9 Wrestlers Who Fell Off HARD In 2025

8. Eddie Kingston

Eddie Kingston
AEW

At time of writing, Eddie Kingston has barely returned - but what an abysmal comeback. His return match against Big Bill was poor, and he subsequently played the role of HOOK’s dad. Isn’t that what Taz is for?

AEW marginalised Eddie on Collision, making the process of promoting a star far more difficult than it needs to be. Who’s to blame? Which party doesn’t care anymore, and is it both?

Eddie Kingston’s role in AEW is under-discussed generally. Since returning from injury, and for some time prior to that, his persona was “arguably the best talker of the 21st century gets annoyed when the production team asks him to cut promos in order to promote his matches”.

Isn’t this the last thing you’d do with Eddie Kingston, arguably the best talker of the 21st century?

The guy, arguably the best talker of the 21st century, is put out by talking. He just wants to wrestle. Everybody wrestles in AEW!

This worked at first - Eddie’s open disdain towards the television format was a neat way of getting his authenticity across - but this weirdly became his thing, and it was taken much too far. He’s now picked up where he left off - which is to say, acting like he’s above it all.

This guy was the heart and soul of the promotion for a couple of years, and was so beloved that many fans identified him as the man to take the World title from MJF.

What happened to the guy who sold his wrestling boots to pay for the rent before getting the call from AEW? The guy so adamant that he’d never put himself back in that situation that he’d never stop fighting? The guy who shared the best face-to-face confrontation of 2021 opposite CM Punk?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!