Ricky Starks has cleared up any misconceptions about his time away from the ring.

On the Oct. 8 edition of AEW Rampage, Starks made his return to the ring. He defended the FTW Championship against former Team Taz member Brian Cage. Thanks to interference from Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook, Starks was able to hit Roshambo for the three-count.

Given that he was away from the ring but had still been seen on TV for months, some speculated that Ricky Starks may have not been fully healed from his neck injury. During a chat with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture, Starks put those rumors to rest.

“No, the situation is that I’ve been cleared since July, I had a match in Austin, and that was my first match after the neck injury, and I’ve been cleared thereafter. For whatever reason people just put together ‘well he isn’t on TV because of that.’ That was never stated, that was never confirmed, or anything like that. I do appreciate having the time off though, to further heal up my neck.”

Starks also said he appreciated AEW for allowing him to slow things down a bit before he got back inside the ring. He believes other promotions may have been quick to rush him back to action.

Starks has been seen on AEW Rampage often in the commentary booth. He claims to have taken over Mark Henry’s spot. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Starks isn’t a permanent fixture, rather the promotion will be rotating the booth for Rampage.

It appears that there is a change being made to the AEW Rampage commentary team.

Rampage is a new show for AEW that has only been on the air for a month. It didn’t take long for the show to get a two-hour special. That will be the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage set to air on Sept. 24 via tape delay.

Fans took notice of the commentary team for the Sept. 17 edition of Rampage. Ricky Starks joined Taz, Chris Jericho, and Excalibur. Usually, Mark Henry is in the booth but instead, he just had a pre-main event interview.

Speaking to Wrestle Talk, Starks claimed that he is now a permanent member of the Rampage commentary team.

“I am definitely proud of AEW, the work that I’ve done in AEW, and the work that I continue to do. And the fact that I think so much that they appreciate me that they made me a permanent commentator for Rampage, replacing Mark (Henry).”

F4W reports that while there is a change to the Rampage booth, it isn’t what Starks is claiming. The report notes that instead, AEW is going with a rotating commentary team. At this time, there is no word on why AEW has decided to go with this change.

Ricky Starks believes WWE takes liberties with its fanbase.

There has been plenty of criticism hurled WWE’s way over the past few years. Many believe that the promotion insults the intelligence of the fans. Starks, who wrestles under the AEW banner, shares this belief.

Appearing as a guest on SiriusXM’s Throwing Down w/ Renee & Miesha, Starks said he feels the higher-ups at WWE know they can get away with insulting the fans.

“Everyone says AEW is the alternative. I really think it’s the first choice now. AEW is great in the fact that, I think WWE has such a fanbase that they can insult the audience and get away with it. If you watch a TV show, let’s say like Lost, I feel like Lost insulted my intelligence halfway through and I kind of fell out of love with it. AEW is the opposite of that. You stay attached and you’re rewarded for watching so long. Even for people who haven’t followed wrestling, there are people on the show that you can connect to because they are authentic personalities.

“Watching it, there is something for everybody. Having new viewers or someone who is getting back into wrestling, AEW provides that sweet spot where you can watch it, have fun, you won’t feel stupid for watching it, you’ll be rewarded. There are great moments that are organic that you can fall in love with. The wrestlers are badass. We have men and women who are badass wrestlers.”

Ricky Starks is currently involved in a feud with Brian Cage. Cage was a member of Team Taz before being betrayed by Powerhouse Hobbs. Many believe that once Starks wraps up his rivalry with Cage, he will move on to CM Punk.

FTW Champion Ricky Starks believes CM Punk has been of great help to AEW talent backstage.

Punk has been with AEW for about a month now. After being away from the wrestling industry for seven years, Punk made his AEW debut on the Aug. 20 edition of Rampage. Punk’s music hit and fans inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois lost their minds. CM Punk’s return led to one of the loudest crowd reactions you will ever hear for a wrestling show.

Punk’s value in AEW goes beyond TV and PPVs. Appearing on SiriusXM’s new Throwing Down show with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, Starks said the self-proclaimed “Best in the World” has been quick to give some advice to the talent if they ask for it.

“It’s been great. I know that he’s a hard worker and backstage, he’s very mindful of everyone and their matches and making sure he talks to them and critiques them. He’s very approachable too. Having Punk back there is a big morale boost. A big morale boost.”

Starks also responded to Punk calling him out in the media and on AEW TV.

“He called me out. I appreciate the spotlight there, but I’m tied up with Brian Cage right now. I have to get through that before I move on top Punk and see what he’s about. If it keeps drawing attention, Punk, keep my name in your mouth. Keep it going. I welcome it.”

AEW has planted the seeds for Punk’s next feud. Punk and Taz got into a back-and-forth verbal exchange on an episode of Dynamite. Taz took issue with Punk mentioning members of his team in media appearances. Punk doubled down, daring Taz to give him Will Hobbs, Hook, and Ricky Starks.

