Ricky Starks has not entered the free agency market because AEW has chosen to extend his deal into 2025 despite his recent absence.
The AEW status of the former FTW Champion has been a mystery for fans for a long time. He has stated multiple times that he is not injured, yet Starks has not been featured in a match for AEW since March.
He recently made his return to the independent circuit, showing up at a GCW event to vent frustrations about being forced to sit home and let his momentum die out.
Fightful Select is now reporting that Starks’ AEW contract was actually set to expire sometime in spring this year and he was hoping to test the open markets.
The officials, however, decided to pick the option year in his deal. This extended his run with the company through the spring or summer of 2025.
Despite picking up the option year, Starks hasn’t been factored much into the promotion’s creative plans since his last match, and there haven’t been a lot of pitches to bring him back.
Ricky Starks was famously spotted walking with Cody Rhodes before his Royal Rumble 2023 victory. He was also seen celebrating The American Nightmare’s WrestleMania 40 win as part of the audience. Both these events are believed to have affected his standing within Tony Khan’s promotions.
Though the former champion was spotted in backstage photos of the most recent Full Gear PPV last Saturday, and the report claims that he was welcomed at the show.
Hopefully, the top brass will be able to communicate any differences with the 34-year-old after his latest visit and we’ll see him back on TV sooner rather than later.