Eddie Kingston says he has ‘been away too long’ after AEW Collision win
Eddie Kingston acknowledged his recent absence from AEW programming following his win on Saturday’s Collision.
In an AEW digital exclusive posted on Sunday, Kingston cut a backstage promo and said he is dedicating his Continental Challenge Cup run to the people who told him, “I can’t wait to see you back on TV again.”
Kingston said:
“I’ve been away too long. Granted, my own doing. That’s for you guys to wonder and for me to know, okay? But I missed every single one of you fans. And I’m not saying that being the corny, ‘Hooray.’ Nah, man. I missed every single one of you because you guys give me energy. You guys give me energy to keep fighting when I don’t want to.”
“All those people that I met when I was doing the independents, when I was off TV, coming up to me, ‘When are you getting back on, Eddie? Eddie, we need to see you back on.’ And I told each and every one of them, ‘You inspire me.’ They didn’t believe me. Well, this is for all of y’all that didn’t believe me.
He continued:
“This tournament, this cup, is for every single person that I met in all the promotions that I worked for who came up to me and said, ‘I can’t wait to see you back on TV again.’ This is all for you. I fight for you in this tournament, for you.”
Kingston defeated Jake Doyle in the main event of Saturday’s Collision to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The quarterfinal matchups will be determined through a blind draw.
Eddie Kingston’s return to AEW programming
Kingston’s match against Doyle on Saturday was his first on AEW programming in more than six months. His previous AEW match was an eight-man parking lot fight on the February 7 episode of Collision, where he teamed with Ortiz and The Rascalz against Big Bill, Bryan Keith, and the Grizzled Young Veterans.
Kingston has frequently performed for Ring of Honor in that time. He and Ortiz teamed with Mance Warner to challenge Shane Taylor Promotions for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team titles at Supercard Showdown on May 9. In his most recent Ring of Honor match, Kingston teamed with Ortiz in a win over Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta at the July 20 tapings in Jacksonville, Florida.
Ian Carey is the editing manager at F4WOnline and a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His work has appeared in award-winning publications including NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and moved into the editing manager role in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.