Eddie Kingston considered quitting wrestling after losing Andy Williams, PAC

American pro wrestling star Eddie Kingston, 44, has revealed he considered retiring after losing two close colleagues in quick succession — and that it was his fans' words of comfort and encouragement that brought him back.

According to Fightful and other US pro wrestling outlets, Kingston opened up to the crowd at Progress Wrestling's Chapter 199: Bonstorm event in London on Oct. 25, following his match against Luke Jacobs.

"After Andy and Ben passed away, I didn't leave my house for five days. I wanted to leave this business," he said. Andy refers to Andy Williams, known by his ring name The Butcher, and Ben to Benjamin Satterlee, known as Neville. Both competed in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), one of the major pro wrestling promotions in the United States.

"Life can be a real mess sometimes. But the reason I get up every morning and keep doing this is because of the fans," Kingston said. "There are fans who tell me I helped them by talking about my own mental health struggles and the hard times in my life. But the truth is, you helped me."

Kingston, a veteran from Yonkers, New York, goes by the nickname "Mad King." He broke into pro wrestling in 2002 and spent roughly 20 years working the independent circuit before joining AEW in 2020. He built his following not through flashy aerial moves but through hard-hitting brawling and emotionally raw interviews.

His signature move is the backfist — a strike to the opponent's face with the back of the hand — and he is known for a rugged in-ring style shaped by Japanese pro wrestling. In 2023, he captured both the Ring of Honor (ROH) World Championship and the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Strong Openweight Championship, then added the AEW Continental Championship to hold all three titles simultaneously.

For Kingston, last September was almost unbearable. Williams, who died first, had teamed with "The Blade" in AEW as the tag team The Butcher and The Blade, drawing fans with a rough, intimidating style built around a thick beard and an imposing frame.

Williams was also the guitarist for the well-known metalcore band Every Time I Die, making him a rare figure who had established himself in the music world before finding success in pro wrestling.

Williams collapsed during an independent wrestling event in Pennsylvania on Sept. 5 and lost consciousness. Medical personnel at the scene performed CPR and transported him to a hospital, but he did not survive. He was 48. Police said there were no signs of trauma or criminal activity, and the exact cause of death was pending further examination at the time.

Kingston could not hold back tears at an AEW tribute event held after Williams' death. He recalled that the two shared the same birthday and that Williams had been by his side whenever things got difficult.

Before Kingston had time to grieve, more devastating news arrived. British wrestler Benjamin Satterlee had earned worldwide recognition under the ring name PAC. In WWE, he competed first as Adrian Neville and later simply as Neville, winning the Cruiserweight Championship.

Celebrated for combining exceptional aerial skills with a powerfully built physique, Satterlee earned the nickname "The Man That Gravity Forgot." In AEW, he became the inaugural AEW International Champion and won the World Trios Championship twice.

Satterlee competed at AEW All Out against Andrade El Idolo on Sept. 26 and died the following day, Sept. 27. He was 40. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office in Illinois ruled the cause of death as bronchial asthma and classified the manner of death as natural.

Losing two close friends in less than a month left Kingston devastated. In a video released shortly after Satterlee's death, he recalled that both men had accepted him without judgment or criticism — that they had taken him as he was.

He was especially close to Satterlee outside the ring, sharing meals with their partners and celebrating birthdays together during a period when Kingston was sidelined by injury. He said the deaths made him feel as though the people who had believed in him were disappearing one by one.

AEW mourned both wrestlers. The promotion held a tribute match and a ten-bell salute for Williams, and honored Satterlee's career in a broadcast tribute following his death.

Kingston, who had once seriously considered walking away from wrestling, ultimately returned to the ring — realizing that while he had thought he was a source of strength for his fans, it was the fans who had held him together at his lowest.

Kingston's remarks cast a new light on the friendships, losses and mutual support that exist behind the spectacle of professional wrestling — and on the fans who, without always knowing it, keep the wrestlers going.