-old is known for his intense brawling style and gritty characteristics. Jericho isn’t the only person to have praised his talking ability throughout the years, and his new company will give him the chance to impress fans who might not be familiar with him either.
Jericho revealed that Alex Reynolds and Jon Silver also signed contracts with the company. Both performers also arrived from the independent circuit, continuing AEW’s trend of giving relatively unknown athletes some opportunities on mainstream television .