FTW Champion Ricky Starks recently took part in an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session for Reddit Talk. During the Q&A, Starks was asked who he would like to see join Team Taz. Starks responded that he’d like to see Sasha Banks in the heel faction.

“Sasha Banks. They’re gonna run with that one, boys. Sasha Banks, y’all, in Team Taz,” Starks said during the discussion.

He also mentioned Andrade as someone who he would like to see in Team Taz.

Where Is Sasha Banks?

It has been over a month since Sasha Banks wrestled. She was pulled from some house show events in mid-August and then did not appear on SummerSlam for her scheduled match against Bianca Belair. The reason for her absence has not been revealed.

WWE is hopeful that Banks will return tomorrow for WWE’s Super Smackdown event at Madison Square Garden, according to PWInsider. The Boss was reportedly backstage at last week’s Smackdown.

“Sasha was at SmackDown last week, she did not appear on camera,” Mike Johnson wrote. “I was told the plan was for her initially to be at SmackDown this week at the Garden, so I don’t know if she’ll return, but I expect her to be on the road for the company full time this week.”

AEW star Ricky Starks recently fractured his neck. The best dressed member of Team Taz will miss around three months of action, but will most likely not require surgery. The news was first reported by Voices of Wrestling.

The injury occurred on the April 21st episode of AEW Dynamite. During a match against Hangman Page, Starks took a german suplex and hit his head on the mat during the landing. He worked the rest of the match, which is quite a feat in hindsight.

The video below does not include the spot that caused the injury, but it’s amazing to see how Starks continued to work with a broken [freakin’] neck.

Ricky Starks wrote the following about the outpouring of support for his recovery:

Starks made his AEW debut in June 2020 by answering Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship open challenge. Rhodes tweeted these words of encouragement:

SEScoops wishes Ricky Starks a full and speedy recovery.

All Elite Wrestling star Ricky Starks recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s podcast. The current member of Taz’s on-screen stable discussed a number of topics during the show; these included including how signed with AEW and being friends with The Undertaker.

“So back in Austin? There’s a gym called Onnit” Ricky Starks began, as he told the story of his meeting Mark Calloway. “I only started going to Onnit because I thought I would have a [WWE] tryout back in 2016. So I was training way before I fully had my tryout.”

Ricky Starks on The Undertaker

“And so I was there, barely making it by because the fee is $194 a month, and I was making minimum wage” Ricky Starks continued. “So I would go at the same time that ‘Taker was there. Undertaker was preparing for his match against Shane [McMahon] in Dallas for WrestleMania 32. He was there constantly.”

Ricky Starks would then confirm that Undertaker was filming what would become The Last Ride documentary for WWE Network. “He was filming a documentary, but he was filming a documentary just for his family, because he figured that would be the last one. I’d befriended the the guy who was doing the documentary, his name is Brandon. He’s a really nice dude, I told him like ‘Taker one of my favourites, and I would talk to ‘Taker. I went up to him say thank you for everything, and so since I was there all the time? Undertaker would come and make small talk with me.”

The AEW star would finish by saying how he actually trained with Undertaker before his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 34. This was especially surreal for Starks, as he has mentioned how he is a ‘mega fan’ of the Deadman.

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“‘Taker was getting ready for his match against Cena at ‘Mania 34 in New Orleans. He had us up and wanted to train, so WWE sent this ring to this location, it was a sick setup. I’ll never forget, we were in there, I want to say for two days or three days? I was in the ring sparring with Undertaker and I, I cannot fathom it. I cannot understand it!?”

Do you think that we’ll ever see Ricky Starks in WWE? Let us know in the comments

All Elite Wrestling star Ricky Starks recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s podcast. The current member of Taz’s on-screen stable discussed a number of topics during the show; these included including how signed with AEW and being friends with The Undertaker.

“I didn’t re-sign with NWA, I told them ‘no thank you I’m, I’m good'” Starks began on the show. “Then this pandemic started. I remember watching AEW Dynamite. It was the night that Cody came out and said that he would be issuing an open challenge; and then he went on Twitter and said ‘this is open to anybody.'”

Ricky Starks on TNT Open Challenge

Ricky Starks’ first appearance in AEW was the aforementioned TNT Open Challenge issued by Cody Rhodes. Starks would outlay how the opportunity arose for him to get a shot at the title. “The next day Thursday I was at the gym, and this vision came to me, where I was like, ‘I could see myself walking out [on Dynamite]. I could see myself cutting this promo, and it just this huge thing right?”

“And so, that Sunday? I got a text message from from AEW saying ‘hey, there’s a opportunity here to challenge for the title, are you interested?'” Ricky Starks would continue. “The funny thing is? I thought that was just a one off thing. In my head? I thought I would wrestle, go back on the Indies and raise my rate, then build my stock.”

Starks would then state that he was shocked when he got the call to be signed, mainly because he wasn’t expecting any companies to be hiring during the pandemic.

“I didn’t think that they were hiring. I just, I figured ‘we’re in a pandemic no one’s hiring.’ So yeah, I came to the back [after the Cody match] and really didn’t hear much, just it was good, you know? Just a good reaction to the match, but that was it. And then when it aired? I got a call from Tony Khan and kind of went from there.”

