Why AEW Star Eddie Kingston Says The Pro Wrestling Business Is Going Backward

If one were to compare the professional wrestling landscape of 30 years ago to that of today, it would be different in almost every way imaginable. While some things have certainly improved, it's up for debate whether all aspects of the wrestling business are better today than they were in the past. AEW star Eddie Kingston, speaking on a recent AdFreeShows "On-Demand" livestream, shared his belief that the industry has regressed in some ways.

"I think that the ... business is going backward, in a sense of ... the fans [knowing] everything already," Kingston said. "You know the magic. You know there's bookers. ... It's all been exposed, you know what I mean? For years now."

Kingston recalled being a fan around the time that the business was first getting "exposed," back in the early 1990s with the rise of ECW. At that time, it was a fresh take on professional wrestling, which made it exciting. However, Kingston feels the ramifications from that era have negatively affected the business in the present.

"Cool. You know everything now. I believe people are done with it," Kingston continued. "People don't want to hear us on Twitter, b****ing and moaning [about] what's going on backstage. People don't want to know how much fun I had with my opponent that night in the ring. ... They want to be lost."

The recent ROH World Champion compared the feeling to watching a Marvel movie, stating that fans don't want to see Captain America stop in the middle of an action scene and let everyone know that he and everyone else in the scene are just actors.

"People need an escape," Kingston said. "So why the f*** am I gonna take that escape from you?"