Eddie Kingston has spoken candidly about his mental health battles and reflects on a lost friend during National Suicide Prevention Month.
If there’s one word to sum up Eddie Kingston then authentic would be one of the top candidates to be just that. The New York native oozes honesty every time he is on a television screen earning him the support of AEW fans wherever he goes.
Kingston has discussed in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated his honest reflections on his friend and wrestler Larry Sweeney (Alexander Whybrow) who died back in 2011 at just 30 years old:
“He’d be a multimillionaire if he were still here and I also think he’d be with us in AEW. That hit extremely hard,” Kingston says. I’ve never really gotten over his passing. A lot of us haven’t. He’s with me every time I’m in that ring. I really feel him when Bryce Remsburg is refereeing, because they also knew each other very well.”
“Let’s put it this way, he would have been the best man at my wedding. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of him.”
Speaking of his own mental health battles, Eddie Kingston credits another friend from the wrestling world for checking in on him:
“Homicide, who is like my big brother, happened to call me. At the time, I felt a lot of shame about how things were going. I didn’t feel like myself. That was a regular phone call. But he gets me. He understands me. And he believes in me. So I knew I could fight through it. He stopped me from making a decision that would have hurt so many.”
Eddie Kingston added that the world ‘normal’ needs to disappear and reiterates that struggles do not equate with weakness:
“We need to get the word ‘normal’ out of our vocabulary. We make our own normal. No one is us; no one feels what we feel. We make the normal.”
“And it’s not weak to struggle. People who think that are wrong. There are times when I’m still struggling. It’s hard, but I know for a fact everyone has that strength to fight through it.”
“You may think people don’t [care], but one person always does." @MadKing1981 shares his story.
September is Suicide Prevention Month. AEW is committed to the mental well-being of our talent, staff & our fans. We encourage anyone struggling to reach out & get help: @afspnationalpic.twitter.com/2m6tKDaDYK
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 21, 2022
Kingston also touched on his upcoming match at AEW Grand Slam Rampage with Sammy Guevara:
“I’m really looking forward to it. It will be good for Sammy. He’s going to learn a few things.”
“There’s nothing like fighting at home. I wouldn’t say it’s going to be magic—but it is going to be me beating him up. I don’t doubt he’ll fight back. Sammy can go. There’s a lot you can say about him; there’s a lot I can say about the young man, but he’s a former champion—three different times.”
“Sammy can bring it. He has a lot of pride, but pride is the first step to a man’s downfall.”
If you are struggling with your mental health there are people you can turn to and talk to. In the US you can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 998. In the UK The Samaritans can be reached by calling 116 123 and in Canada, Talk Suicide Canada can be reached at 1-833-456-4566 or 45645. All of these services are available 24/7 for anyone who needs them.