Huge AEW Return Is On The Horizon (AEW News)

Eddie Kingston's AEW return is finally happening.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Collision Action Andretti Eddie Kingston
AEW

It appears that Eddie Kingston's AEW return is on the imminent horizon.

Last night's AEW Collision saw Big Bill directly call out the Mad King, noting how he himself is from a place known for tough guys, New York City, and that there's someone else from NYC who likes to think of themselves as a tough guy. That person hasn't been heard from in a while, hasn't been seen in a while, and that person is Eddie Kingston.

It's been 16 months since Eddie Kingston last competed, with the former Triple Crown Champion having suffered a fractured leg and a torn ACL and meniscus in a match against Gabe Kidd at NJPW Resurgence back in May 2024. Eddie underwent surgery in July, and it's been a long road to recovery for the hugely popular veteran.

Many fans had speculated that Eddie Kingston's eventual return to AEW action would be as a part of the ongoing Death Riders storyline, though it appears it's Big Bill, and likely Bryan Keith, up first for Kingston. Given how Eddie has plenty of history with members of the Death Riders - most notably Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli - inserting him into the group's rivalry with AEW's top babyfaces would certainly be one way to use Eddie, with him an ideal big-name babyface who could help fill the void left by Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland as they recover from their own injury issues. On top of that, with Gabe Kidd now an ally of the Death Riders, there's plenty of story there for Kingston to return to, playing off the injuries he suffered in that match against the Bullet Club War Dogs man last year.

Advertisement

Either way, it'll just be great to have Eddie Kingston back on our screens, with Eddie one of the most authentic pro wrestlers on the planet. Kingston is one of those rare modern wrestlers who, whether as a babyface or a heel, never feels like they're playing a character, largely because he isn't. To borrow a line from the legendary Mick Foley, we believe because he believes.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.