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Do you think that Ricky Starks will get another shot at a singles title in AEW at some point in the near future? Let us know in the comments

Ricky Starks made his AEW debut in June by answering Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship Open Challenge. During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Starks reveals that he got a phone call from WWE almost immediately after the match.

This wasn’t Starks’ first communication with WWE. He previously worked as an extra on television and had a tryout back in 2017, but doesn’t believe he was close to being signed. “I don’t think I was close at all and I’ll never understand why,” he began. I love wrestling. I’ve never played any sports, I never did anything, I only watched wrestling. And I have immersed myself and become obsessed with it and I love it to death.”

Ricky Starks On WWE Contacting Him After Cody Rhodes Match

Later in the interview, Starks talked about WWE contacting him after his match against Cody this summer.

“The funny thing is, the day that I wrestled Cody I got a phone call from WWE saying ‘Hey, we’ve been watching you and we wanted to bring you in’. I said ‘Oh really? oh ok. Interesting. Of all days’. And so I entertained that conversation because I was curious but I think I knew already which decision I was going to make,” Starks said.

“And I had a very dear, great friend tell me once: you should look at the people who want to invest in you and not know anything about you as opposed to the people who only wanted you when they saw someone else having interest. So that put things in perspective and I don’t hold any ill will towards WWE but I really think they dropped the ball majorly on that. I’ll never know why and I guess I don’t care now.”

Chris Van Vliet’s full interview with Ricky Starks can be viewed in the player below.

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The relaunched National Wrestling Alliance is currently in a state of limbo. The brand was beginning to build a solid viewer base for the NWA Powerrr YouTube series.

The league suspended operations and restructured its executive management team after NWA Vice President Dave Lagana was accused of sexually assaulting female wrestler Liz Savage. The NWA cut ties with Lagana, leaving the company scrambling.

With NWA’s future uncertain, a new report from Fightful provides new information on a few NWA talent contracts and departures:

• Ricky Starks was offered upwards of $1000/month from NWA for a new contract offer before he left the company, per a report by Fightful Select. Starks is now with AEW, after answering the open challenge for Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship.

• Former NWA Television Champion “Outlandish” Zicky Dice was reportedly offered only offered $250 per month at one point, this was also rejected.

• Thunder Rosa is also apparently now signed with the company.

• Allysin Kay ‘still plans’ on working with NWA going forward.

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AEW has signed two wrestlers after they each made their Dynamite debut last night. Abadon defeated Anna Jay on Dynamite and Ricky Starks dropped a TNT title match to Cody on the show as well.

Tony Khan and AEW have since announced that both Abadon and Ricky Starks have been signed to AEW contracts.

Abadon’s Twitter bio now reads, “I am Abadon. Living dead girl. RMP Dead I am the dog, hound of hell you cry, devil on your back I can NEVER die.”

Starks was revealed as Cody’s TNT Title Open Challenge opponent on last night’s edition of Dynamite. He was previously a member of the NWA roster and former NWA Television Champion.

Anna Jay Joining The Dark Order?

Anna Jay is another recent signing to the promotion. There was some hype for her match on Dynamite this week against Abadon. In the end, however, it was Abadon who would pick up her first AEW victory and not Anna Jay.

Following the match, the Dark Order helped Jay to the back. This has led to speculation she could be the next to join the faction.

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Anna Jay posted the following to social media after:

Ricky Starks is All Elite. 

The former NWA star made his AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. He did so by answering the open challenge set out by Cody Rhodes in the middle of the show. 

After an in-ring promo by Rhodes and Arn Anderson, a video hyped Starks’ debut.

This saw him challenge Rhodes for the AEW TNT Championship, which featured a back and forth contest that ended with “The American Nightmare” hitting his signature finisher, Cross Rhodes, for the win to allow him to retain the title. 

Based on social media, Starks had an impressive performance in his first outing under the All Elite Wrestling banner. 

Just last month, Starks announced his departure from the NWA and free agency status. Clearly, his time on the market didn’t last long. 

Starks had been with the NWA since August of 2019. During his time with the NWA, he had been praised by many and seen as a rising prospect in the pro wrestling business. 

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Ricky Starks is now a free agent and looking to sign a deal with a promotion. 

Starks announced on Monday on Busted Open Radio that he is now a free agent after his deal with the NWA expired and they mutually parted ways. 

Starks had been with the NWA since August of 2019. After the appearance on the radio show, he took to Twitter to share this new vignette. 

This video saw him do an old school interview that ended with saying that he can’t be underappreciated or overlooked. 

The interviewer asked him why it took so long for him to be signed. This led to a transition where he was thinking and seeing himself run through a field. 

He said that the question isn’t why it took him so long but why it took y’all so long. The video faded to black. You can see it below: 

You can check out NWA Powerrr every week via their Official YouTube channel.

You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. Or catch the podcast version of the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast host.

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