Eddie Kingston and CM Punk had one of the most talked about promo segments of the year on AEW Rampage as the two men built their upcoming bout at AEW Full Gear.
When the segment was announced on the prior AEW Dynamite, fans began buzzing as Punk and Kingston are two of the most talented wrestlers on the mic.
Speaking to Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport, Kingston credited Punk for being one of the few wrestlers who fans anticipate seeing speak just as much as they anticipate him wrestling.
"I think Punk was the last guy," Kingston said regarding the anticipation for the segment being on the level of a big match. "I'll give him credit, I'll give the devil his due, it doesn't matter how I feel about him personally, after the Pipe Bomb, that was all him. All people want to see was him talk. he's the common denominator."
Speaking about the segment, Kingston confirmed that the similarities to Punk's promo with John Cena in 2011 were intentional while also saying, "There was a lot of reality to that before the little easter egg. There was reality to it. I'm not going to tell you how much reality."
When asked about Punk joining AEW and if he was excited at him coming in because he knew there would be a chance to work with him, Kingston replied, "I couldn't wait for him to come in because I knew he would help the company. I love AEW, I'm a homer, they gave me a shot and I'm not going anywhere, anything that helps this place grow, I'm all about. Then I was like, 'it'd be fun. It'd be fun to beat him up a little bit.' It was a more recent thing (us working together). I really don't know how it came up because I'm not that guy. I do whatever you tell me, whatever you got. If I don't like it, you'll know. Nine out of ten times it's, 'Eddie, you're doing this, this is what we need.' Bet. "
Kingston has never been shy to bare his soul on the mic, nor has he been shy about going after his opponents in a more personal matter.
When asked if there has been a lack of trust on the mic or wrestlers taking exception to what he has to say, Kingston replied, "They know that I'm going to go out there and be a pro and they know that I'm not going to go out there and go into business for myself and hurt them or bury them. They know I'm not going to do that. Whatever I say in that moment is reality, but after, I don't care. I've known a lot of these guys (in AEW) for over 10 years. They know how I am and they know I'm not going to do anything to hurt anybody. Everything I do is for the company. Have I had people on the Independents (be mad), yeah. Chris Hero, me and him don't like each other, there were a lot of things said by both of us where we were giving each other shots. We were letting each other say things and went, 'I'll remember that when we're in the ring.'"
Kingston and Punk are set to clash at AEW Full Gear on Saturday.
Ahead of the match, Kingston wrote an open letter on the Player's Tribune where he discussed his journey to AEW and mental health struggles. You can view his full letter by clicking here.
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