Eddie Kingston discusses competing in the G1 Climax 33 tournament.
AEW/ROH star Eddie Kingston won the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship by defeating KENTA at NJPW STRONG Independence Day. In doing so, he won his first title in NJPW. He was then announced for the G1 Climax 33 tournament.
Speaking with NJPW's official website, Kingston shared his thoughts ahead of competing in his first G1 Climax. When asked what the opportunity means to him personally, Kingston stated that it means everything to him, and it has always been his dream.
"It means everything to me. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I got started in the business. The pinnacle of pro wrestling. You have to be battle hardened, you have to be battle tested to survive here," Kingston said.
Kingston was also asked how he feels about showing AEW fans a different side of himself in NJPW. He made it clear that he wants to show everyone that he can do the Japanese style, as he has been studying it for a long time. Kingston then shared his belief that Japanese wrestling is the best wrestling on the planet.
"To me, Japanese professional wrestling is the best professional wrestling in the world. I felt that ever since I was a teenager. My first pro-wrestling tape had Muto versus Chono in the 1991 G1 final. That blew my mind, and it made me want to be here more than anywhere else," he said.
Looking ahead to the G1 itself, Kingston emphasized that while he's happy he gets to live his dream, he's there to fight. He then described how he's not worried about fighting. Instead, he's concerned he'll wake up and find out that he was dreaming.
"This all seems so surreal, but I’m not here just to be here. I’m here to fight because that’s all I’ve known in my life. All I know is the fight. I threw my first punch when I was eight years old at a kid in the schoolyard. So I’ll definitely be fighting. That’s not a worry. I’m just worried I’ll wake up in the morning and find out all this isn’t real," Kingston said.
Tony Schiavone recently stated that Eddie Kingston is his favorite wrestler of all time. Check out his comments here.
Kingston previously discussed recovering from hernia surgery. Click here to see what he had to say.
The G1 Climax 33 tournament will begin on July 15 and conclude on August 13. Check out the blocks here. Fightful will have coverage of the tournament as it progresses.
