Chris Jericho Reveals Two New AEW Signees, Gives His Thoughts On Matt Cardona And Eddie Kingston

Chris Jericho took to his usual Saturday Night Special this week to discuss all things pro wrestling and rock n' roll. Jericho took some time out to comment on the signing of Eddie Kingston to AEW.

"I think it's great that Eddie Kingston got signed. I'm very, very excited for him," Jericho said. "I had never heard of him, I had never heard his name. I had maybe read his name but it didn't really register. As a matter of fact, when Cody said it was Eddie Kingston, in the back of my head I was thinking Eddie Edwards. So, I didn't really know him, and when I saw him, I'm like, 'This guy's promo is super intense, his match style was super intense.'"

Chris acknowledged that Kingston has the look of a "street fighter", something that is more a rarity in today's wrestling world. He hopes that Kingston capitalizes on this opportunity, especially considering that he wasn't originally brought in to be signed.

"He just looked like one of those guys that just has that vibe of being a tough guy. Which is rare – to see a guy in wrestling that back in the day, everybody was like that," Chris said. "Everybody had that tough look to them, but now, it isn't quite the same. He looks like a street fighter. He looks like Santana and Ortiz. So, hearing his 18 year history and all the stuff he's been through – I don't think we brought him in with the intention of signing him. But it sure was cool to see him kind of make his dreams come true and finally get that contract."

Jericho also noted that Dark Order members John Silver and Alex Reynolds signed their first long-term AEW contracts this week. The duo has been wrestling on the independent circuit since 2011, and was also featured in a squash match on WWE television before joining AEW in December 2019.

"And also, too, I got to hand it to John Silver and Alex Reynolds who signed their first contracts this week," Jericho said.

As noted, former WWE star Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona) debuted on last week's episode of AEW Dynamite. Jericho is excited for this new acquisition, even if it is just for the five-show deal, because he was telling Cardona to get away from WWE long before his release. With some confidence and creativity, Chris thinks this can be a huge step in the right direction for Matt's career.

"I'm going to tell you why I don't think there are issues, in a bad way, for me. I told Matt Cardona like five years ago, maybe even more, eight years ago, 'Get the hell out of WWE'. There comes a point in time when you can't just be a punching bag anymore and he's far too good for that," Chris said. "He looks like a million bucks, he knows how to work, he's very solid in the ring, he's very creative. He just needs some confidence, he just needs a chance.

"And I'm really excited that Cody and Tony decided to give him a shot, and I know I would love to work with him," he added. "I don't want anymore of this 'Long Island Iced Z' bulls–t. It's gone. It's like the first night Hager was in AEW and they started chanting 'we the people', I said, 'That's done'. That was a bad idea from bad creative, and it's the same with the 'Long Island Iced Z'. It's the former name, the former ZR, he's dead and buried."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Saturday Night Special with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.