Eddie Kingston Labels Two Legends ‘Perfect Wrestlers’
AEW star Eddie Kingston has never been shy about letting his praise of past wrestlers be known.
While on the "MackMania Podcast", Kingston revealed which two professional wrestling legends are perfect in his eyes.
"I don't think I always deliver, I'm very hard on myself," Kingston stated. "... I always feel like there's more. I don't feel like I reached where I want to reach. I want to be perfect.
"I know I'm never going to get there and, to me, the perfect wrestlers are Terry Funk, Kenta Kobashi. Those are my two perfect wrestlers that I'm trying to get to their level. I know I may not but I'm trying to get there."
Terry Funk was most famous for competing in AJPW, ECW, and NWA. Funk was a very extreme wrestler, who was willing to do insane spots in order to entertain the fans, often by competing in various death matches. Funk won the ECW Heavyweight Championship on two different occasions, as well as the NWA World Championship. Funk also won multiple different titles under the NWA banner, the WCW United States Championship, and the WWE World Tag Team Championships under the Chainsaw Charlie persona alongside Cactus Jack.
Funk has been known to go in and out of retirement, but he appears to be fully retired at the age of 77. Funk's last match came in September of 2017 when he teamed with the Rock 'n' Roll Express to defeat Jerry Lawler, Brian Christopher, and Doug Gilbert at an indie show. Funk was inducted into the WWE and NWA Hall of Fames, with both happening in 2009.
Kenta Kobashi famously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH, putting on classics with opponents such as Mitsuharu Misawa, Akira Taue, and Toshiaki Kawada. Kobashi won the AJPW Tag Team Championships on six different occasions and the Triple Crown Championship, AJPW's World Title, three different times. In NOAH, Kobashi held the GHC Heavyweight Championship for an astonishing 735 days.
Kobashi last wrestled in May 2013, teaming with Jun Akiyama, Keiji Muto, and Kensuke Sasaki in a winning effort against Go Shiozaki, KENTA, Maybach Taniguchi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a match that nearly went 40 minutes.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the "MackMania" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription