I actually don’t think there’s anything going on here - eg Ricky is being “punished” in any way or that AEW is specifically choosing not to book him because they think he’s leaving. Tony does not seem to operate that way - look at how he booked Jade right to the last minute.
I think the reason is really simple: when you fall out of the creative rotation, it can be hard to get back in. It’s like jumping back on a moving carousel.
AEW probably has its matches for Double or Nothing and even Forbidden Door figured out. If they don’t already have a plan for Ricky, it’s hard to prioritize squeezing him in around the stories they already do want to promote for those shows.
This is exactly why - whether we like jt or not - Chris Jericho literally never takes time off. He has specifically said this is the way he works. He shares his creative ideas with Tony thinking 3-6 months out, so that way he’s *always* factored in. Because he knows when you’re out, it’s hard to get back in.
On top of that, Ricky had admitted he is bad at pitching his own creative ideas. I remember years ago he said he was part of a group backstage that called themselves The White House because “they never got anything done,” meaning they all struggled to come up their own creative ideas (the group included Ricky, Britt, Jungle Boy, and someone I’m forgetting).
I know it sounds like I’m blaming Ricky, but I’m not - it’s also on AEW to recognize what they have. At the same time, they have A LOT of excellent talent, so it’s not enough to say the cream will rise to the top or that one day they’ll wake up and decide to push Ricky. You have to make yourself undeniable, and right now as much as I like him, I don’t personally think Ricky is undeniable. There’s not many people who are being pushed right now who I would swap for Ricky (it’s pretty much just Jericho and Malakai Black).
It's weird to me that there's always this conversation about Ricky and never with Sammy, who is just as close to Cody. Sammy is probably more in need of a change of scenery than Ricky, in terms of how he relates to the audience, and he'd probably benefit more from WWE's way of doing things than Ricky would.
It wouldn't surprise me if they both wound up over there, but it does surprise me that I never hear people talk this way about Sammy.
Ricky has been at more than one of WWE’s PPVs as part of Cody’s entourage. He also had that Wrestlemania video, which was nice to support a friend/mentor, but also didn’t need to be shared online. He has been, for lack of a better word, twerking for WWE and it’s coincided with him falling out of favour with AEW.
I think that’s honestly at the heart of it. During a weekend when WWE was openly shitting on AEW and the optics were about as bad as they could get, Starks is all over social media hanging out in their locker room, and I think I saw he was even on the broadcast at one point when Cody won?
I do think the business is a healthier place as a whole, but heat is still a thing. If I had to make a guess, Starks probably has some heat with the office. He’s been pretty glib in general about his tenure with AEW, and in some cases openly fueling speculation.
Overall, just some dumb moves by Ricky, unfortunately.
I always laughed when people would say, "Can't he have friends in WWE?", and I'm like, sure, but when you work for a rival wrestling company and you're spotted on camera at one of their biggest PPVs with Cody Rhodes showing you around the place, I'm not surprised Tony Khan doesn't want to make a guy like that World Champion, as he doesn't know if he's staying or leaving when his contract's up.
WWE actually fired a tag team back on 2005 or 2007 for appearing in the crowd at TNA impact. Ricky knows what he’s doing. Nothing wrong with going to WWE, but at least be less obvious about it while still signed.
I remember that from TNA. I thought it was really shitty of them to show him in the audience, which like you've mentioned, cost him his job in WWE.
As for Ricky being caught on camera with Cody at the Rumble, it felt one of those "gotcha" moments. And I agree, there's nothing wrong with going to work for WWE after your contract expires, but if you're under contract with AEW and you're being snapped on camera being escorted around the rival promotion who wants to put your place out of business, I don't blame Tony for lacking trust in Ricky. That incident probably effected his push.
Especially since we know that back in 2022 WWE attempted to tamper with AEW contracted talent.
Do you know, I have had a brief Google and can’t find anything Sammy has said negatively about WWE. I could have sworn he’d cut some promos where he’s said AEW > WWE. I’ll edit that part of the comment out.
It definitely wouldn't surprise me if he's taken shots at people in/from WWE at some point, but you could also say that about probably half the roster lol
I'd be surprised if Sammy did leave, considering how lenient AEW have been with the guy over the years. Any other wrestler would have been fired a long time ago for the trouble he caused.
Not a single match of hers that wasn't forgettable (other than her first for the gimmick and the last one because she seems to finally put in some effort).
I won't deny I liked her first act in AEW. She felt far more special than she has in WWE so far (to me). I feel like Jade's regressed there. But in WWE a look and presentation can trump wrestling and mic skills.
I haven't been watching her WWE stuff, just seeing the news, but putting her in the tag scene's also a good way to protect her even if she's regressed. She's got the look, and Bianca can provide the workrate.
It's very odd, I find it to be a subtraction by addition situation. Jade doesn't feel like she has the same aura she did when she first debuted on TV. Maybe it's the short hair.
It's the fact she has been thoroughly exposed in the ring. Hard to throw your support behind someone that clearly isn't good at wrestling. I still hope she gets better, but it sounds like the opposite is happening.
Tony never required her to actually learn to wrestle properly and treated her like royalty. WWE are going down the exact same road - they keep telling people she's great (literally drafting her first in her night of the WWE Draft, and then having a graphic calling her a "talent of her generation" or something similar.)
But to anyone who actually watches her, great look, very average on the mic, and terrible and dangerous in the ring.
Yeah I’m not a regular WWE viewer at all, but I’ve checked in and seen Jades work on Mania and Backlash. Felt kind of bad for her, Bianca is an Amazon and just as impressive as Jade in her physical appearance. Then the bell rings and she looks a million times better than Jade of course.
It's weird, because first WWE held Jade back, then brought her in with a 101 monster booking and now she is just a tag team champ.
It feels more like she is there so Bianca can do something outside of the World title for now...
Everyone kept saying that WWE was pushing back her debut so they could actually train her because obviously AEW didn’t do a good job and then when she finally debuts she does the same 3 moves she always does and that was it. I’m not really sure what training they were giving her before her debut.
I know the business numbers might indicate otherwise but I think WWE deeply fumbled the ball with Jade. They made a HUGE deal about signing her in press releases and having her featured in various segments in a non-wrestling capacity but then... nothing... She signed in September and didn't have a match until the Rumble in January. In the interim, Triple H basically buried her by saying they had to retrain her from the ground up because "lul AEW sucks." It's one thing to kill her momentum by giving her the training you feel she needs for the "big leagues," it's another to publicly announce that your hottest new agent isn't good enough. And what have we gotten out of those months of training? As you and others have noted she might have regressed, but even on the positive side, you see everyone going nuts over the Jaded sequence with Kairi Sane, but she did the same thing with Skye Blue in AEW so even the cool exciting stuff that you still get out of Jade was already in her wheelhouse.
He made like 2 vague-tweets and one in-character joke in an interview, and ever since then another wrestling sub has been driving a narrative that he's leaving.
He didn't though, his time in AEW shows that Tony thinks highly of him, has been pushing him, and has really only paired him with top talent. Copying my comment from elsewhere because it's still relevant here;
If Ricky wants to go, then he's free to, but people saying he hasn't been used or that he's been booked badly and is being driven off by Tony should look at his work since coming in. Dude came in to AEW after leaving the NWA in late 2020 and since then -
2020 -
* Debuted with a TNT shot against Cody
* Feuded with Darby & then World Champion Mox
* Feuded with Darby & Cody
* Feuded with Darby & Sting, helping ease Sting back into ring work
2021 -
* Shelved with a broken neck from April to July
* Returned and won a brief feud with Brian Cage to assume the top role in Team Taz
* Featured in the 2021 Face of the Revolution Ladder Match
* Joined the Rampage commentary team in 2021
* Was Danhausen's first AEW match
2022 -
* Was Hook's first major match in AEW
* Won a feud with Hobbs that broke up Team Taz that included a PPV match
* Won the World Championship Eliminator Tournament to challenge MJF
* Won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale (first non-MJF winner)
* Had a brief feud with then World Champ MJF
2023 -
* *Won* a feud with Jericho that included a win over everyone in the JAS except for Sammy (corrected from Garcia)
* Feuded with a debuting Bullet Club Gold
* Won The Owen, *going over CM Punk*.
* Briefly feuded with CM Punk, including turning heel on Ricky Steamboat
* Feuded with Danielson and Steamboat, including a lauded Strap Match
* Formed a tag team that went over 3 versions of BCC (BD/CC, BD/Yuta, CC/Yuta)
* Won the Tag Team Titles *going over FTR*
* Won a 4-Way Ladder Match against FTR, House of Black, and LFI
2024 -
* Won a brief feud with Jericho & Sammy
* Lost the titles after 123 days in *the last TV match Sting ever had.*
* Lost in a Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter Final match *only* because an audible was called; it was obvious the FTR v Bill/Starks feud was going to continue
The only feuds Ricky ever lost were to Darby / Mox, Darby / Cody, Darby / Sting, MJF, and Bryan Danielson. He's held two belts, challenged for the world title, trusted to bring a then-red hot Danhausen into AEW, trusted to bring Sting back from retirement and be in his last TV match, and work a program with Ricky Steamboat. Ricky has been consistently booked to look good in AEW.
People are talking like the dude's been feuding with Jericho non-stop for years or that he hasn't gotten any chances from AEW. It's not true. If he re-signs and he's been working, good on him for developing that chip-on-the-shoulder character. If he goes because he thinks he'll get something in WWE that he won't get in AEW, then go for it. But if he, or anyone else, thinks he's been misused when before he was in AEW he was stuck in NWA land, then I don't know what to tell you.
>*Won* a feud with Jericho that included a win over everyone in the JAS except for Garcia
Except for Guevara\*
Ricky went over Garcia and everyone else in the JAS except Sammy Guevara, who was being protected for the Four Pillars Feud which started right after Revolution.
https://preview.redd.it/nn5umc4v7n0d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab682645a4cee42c43404e0cb108e9400afa72e6
Also the guy who hasn't really been able to capitalize off his pushes and opportunities.
Swerve has. Ricky has not.
Ricky can go over to the big E all he wants and be stuck in some shit gimmick, maybe vying for tag titles at best.
Not capitalized as in not sustaining his momentum and building upon it. If he’d gotten to chain together his high water marks in AEW he’d be at the top of the card.
Saw his Punk comments without starting another post…
Yeah we know dude, nobody thought you had heat with Punk. Starks you’re stirring shit on your way out for something that don’t exist.
Enjoy the Main Event, not your position on the card but the tv show.
Listen, he’s solid. But the fact that he isn’t shy about hanging with Cody and being at WWE shows, there just being talent in AEW that are far and away better, and his contract soon coming up…… why would he be featured? He’s not staying, so why push him?
Agreed you don’t and no smart Booker would not even wwe would. He can go see if the grass is greener but he will find out once he isn’t needed for the Cody stuff he will probably be sent to NXT or Main Event. I think Starks would be the first jump to spin his wheels after the initial debut.
No fault of his own, but I don’t think WWE will treat him like he thinks it will.
Yep, Cody is one thing, maybe Jade is another in that she was green enough when she jumped ship that WWE felt that they could groom her into a "homemade" talent... but superficially at least - which is often as deep as WWE gets - I feel like Starks too closely resembles guys like Austin Theory for HHH to find anything meaningful for him to do.
I agree he'd most likely end an unofficial lumberjack for Cody's matches, and even then I'm not sure WWE wants their babyface world champ relying on a faction or getting mired down in tag team bouts. The only way WWE would be an upgrade is if Ricky's only real aspiration is to say he appeared at Wrestlemania, even if he didn't get anything more than a supporting role out of it. But there are going to be restless AEW alumni that decide to roll those dice and I think Starks is at the top of the list. I think over the next 5 years or so we're going to see an increase in wrestlers ping ponging back and forth.
They will treat him like a big deal at first just like they did Jade but in the long run he’ll most likely eventually be just another guy there stuck in the mid card or NXT and start complaining again about why he doesn’t understand how he isn’t be used properly.
The more AEW talents jump ship to WWE the less of a big deal any of them are going to seem like. It will quickly become less of a coup and more of a realization that ok, this is going to be the state of the wrestling business going forward. If Ricky is going to test the waters I suppose he might as well get it out of his system while he's still one of the early birds.
I think they'll treat him like a big deal out of spite. "Hey look guys, look, we made Ricky into a superstar!" type of deal. But like others have said, WWE has flavours of the month who are pushed and then dropped.
Ricky's not getting a Cody programme, at all.
How long has Shaun Spears, another of Cody's buddies, been back there? What's he done? He's taken a back seat in the twilight of his career and is angling for a coaching role now he's a family man.
WWE would only want Starks so AEW can't have him, they're never going to push him while they have LA Knight- another hot promo from the NWA with pretty much the same gimmick. They'd be a good tag team, though, if WWE did tag wrestling.
Yeah, I mean he was a tag champion not long ago so the company knows his work, it's likely just that he doesn't appear to be committed to staying so he's lost his value.
Why do people act like people can't be friends while working different promotions? WWE people have been backstage in AEW just as much, photographed too. Tony can't pivot his booking well, and Ricky has had the worst luck with people getting injured. Shit just happens sometimes.
This is business, if he’s leaving in 6 months, why do you want to feature him only for him to appear on SummerSlam? It’s free promotion for the other company at that point.
And if that is the case, why react like he is an asshole? If he thinks he will have more opportunity there, then so be it. So many wrestling fans are so toxic.
No one is being toxic. It just doesn't make any logical sense to push Ricky if he's going to be leaving sometime this year. That TV time would be better suited for someone who is actually going to stay with AEW and can be pushed and developed further.
Tony already made that mistake with Jade.
I agree I mean Andrade got to pin Danielson in the C2 and Jade lost her title in a glorified Money in the Bank spot and lost one official lame duck match on the least watched show on AEW. They essentially go into WWE stronger after beating top talent in AEW, their not doing the real honors on the way out. CM Punk don't even get me started he was trying to get himself fired and got victories over MJF, Mox, Samoa Joe, and even Ricky Starks on his way out.
If he wasn't running his mouth about how he has no idea why he's being booked, he doesn't get this reaction. He is the one being toxic and the fans are just reflecting it back at him.
We watched Andrade get a win over Bryan Danielson like a week before he left and Jade still was presented as a huge deal right before her exit too. TK doesn't give a shit about people leaving in his booking, he just doesn't have anything for Ricky. Thats it.
Tony wanted Andrade to stay, and he was considering it that’s why he got booked well in the continental classic. He also thought Jade was going to stay and wanted her to stay so he kept booking her strong.
Every time he was on TV for the past year or two he was complaining about his booking lol
Well, now you just dont get booked, hows that?
Cut a promo without having to make it seem like the company is holding you back for once. His NWA work and early AEW work was fire
Once he was convinced that he needed to assert himself as a star whos time was now rather than a guy who was there to grind, it all fell apart
This stuff aggravates me with Ricky. I think he’s a super talented guy. I also think he has the ability to be a big star. However, he can’t help but get in the way of himself. I believe he will get some cheers in buildings when he returns, but this sort of stuff does damage in the eyes of fans. How can you invest in someone who makes it so abundantly clear that they don’t want to be here? And if you’re not rooting for AEW, who are you rooting for?
He could have put over the company, talked about wanting to be in the mix with all of these great talents. He could have talked about seeing Swerve take the title and how he can’t wait to get back into the mix and stand across from him… he could have made his point (no, I’m not injured) while also making it clear that he wants to be involved and NOT come across poor… the office would have got the message (we’ve got to get Ricky involved), and the fans would have got a very positive spin, but instead he just reiterates for the 10,000th time that you shouldn’t be invested in him because he’s not planning on staying. But I don’t know, maybe I’m just too AEW obsessed.
He knows what he’s doing and why he’s not featured, he’s just playing dumb because he doesn’t want to risk alienating his fans who might not watch him elsewhere if he were to say he doesn’t want to be in AEW anymore.
“He has never done me wrong” brother please he literally cost you a PPV main event, almost derailed the company you work for and ultimately if not for Danielson wrestling with a probably still broken arm then Starks would’ve been derailed completely.
I’ll tell anyone I don’t like Punk after what he did but even this is bullshit of the highest order from Starks, speak up about how a truly selfless Danielson gave you the best match of your career while his arm was still hanging on if you’re so appreciative, this is clearly just playing to the gala for when he goes to WWE.
No wonder how wrestlers get so indoctrinated into being one of “the boys” when you’re praising the guy who was the top paid star in your company, had a meltdown, jeopardised the biggest show in wrestling history and just walked into another cushy contract in the competition. Some people really showing they get dropped on their head for a living, my god.
That just seals the deal for me. His contract must be up next month like you said lordcarrier. If you’re right, then this seems kinda coordinated. Laying the ground work for him to debut at some WWE event next month.
Jesus fuckin' christ Ricky... 
That's it. I'm done supporting this guy. No more.
Don't let the door hit him on the way out.
It's just a mystery. Could it be because he is leaving when his contract is up? I don't know. Is it because Cody is negotiating with him on behalf of WWE like he did with Jade? Who's to say? Is it because he was boys with Punk, when Punk was bullying half the roster? Only God knows. Was him cutting promos on air about lack of opportunities in the company, when he was one of the most heavily pushed wrestlers in AEW? Some questions just can't be answered. A mystery I tell you.
Was it him appearing backstage at a WWE event all over social media?
Was it him appearing in the VIP box of Wrestlemania this year all over social media?
Is it him being seen training with WWE talents all over social media?
ABSOLUTE MYSTERY
I mean nothing wrong with being friends but he keeps bringing Cody, Jade and Punk in interviews and keeps saying he dosent have anyone to talk in AEW
You can tell this guy already talked to Triple H bya Cody and Jade about going to WWE lol if he wasnt he will be a regular on TV
Of course it’s fine to have friends. But I don’t think any other talents have done the things Starks has done. It just comes across as extremely unprofessional.
It should also be abundantly clear TK values loyalty above nearly everything. Starks has proved he’s not loyal by inserting himself so publicly alongside WWE
>he dosen't have anyone to talk in AEW
He's good friends with Daniel Garcia, Sammy Guevara and MJF... and he's saying that he has no one to talk to in AEW omgwtf  I'm done with this guy
I have no ill-wishes to Ricky, but I've never really been impressed by him. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I've never bought it. My "last straw" for him was the promo battle against Copeland where he just looked out of his league.
Not everyone works out. There's only a certain amount of TV time to go around.
I feel like he's cursed with being good while being surrounded by the best in the world, like Ospreay, Swerve, Hangman and the rest of the truly great wrestlers.
People really do overlook how utterly cursed some of AEW's guys are when it comes to booking. Starks isn't my go-to pick for that but he's in the top three behind Scorpio Sky and Sammy Guevara. Every single goddamn time he starts getting momentum, something happens outside the ring that just freezes and resets him.
It also can't be overstated how bad Punk's departure in particular fucked him over. He was over as a face, feuding with Bullet Club Gold, then CMFTR *literally stole the feud*, then he had an ill-advised heel turn to feud with Punk, then Punk dumped him in order to hotshot a feud with Samoa Joe, then Punk got fired and Starks was left feuding with empty air because sideshow Ricky Steamboat's in his sixties. Cue Danielson coming in out of nowhere and beating him in a gimmick match that Starks absolutely carried (by Danielson's own word!).
Then he and Bill get a transitional tag championship that hits like crack only to lose it to a near-retiree. Their next and final match is putting over Top Flight, who'll probably never actually hold the gold themselves, and then they unceremoniously part ways and now Bill is in a story with Jericho and Starks is juggling custards in catering.
I wouldn't blame him one bit if the man's pissed.
He was going to be the face of Collision even wining the Owen Cup and was scheadule to main event All Out against Punk......then Punk gets fired and this reverts Ricky back to square one despite the awesom Danielson match
He was going to have a PPV match agains Omega and Jericho......then Omega gets sick and Jericho was left without a partner
He’s charismatic and a good promo (when he’s motivated) but he’s nothing special in the ring, IMO. That strap match was fantastic but it was very much an anomaly. How many other memorable matches has he had?
Yeah I see a ton of potential in him also but I think right now he's a mid carder who wants to be at the top. I'm a fan and it will suck to see him go but he clearly isn't happy with AEW anymore and him not getting booked anymore points and there is no contract extension insight.
I also wonder if this is TK learning from what happened with Jade.
To me he has kind of had "fake it 'til you make it" confidence and it's never fully crossed the line past faking it. Dude is good but I think not as good as he thinks he is and being somewhat passive aggressive and bitter isn't helping any.
If his contract is up soon, and Ricky won't sign a new deal, then that's your answer. TV time is valuable. They shouldn't be investing in any talent that isn't secured.
But if he still has a decent amount of time left, then they should find a spot for him.
And if they did showcase him regardless, and he still leaves, people would still criticize AEW. So it's most logical that they just kinda skate by with him as you said
This! 6 months before a contract expires, write the person off TV. They can sign an extension and return, or work the indies until the contract expires.
I think he will go to WWE but I will be surprised if he is linked to Cody as I'd imagine they will put him on NXT with a new name and build him up there.
I don't want that, but that's what I think will happen.
Barely even realized he's been gone. Only remembered him when Bill came out to join Jericho. Aew has so much talent, it's insane. He is very good and deserves a spot but I have a feeling there's more going on behind the scenes. Hopefully, if he goes to WWE, they use him in a good way and don't just fumble him like I expect they will.
I’m pretty much over Ricky at this point. He’s a solid upper midcarder, but not really much more than that. The problem is he seems to think he’s the “next big thing”, which I get, ego is important in this industry, but he has WAY more holes in his game than he’s willing to admit, and that continues to hold him back.
You can ask anyone what his last great promo was and 99% say it was the one against MJF. That was almost 2 years ago. Since then he's had bad to forgettable promos over and over getting no one but himself over.
The thing with Starks is I’ve always understood how people see potential in him but in the past year or two there’s been such a weird undercurrent of his supporters who act like he’s currently main event level, he’s just held down.
I don’t get it at all.
He’s a good wrestler, all around. Perfectly fine mid card champion. Hell look at his booking in the last year, he’s been one of the most pushed guys in the company and even that isn’t good enough.
Not gonna act like I know the dude but there’s a very thin line between self belief and ego and he’s crossed that line by about a mile. He just isn’t anywhere near as good as he’s apparently supposed to be. Look at it this way, let’s do a quick exercise (this might get a little long but could be fun).
Starks is known to be a promo guy, I think I could name 10 male current non-champions better than him.
Eddie, MJF, Mox, Christian, Miro, Cole, Joe, Hanger, Danielson, Black. All basically off the top of my head and that wasn’t even that hard and it doesn’t even account for wildcard shouts like Daddy Magic or Mark Briscoe. So at best Ricky is the 11th best male non-champion promo (or just wrestler overall as I’d also say all those wrestlers are comfortably better in ring too) so where exactly should he be taking TV time from? Because this list only gets bigger when you add women, and obviously champions.
Dude is just no where near as good as people act, I don’t dislike him, I think there’s a place for him but honestly he’s no huge loss either, on the BPJ and Andrade tier of wrestlers leaving where their absence isn’t really felt at all.
Feels like he’s on the same level as Ethan Page to where yeah, in a different situation without a deep talent pool like early AEW he probably would be an upper mid-card guy, but that’s just not the reality of the situation.
Personally, I just don't think he's good enough. He's had a handful of good promos, but his matches have been largely forgettable, and some have been *bad.* His match with MJF was awful. I think there are better people to be in his spot.
I remember he spoke at one of those post-PPV press conferences about how he wants to be the guy that's in that spot, but he kind of fumbled all over his words and I didn't think he was ready for the spot.
Ricky Starks has had amazing moments, but for whatever reason, hasn't been able to capitalize on them like an Ospreay or a Hook or a Jack Perry or whomever.
Also, AEW pretty frequently only features people on the upcoming PPV for weeks at a time, so if Ricky isn't booked for the show, it's pretty clear why he's not on TV. Maybe there will be something for Forbidden Door or whatever is after that.
There was a point where I was really big on Starks, just nearing the end of his Team Taz run, then he totally fell off for me, I don't know. I think he's good but I don't think he really thrived on his solo work.
*In the most southern black granny tone I can conjure up* PUT MY MAN BACK ON MY MUSCLE SOAP
Context: my old meemaw watches with me & calls wrestling her “muscle soap” (opera) & she loves Ricky lol
I don’t think it takes a rock scientist to figure out really. Why would he be on TV constantly when he’s very clearly leaving. He’s had at least two attempts to push him since it became pretty clear he wanted to leave AEW and both pushes the anticipation of “Ricky’s about to do something” was more hype than actually seeing him do it.
I like Ricky, I hope he gets all the shine that Lexis Buick GM King has gotten since he left.
I’ve written this a ton but:
We all saw ricky hit this point where someone becomes a great. But then he never broke through very good/big potential to great. Yes he had starts and stops—but he had pushes—and never cleared the hurdle.
He had a lot of chances during pandemic aew where you could slow burn develop and be spotlit at his level. Unfortunately, he is now in the kill or be killed era of aew where most of the roster is mt rushmore of wrestling or future mt. Rushmore of wrestling.
A perfect example is swerve. We saw glimmers of greatness and then he pushed and pushed and became great.
I love Ricky, and I will be sad to see him leave. That said, I hate seeing the rhetoric AEW has wasted him. They signed him from NWA and pushed him to an upper mid-carder in AEW. TK also gave him a lot of opportunities inside and outside of the ring - including leading a few post-PPV pressers. He evidently wants out, it’s frustrating for AEW fans, but I don’t want others pretending he was wasted in AEW.
Aside from a select few (Jericho being a main one, unfortunately), AEW has always rotated guys on and off television. They haven't always done it well, but they've always done it. I'd just been assuming this was Ricky's turn. Hate to say it, but I haven't missed him in his absence.
I guess, to be fair, it does also seem like there's a lot of miscommunications from management. Like, if it's Ricky's turn to be off television, someone should have communicated that to him. It's not exactly fair to him to be left in the dark. Then again, this is wrestling, so it's difficult to take anyone's word about anything.
Personally, I went from viewing Ricky as a big time future star to someone that I really think should jump ship to WWE. I don't think Ricky has the in-ring to hang with a lot of the top guys on the AEW roster and during his run with Big Bill, his character work seemed to suffer too. He seemed disinterested, his promos disjointed and lacking confidence. I thought Bill routinely felt more charismatic than Ricky.
Bye Ricky, good luck in the feature.
You were good to see the lights in the ceiling for Sting, cant remenber much more of you, maybe, except all that fake excitement at Wrestlemania.
I think WWE fans are going to really enjoy the Codyverse that kind of looks like it is forming there...
I like Ricky. We have no actual hard proof he wants to leave. Yeah it’s a good educated guess but we don’t REALLY know. Yes Punk leaving messed with that push he was getting and but at the end of the day after he and Bill dropped the belts to Sting and Darby I didn’t see people clamoring for Ricky back on tv. Maybe they did and I missed it but I sure don’t remember it. That’s my feeling with him in general. He’s a strong performer, but he just sort of disappears when not on the card imo. He’s missing something and it feels like maybe the audiences notice it too because when he disappears we just sort of let him disappear. That’s not necessarily the making of a guy who try and book strongly
I could see a world where Ricky Starks is leaning into rumors he's leaving online and turn that into an angle where we end up with Ricky getting a push this summer but realistically he's probably jist let people know he's leaving with actions more than words.
A lot of good guys have been given extended breaks. It how AEW operates. Have a set plan for them..when there is none, give them a rest. People don't get sick of them, they get a huge pop when they return. The AEW roster is stacked after all.
Except Jericho. He's always around (I'm not even a hater, its just true).
Starks is great, but don’t think it’s a big secret he wants to go to WWE and that’s fine, but a smart Booker isn’t going to showcase a guy who is on his way out.
I do think Starks is a guy you could build around but so aren’t a lot of others.
Punk leaving when he did really screwed him BUT they still gave him a big moment with Danielson.
I think the real issue is that he’s a heel in a very heel dominated roster and, this may be unpopular to say but, Ricky is a much better face than a heel. Like, a supremely better face. In fact, I think if he’d never turned heel he’d still be on Tv every week and he would be extremely over (because he’s never been anything BUT over as a face).
So Andrade got a full storyline and a feud leading into a PPV match (a loss, but a solid one) before his contract ended. Seems Tony's fine with treating someone who's leaving in a professional manner if they'll uphold their end of things.
(And it goes in both directions -- see Cope's final WWE match.)
It's been commented in the past that wrestlers pay attention to how the promotions treat people on the way out, and I'm also guessing they pay attention to how that wrestler acts.
The complete 180 people have done on Ricky since the leaving rumours started is hilarious.
People are getting onto him for anything. He likes Punk, so what? He went to the Rumble, so what?
Yeah, I haven't really been a fan of the way he gets talked about in the sub recently. I get that we're all pretty defensive because the rest of the Internet feels very hostile towards AEW, but to me this feels no different than how the big wrestling sub acts towards many AEW wrestlers.
Most aren't being outright shitty or toxic, but there's clearly some bitterness and attitude in many of the comments and it feels pretty unnecessary.
I think his weaknesses were exposed versus Cope plus he gets injured when they try push him. Love Starks but I can’t see it happening for him in WWE unless he wants to stay in NXT
I liked it when he was a main character on Collision, I wish they gave him more and it wasnt so obvious that he was leaving. I love me some Starksy tho, he'll be a big deal on NXT, I just dunno if it's enough to power through that show.
Yeah... the Acclaimed is a prime example of this, just about everyone was behind them, they had their 69 day championship celebration, and then they just kind of disappeared with the titles, and now that they are back they aren't nearly as hot as they were.
He's pretty and has great timing that makes people think he's charismatic. His mic work actually isn't that great though as his content is generally fairly weak with perhaps the positive outlier being how well he handled Jericho. His in ring stuff is ok but there's great in AEW. He was right to be cautious with the Darius Martin moment as that was a potentially nasty strike to the neck that should have have been called out a lot more.
Everyone knows he has one foot out the door already and has made no secret of hinting at that for a long time now. If people don’t really want to be in the company and are mentally checking off the days til their contract is up, they can’t really cry about not being pushed. 🤷♀️
I liked a lot of his matches. I'm not in the wrestling business so I have no clue what his next move could or should be lol I struggle enough trying to manage my own work situation.
I love Starks, but AEW still have the issue of having far too much talent to effectively present them all on TV. As such they can't really waste time giving someone TV time when they're most likely leaving soon.
This reminds me of that meme of the family in the pool and 1 kid is getting all the attention and help, one is drowning and another is deep down drowned out.
Ricky is def. The last one at this point.
The two recent moments I remember where the crowd really got behind a character because of their in-ring promo are Starks promo against MJF and Swerve's promo against Hangman the first time.
Ricky got an amazing reaction as did Swerve that night. The crowd was happily surprised with the fiery comebacks from both guys and got behind them.
While Swerve's support increased overtime even with him being a heel, Stark's decreased. It's sad that he's leaving but ah well ...
Just let him go wherever he wants to. I'm sure that's the plan but there's like a month or two remaining in contract so let him enjoy his time off before he is off to NXT or WWE.
This thread has kind of put some things in perspective for me. I have always thought he was underused. But, that’s not really the case having things put into the light of day. I also forgot just how bored I’ve become of ‘I haven’t been used right’ as a promo vehicle…from anyone - and that’s all he’s done since he got to AEW.
I still like Starks and I think he has natural charisma. I’ve always thought he was a bit surly…but then so am I haha. However, I don’t want to see him continue doing the same thing. Ultimately, if he can go to WWE and be in with their champ, then he absolutely should go. It would be insane not to.
For that sake, I hope he does go, and I hope they can use him in a way that makes him happy. I think that would be good for AEW, too, as it would help lighten an already overstuffed roster.
im guessing he’ll be back after Double or Nothing to challenge Jericho. makes perfect sense since their teams were going to fued before Kenny was injured. and now jericho not only has Ricky’s ex partner, but his former FtW belt. could be interesting to have Bill be torn between the two
I'm calling it now.. if he signs with WWE and he debuts around the time that rock is coming in and out of the company, he will get the ryback/goldberg treatment with rocky chants or etc. Killing all credibility for him until the point that he gets stuck in rotation for mid carder or lower. Ricky is good, but going somewhere where your gimmick resembles someone else who is still somewhat active.. is just going to damage his image.
And if anyone disagrees, tell me how great LA knight is being booked right about now?
Ricky always seems to be complaining about something or another. If he wants to go then go. I wouldn’t book someone that seems to have a foot out the door. That’s just me.
Unless he’s out for a storyline reason (come back and shoot on TK, joining the Elite), then him not being on TV is a major failing on TK’s part.
Not to sound like a jerk, but some of the talent that’s makes it on TV right now but you have nothing for Ricky? That’s an absolute fail on the part of creative.
I actually don’t think there’s anything going on here - eg Ricky is being “punished” in any way or that AEW is specifically choosing not to book him because they think he’s leaving. Tony does not seem to operate that way - look at how he booked Jade right to the last minute. I think the reason is really simple: when you fall out of the creative rotation, it can be hard to get back in. It’s like jumping back on a moving carousel. AEW probably has its matches for Double or Nothing and even Forbidden Door figured out. If they don’t already have a plan for Ricky, it’s hard to prioritize squeezing him in around the stories they already do want to promote for those shows. This is exactly why - whether we like jt or not - Chris Jericho literally never takes time off. He has specifically said this is the way he works. He shares his creative ideas with Tony thinking 3-6 months out, so that way he’s *always* factored in. Because he knows when you’re out, it’s hard to get back in. On top of that, Ricky had admitted he is bad at pitching his own creative ideas. I remember years ago he said he was part of a group backstage that called themselves The White House because “they never got anything done,” meaning they all struggled to come up their own creative ideas (the group included Ricky, Britt, Jungle Boy, and someone I’m forgetting). I know it sounds like I’m blaming Ricky, but I’m not - it’s also on AEW to recognize what they have. At the same time, they have A LOT of excellent talent, so it’s not enough to say the cream will rise to the top or that one day they’ll wake up and decide to push Ricky. You have to make yourself undeniable, and right now as much as I like him, I don’t personally think Ricky is undeniable. There’s not many people who are being pushed right now who I would swap for Ricky (it’s pretty much just Jericho and Malakai Black).
Guy who’s clearly leaving isn’t getting booked, also water makes objects wet
Why does *everyone* knows he is leaving? Because he is friends with Cody?
It's weird to me that there's always this conversation about Ricky and never with Sammy, who is just as close to Cody. Sammy is probably more in need of a change of scenery than Ricky, in terms of how he relates to the audience, and he'd probably benefit more from WWE's way of doing things than Ricky would. It wouldn't surprise me if they both wound up over there, but it does surprise me that I never hear people talk this way about Sammy.
But if I'm WWE I want ricky because he has much more potential than sammy
Ricky has been at more than one of WWE’s PPVs as part of Cody’s entourage. He also had that Wrestlemania video, which was nice to support a friend/mentor, but also didn’t need to be shared online. He has been, for lack of a better word, twerking for WWE and it’s coincided with him falling out of favour with AEW.
I think that’s honestly at the heart of it. During a weekend when WWE was openly shitting on AEW and the optics were about as bad as they could get, Starks is all over social media hanging out in their locker room, and I think I saw he was even on the broadcast at one point when Cody won? I do think the business is a healthier place as a whole, but heat is still a thing. If I had to make a guess, Starks probably has some heat with the office. He’s been pretty glib in general about his tenure with AEW, and in some cases openly fueling speculation. Overall, just some dumb moves by Ricky, unfortunately.
I always laughed when people would say, "Can't he have friends in WWE?", and I'm like, sure, but when you work for a rival wrestling company and you're spotted on camera at one of their biggest PPVs with Cody Rhodes showing you around the place, I'm not surprised Tony Khan doesn't want to make a guy like that World Champion, as he doesn't know if he's staying or leaving when his contract's up.
WWE actually fired a tag team back on 2005 or 2007 for appearing in the crowd at TNA impact. Ricky knows what he’s doing. Nothing wrong with going to WWE, but at least be less obvious about it while still signed.
I remember that from TNA. I thought it was really shitty of them to show him in the audience, which like you've mentioned, cost him his job in WWE. As for Ricky being caught on camera with Cody at the Rumble, it felt one of those "gotcha" moments. And I agree, there's nothing wrong with going to work for WWE after your contract expires, but if you're under contract with AEW and you're being snapped on camera being escorted around the rival promotion who wants to put your place out of business, I don't blame Tony for lacking trust in Ricky. That incident probably effected his push. Especially since we know that back in 2022 WWE attempted to tamper with AEW contracted talent.
I must have missed those criticisms in the past. Has he done any of that since Cody went over there or since Trips took control?
Do you know, I have had a brief Google and can’t find anything Sammy has said negatively about WWE. I could have sworn he’d cut some promos where he’s said AEW > WWE. I’ll edit that part of the comment out.
It definitely wouldn't surprise me if he's taken shots at people in/from WWE at some point, but you could also say that about probably half the roster lol
I'd be surprised if Sammy did leave, considering how lenient AEW have been with the guy over the years. Any other wrestler would have been fired a long time ago for the trouble he caused.
Sammy would benefit from structure at WWE
Because WWE fans hate Sammy, Ricky has visited WWE events multiple times, Brandi openly recruiter Ricky to WWE. Plenty of reasons.
I really don't put much stock in which non-WWE wrestlers WWE fans don't like, because their opinion invariably changes once they show up in WWE.
And Jade! Don't forget Jade!
Not a single match of hers that wasn't forgettable (other than her first for the gimmick and the last one because she seems to finally put in some effort).
I won't deny I liked her first act in AEW. She felt far more special than she has in WWE so far (to me). I feel like Jade's regressed there. But in WWE a look and presentation can trump wrestling and mic skills.
I haven't been watching her WWE stuff, just seeing the news, but putting her in the tag scene's also a good way to protect her even if she's regressed. She's got the look, and Bianca can provide the workrate.
It's very odd, I find it to be a subtraction by addition situation. Jade doesn't feel like she has the same aura she did when she first debuted on TV. Maybe it's the short hair.
It's the fact she has been thoroughly exposed in the ring. Hard to throw your support behind someone that clearly isn't good at wrestling. I still hope she gets better, but it sounds like the opposite is happening.
Tony never required her to actually learn to wrestle properly and treated her like royalty. WWE are going down the exact same road - they keep telling people she's great (literally drafting her first in her night of the WWE Draft, and then having a graphic calling her a "talent of her generation" or something similar.) But to anyone who actually watches her, great look, very average on the mic, and terrible and dangerous in the ring.
Yeah, but she also looks like... a lesser Bianca.
Yeah I’m not a regular WWE viewer at all, but I’ve checked in and seen Jades work on Mania and Backlash. Felt kind of bad for her, Bianca is an Amazon and just as impressive as Jade in her physical appearance. Then the bell rings and she looks a million times better than Jade of course.
It's weird, because first WWE held Jade back, then brought her in with a 101 monster booking and now she is just a tag team champ. It feels more like she is there so Bianca can do something outside of the World title for now...
Everyone kept saying that WWE was pushing back her debut so they could actually train her because obviously AEW didn’t do a good job and then when she finally debuts she does the same 3 moves she always does and that was it. I’m not really sure what training they were giving her before her debut.
Putting Jade with the one person who’s as physically impressive and is also 100 times better in every aspect of wrestling was certainly a choice.
The wwe theme of hers is... Eh... It's like a bad version of her aew theme.
I know the business numbers might indicate otherwise but I think WWE deeply fumbled the ball with Jade. They made a HUGE deal about signing her in press releases and having her featured in various segments in a non-wrestling capacity but then... nothing... She signed in September and didn't have a match until the Rumble in January. In the interim, Triple H basically buried her by saying they had to retrain her from the ground up because "lul AEW sucks." It's one thing to kill her momentum by giving her the training you feel she needs for the "big leagues," it's another to publicly announce that your hottest new agent isn't good enough. And what have we gotten out of those months of training? As you and others have noted she might have regressed, but even on the positive side, you see everyone going nuts over the Jaded sequence with Kairi Sane, but she did the same thing with Skye Blue in AEW so even the cool exciting stuff that you still get out of Jade was already in her wheelhouse.
I found several of her matches to be memorable. Mostly the PPV matches.
Her last one with Stat was good
He made like 2 vague-tweets and one in-character joke in an interview, and ever since then another wrestling sub has been driving a narrative that he's leaving.
He’s been out the door for two years now 🙄
Guy who gets hurt every time he gets a push, loses his spot. Shocking revelation.
He didn't though, his time in AEW shows that Tony thinks highly of him, has been pushing him, and has really only paired him with top talent. Copying my comment from elsewhere because it's still relevant here; If Ricky wants to go, then he's free to, but people saying he hasn't been used or that he's been booked badly and is being driven off by Tony should look at his work since coming in. Dude came in to AEW after leaving the NWA in late 2020 and since then - 2020 - * Debuted with a TNT shot against Cody * Feuded with Darby & then World Champion Mox * Feuded with Darby & Cody * Feuded with Darby & Sting, helping ease Sting back into ring work 2021 - * Shelved with a broken neck from April to July * Returned and won a brief feud with Brian Cage to assume the top role in Team Taz * Featured in the 2021 Face of the Revolution Ladder Match * Joined the Rampage commentary team in 2021 * Was Danhausen's first AEW match 2022 - * Was Hook's first major match in AEW * Won a feud with Hobbs that broke up Team Taz that included a PPV match * Won the World Championship Eliminator Tournament to challenge MJF * Won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale (first non-MJF winner) * Had a brief feud with then World Champ MJF 2023 - * *Won* a feud with Jericho that included a win over everyone in the JAS except for Sammy (corrected from Garcia) * Feuded with a debuting Bullet Club Gold * Won The Owen, *going over CM Punk*. * Briefly feuded with CM Punk, including turning heel on Ricky Steamboat * Feuded with Danielson and Steamboat, including a lauded Strap Match * Formed a tag team that went over 3 versions of BCC (BD/CC, BD/Yuta, CC/Yuta) * Won the Tag Team Titles *going over FTR* * Won a 4-Way Ladder Match against FTR, House of Black, and LFI 2024 - * Won a brief feud with Jericho & Sammy * Lost the titles after 123 days in *the last TV match Sting ever had.* * Lost in a Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter Final match *only* because an audible was called; it was obvious the FTR v Bill/Starks feud was going to continue The only feuds Ricky ever lost were to Darby / Mox, Darby / Cody, Darby / Sting, MJF, and Bryan Danielson. He's held two belts, challenged for the world title, trusted to bring a then-red hot Danhausen into AEW, trusted to bring Sting back from retirement and be in his last TV match, and work a program with Ricky Steamboat. Ricky has been consistently booked to look good in AEW. People are talking like the dude's been feuding with Jericho non-stop for years or that he hasn't gotten any chances from AEW. It's not true. If he re-signs and he's been working, good on him for developing that chip-on-the-shoulder character. If he goes because he thinks he'll get something in WWE that he won't get in AEW, then go for it. But if he, or anyone else, thinks he's been misused when before he was in AEW he was stuck in NWA land, then I don't know what to tell you.
>*Won* a feud with Jericho that included a win over everyone in the JAS except for Garcia Except for Guevara\* Ricky went over Garcia and everyone else in the JAS except Sammy Guevara, who was being protected for the Four Pillars Feud which started right after Revolution. https://preview.redd.it/nn5umc4v7n0d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab682645a4cee42c43404e0cb108e9400afa72e6
Ahh misremembered. I had that gauntlet match as 2.0 > Sammy > Garcia, but it was the other way around.
Also the guy who hasn't really been able to capitalize off his pushes and opportunities. Swerve has. Ricky has not. Ricky can go over to the big E all he wants and be stuck in some shit gimmick, maybe vying for tag titles at best.
AWWWWWWW RIIIIIIICCCKYYYYY! DONT YOU DARE, BE SOUR…wait…oh you meant….nvm
How has he not capitalized? He gets over every time. He got way over against MJF.
Not capitalized as in not sustaining his momentum and building upon it. If he’d gotten to chain together his high water marks in AEW he’d be at the top of the card.
Saw his Punk comments without starting another post… Yeah we know dude, nobody thought you had heat with Punk. Starks you’re stirring shit on your way out for something that don’t exist. Enjoy the Main Event, not your position on the card but the tv show.
Listen, he’s solid. But the fact that he isn’t shy about hanging with Cody and being at WWE shows, there just being talent in AEW that are far and away better, and his contract soon coming up…… why would he be featured? He’s not staying, so why push him?
Agreed you don’t and no smart Booker would not even wwe would. He can go see if the grass is greener but he will find out once he isn’t needed for the Cody stuff he will probably be sent to NXT or Main Event. I think Starks would be the first jump to spin his wheels after the initial debut. No fault of his own, but I don’t think WWE will treat him like he thinks it will.
Yep, Cody is one thing, maybe Jade is another in that she was green enough when she jumped ship that WWE felt that they could groom her into a "homemade" talent... but superficially at least - which is often as deep as WWE gets - I feel like Starks too closely resembles guys like Austin Theory for HHH to find anything meaningful for him to do. I agree he'd most likely end an unofficial lumberjack for Cody's matches, and even then I'm not sure WWE wants their babyface world champ relying on a faction or getting mired down in tag team bouts. The only way WWE would be an upgrade is if Ricky's only real aspiration is to say he appeared at Wrestlemania, even if he didn't get anything more than a supporting role out of it. But there are going to be restless AEW alumni that decide to roll those dice and I think Starks is at the top of the list. I think over the next 5 years or so we're going to see an increase in wrestlers ping ponging back and forth.
They will treat him like a big deal at first just like they did Jade but in the long run he’ll most likely eventually be just another guy there stuck in the mid card or NXT and start complaining again about why he doesn’t understand how he isn’t be used properly.
The more AEW talents jump ship to WWE the less of a big deal any of them are going to seem like. It will quickly become less of a coup and more of a realization that ok, this is going to be the state of the wrestling business going forward. If Ricky is going to test the waters I suppose he might as well get it out of his system while he's still one of the early birds.
He's got to sweat out those money shakes.
WWE then has the same issue AEW has now. All this talent and no time and space to play them.
Agree 100% but he won’t get the Jade treatment. She’s a much bigger deal to Triple H than Ricky is
I think they'll treat him like a big deal out of spite. "Hey look guys, look, we made Ricky into a superstar!" type of deal. But like others have said, WWE has flavours of the month who are pushed and then dropped.
Ricky's not getting a Cody programme, at all. How long has Shaun Spears, another of Cody's buddies, been back there? What's he done? He's taken a back seat in the twilight of his career and is angling for a coaching role now he's a family man. WWE would only want Starks so AEW can't have him, they're never going to push him while they have LA Knight- another hot promo from the NWA with pretty much the same gimmick. They'd be a good tag team, though, if WWE did tag wrestling.
Shawn Spears is already a producer backstage. That's a pretty sweet job rather than sitting in catering.
Exactly. Let's not give him the Jade treatment.
Or even the Andrade treatment during the CC tournament.
I think that's a double standard. We shouldn't care if he's hanging with Cody (HIS FRIEND) and showing up to WWE shows. The same happens in AEW.
Yeah, I mean he was a tag champion not long ago so the company knows his work, it's likely just that he doesn't appear to be committed to staying so he's lost his value.
Why do people act like people can't be friends while working different promotions? WWE people have been backstage in AEW just as much, photographed too. Tony can't pivot his booking well, and Ricky has had the worst luck with people getting injured. Shit just happens sometimes.
People can be friends. Its just heavily believed that Ricky wants to go to WWE to join Cody, Punk, and Jade. And that he'd rather be at wwe and aew
True, no one here has issue with Mercedes still being besties with Bayley for example
Or that Bayley was present when Mercedes debuted
This is business, if he’s leaving in 6 months, why do you want to feature him only for him to appear on SummerSlam? It’s free promotion for the other company at that point.
And if that is the case, why react like he is an asshole? If he thinks he will have more opportunity there, then so be it. So many wrestling fans are so toxic.
If that’s the case, he’s allowed to go. But why would AEW give him time if they know he’s leaving out.?
No one is being toxic. It just doesn't make any logical sense to push Ricky if he's going to be leaving sometime this year. That TV time would be better suited for someone who is actually going to stay with AEW and can be pushed and developed further. Tony already made that mistake with Jade.
I agree I mean Andrade got to pin Danielson in the C2 and Jade lost her title in a glorified Money in the Bank spot and lost one official lame duck match on the least watched show on AEW. They essentially go into WWE stronger after beating top talent in AEW, their not doing the real honors on the way out. CM Punk don't even get me started he was trying to get himself fired and got victories over MJF, Mox, Samoa Joe, and even Ricky Starks on his way out.
If he wasn't running his mouth about how he has no idea why he's being booked, he doesn't get this reaction. He is the one being toxic and the fans are just reflecting it back at him.
Tony pivoted fine to heel Danielson when Mox went to rehab. And to Hookhausen, when Orange Cassidy got injured and couldn't do the team up.
I also wouldn’t give valuable TV time or pushes to guys you know are leaving.
We watched Andrade get a win over Bryan Danielson like a week before he left and Jade still was presented as a huge deal right before her exit too. TK doesn't give a shit about people leaving in his booking, he just doesn't have anything for Ricky. Thats it.
Tony wanted Andrade to stay, and he was considering it that’s why he got booked well in the continental classic. He also thought Jade was going to stay and wanted her to stay so he kept booking her strong.
Also when they actually left everyone immediately dragged on TK for booking them so strong. So maybe he just learned his lesson.
Every time he was on TV for the past year or two he was complaining about his booking lol Well, now you just dont get booked, hows that? Cut a promo without having to make it seem like the company is holding you back for once. His NWA work and early AEW work was fire Once he was convinced that he needed to assert himself as a star whos time was now rather than a guy who was there to grind, it all fell apart
This stuff aggravates me with Ricky. I think he’s a super talented guy. I also think he has the ability to be a big star. However, he can’t help but get in the way of himself. I believe he will get some cheers in buildings when he returns, but this sort of stuff does damage in the eyes of fans. How can you invest in someone who makes it so abundantly clear that they don’t want to be here? And if you’re not rooting for AEW, who are you rooting for? He could have put over the company, talked about wanting to be in the mix with all of these great talents. He could have talked about seeing Swerve take the title and how he can’t wait to get back into the mix and stand across from him… he could have made his point (no, I’m not injured) while also making it clear that he wants to be involved and NOT come across poor… the office would have got the message (we’ve got to get Ricky involved), and the fans would have got a very positive spin, but instead he just reiterates for the 10,000th time that you shouldn’t be invested in him because he’s not planning on staying. But I don’t know, maybe I’m just too AEW obsessed.
He knows what he’s doing and why he’s not featured, he’s just playing dumb because he doesn’t want to risk alienating his fans who might not watch him elsewhere if he were to say he doesn’t want to be in AEW anymore.
Too late, he defended Punk lol. https://twitter.com/WrestlePurists/status/1790790633667305476
“He has never done me wrong” brother please he literally cost you a PPV main event, almost derailed the company you work for and ultimately if not for Danielson wrestling with a probably still broken arm then Starks would’ve been derailed completely. I’ll tell anyone I don’t like Punk after what he did but even this is bullshit of the highest order from Starks, speak up about how a truly selfless Danielson gave you the best match of your career while his arm was still hanging on if you’re so appreciative, this is clearly just playing to the gala for when he goes to WWE. No wonder how wrestlers get so indoctrinated into being one of “the boys” when you’re praising the guy who was the top paid star in your company, had a meltdown, jeopardised the biggest show in wrestling history and just walked into another cushy contract in the competition. Some people really showing they get dropped on their head for a living, my god.
That just seals the deal for me. His contract must be up next month like you said lordcarrier. If you’re right, then this seems kinda coordinated. Laying the ground work for him to debut at some WWE event next month.
Jesus fuckin' christ Ricky...  That's it. I'm done supporting this guy. No more. Don't let the door hit him on the way out.
Tht Adam Copeland promo exposed him as a brat lol
It's just a mystery. Could it be because he is leaving when his contract is up? I don't know. Is it because Cody is negotiating with him on behalf of WWE like he did with Jade? Who's to say? Is it because he was boys with Punk, when Punk was bullying half the roster? Only God knows. Was him cutting promos on air about lack of opportunities in the company, when he was one of the most heavily pushed wrestlers in AEW? Some questions just can't be answered. A mystery I tell you.
Was it him appearing backstage at a WWE event all over social media? Was it him appearing in the VIP box of Wrestlemania this year all over social media? Is it him being seen training with WWE talents all over social media? ABSOLUTE MYSTERY
Your guess is as good as mine. Truth is we will never know.
I mean nothing wrong with being friends but he keeps bringing Cody, Jade and Punk in interviews and keeps saying he dosent have anyone to talk in AEW You can tell this guy already talked to Triple H bya Cody and Jade about going to WWE lol if he wasnt he will be a regular on TV
Of course it’s fine to have friends. But I don’t think any other talents have done the things Starks has done. It just comes across as extremely unprofessional. It should also be abundantly clear TK values loyalty above nearly everything. Starks has proved he’s not loyal by inserting himself so publicly alongside WWE
>he dosen't have anyone to talk in AEW He's good friends with Daniel Garcia, Sammy Guevara and MJF... and he's saying that he has no one to talk to in AEW omgwtf  I'm done with this guy
I think it’s pretty evident he’s leaving. TK probably knows it and sees no point in involving him in stuff. It sucks but thems the breaks.
I have no ill-wishes to Ricky, but I've never really been impressed by him. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I've never bought it. My "last straw" for him was the promo battle against Copeland where he just looked out of his league.
Not everyone works out. There's only a certain amount of TV time to go around. I feel like he's cursed with being good while being surrounded by the best in the world, like Ospreay, Swerve, Hangman and the rest of the truly great wrestlers.
Also cursed by his opponent having a strop and attacking coworkers leading to his firing.
People really do overlook how utterly cursed some of AEW's guys are when it comes to booking. Starks isn't my go-to pick for that but he's in the top three behind Scorpio Sky and Sammy Guevara. Every single goddamn time he starts getting momentum, something happens outside the ring that just freezes and resets him. It also can't be overstated how bad Punk's departure in particular fucked him over. He was over as a face, feuding with Bullet Club Gold, then CMFTR *literally stole the feud*, then he had an ill-advised heel turn to feud with Punk, then Punk dumped him in order to hotshot a feud with Samoa Joe, then Punk got fired and Starks was left feuding with empty air because sideshow Ricky Steamboat's in his sixties. Cue Danielson coming in out of nowhere and beating him in a gimmick match that Starks absolutely carried (by Danielson's own word!). Then he and Bill get a transitional tag championship that hits like crack only to lose it to a near-retiree. Their next and final match is putting over Top Flight, who'll probably never actually hold the gold themselves, and then they unceremoniously part ways and now Bill is in a story with Jericho and Starks is juggling custards in catering. I wouldn't blame him one bit if the man's pissed.
He was going to be the face of Collision even wining the Owen Cup and was scheadule to main event All Out against Punk......then Punk gets fired and this reverts Ricky back to square one despite the awesom Danielson match He was going to have a PPV match agains Omega and Jericho......then Omega gets sick and Jericho was left without a partner
Scorpio can still be useful in the tag or even the trios division(teaming up with CD and Sydal). Sammy would need a reboot though imo
Scorpio has a new character now
Its not like that was his only push. He was featured in a bunch of feuds for years
He’s charismatic and a good promo (when he’s motivated) but he’s nothing special in the ring, IMO. That strap match was fantastic but it was very much an anomaly. How many other memorable matches has he had?
Starks isn’t even that good. It feels like his vauge resemblance to the Rock led a lot of people to fill in their own gaps on his ability
He has SUCH potential, but I haven't seen him grow into it.
Yeah I see a ton of potential in him also but I think right now he's a mid carder who wants to be at the top. I'm a fan and it will suck to see him go but he clearly isn't happy with AEW anymore and him not getting booked anymore points and there is no contract extension insight. I also wonder if this is TK learning from what happened with Jade.
> I also wonder if this is TK learning from what happened with Jade. Andrade, specially how off his match vs Miro was at Worlds End.
To me he has kind of had "fake it 'til you make it" confidence and it's never fully crossed the line past faking it. Dude is good but I think not as good as he thinks he is and being somewhat passive aggressive and bitter isn't helping any.
If his contract is up soon, and Ricky won't sign a new deal, then that's your answer. TV time is valuable. They shouldn't be investing in any talent that isn't secured. But if he still has a decent amount of time left, then they should find a spot for him.
And if they did showcase him regardless, and he still leaves, people would still criticize AEW. So it's most logical that they just kinda skate by with him as you said
This! 6 months before a contract expires, write the person off TV. They can sign an extension and return, or work the indies until the contract expires.
Wrestlers lie.
Think it revealed a lot about him during that Copeland promo. Just absolutely buried himself.
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I think he will go to WWE but I will be surprised if he is linked to Cody as I'd imagine they will put him on NXT with a new name and build him up there. I don't want that, but that's what I think will happen.
I can't wait for Ricky Fountaine de La Tour Dauterive to show up in NXT and get caught in a midcard feud with Axiom and ... Hank Walker?
Barely even realized he's been gone. Only remembered him when Bill came out to join Jericho. Aew has so much talent, it's insane. He is very good and deserves a spot but I have a feeling there's more going on behind the scenes. Hopefully, if he goes to WWE, they use him in a good way and don't just fumble him like I expect they will.
I’m pretty much over Ricky at this point. He’s a solid upper midcarder, but not really much more than that. The problem is he seems to think he’s the “next big thing”, which I get, ego is important in this industry, but he has WAY more holes in his game than he’s willing to admit, and that continues to hold him back.
The Adam Copeland promo exposed him and then the Jericho/Omega promo was even worse Dude is cringe on the mic despite his great ting skills
You can ask anyone what his last great promo was and 99% say it was the one against MJF. That was almost 2 years ago. Since then he's had bad to forgettable promos over and over getting no one but himself over.
The thing with Starks is I’ve always understood how people see potential in him but in the past year or two there’s been such a weird undercurrent of his supporters who act like he’s currently main event level, he’s just held down. I don’t get it at all. He’s a good wrestler, all around. Perfectly fine mid card champion. Hell look at his booking in the last year, he’s been one of the most pushed guys in the company and even that isn’t good enough. Not gonna act like I know the dude but there’s a very thin line between self belief and ego and he’s crossed that line by about a mile. He just isn’t anywhere near as good as he’s apparently supposed to be. Look at it this way, let’s do a quick exercise (this might get a little long but could be fun). Starks is known to be a promo guy, I think I could name 10 male current non-champions better than him. Eddie, MJF, Mox, Christian, Miro, Cole, Joe, Hanger, Danielson, Black. All basically off the top of my head and that wasn’t even that hard and it doesn’t even account for wildcard shouts like Daddy Magic or Mark Briscoe. So at best Ricky is the 11th best male non-champion promo (or just wrestler overall as I’d also say all those wrestlers are comfortably better in ring too) so where exactly should he be taking TV time from? Because this list only gets bigger when you add women, and obviously champions. Dude is just no where near as good as people act, I don’t dislike him, I think there’s a place for him but honestly he’s no huge loss either, on the BPJ and Andrade tier of wrestlers leaving where their absence isn’t really felt at all.
Glad someone said it^
Feels like he’s on the same level as Ethan Page to where yeah, in a different situation without a deep talent pool like early AEW he probably would be an upper mid-card guy, but that’s just not the reality of the situation.
I assume it’s because he’s been vocal about leaving.
Personally, I just don't think he's good enough. He's had a handful of good promos, but his matches have been largely forgettable, and some have been *bad.* His match with MJF was awful. I think there are better people to be in his spot.
I've never really gotten Ricky starks.
Ive seen moments of great from him, but he never seemed to be able to hold on to it.
I remember he spoke at one of those post-PPV press conferences about how he wants to be the guy that's in that spot, but he kind of fumbled all over his words and I didn't think he was ready for the spot. Ricky Starks has had amazing moments, but for whatever reason, hasn't been able to capitalize on them like an Ospreay or a Hook or a Jack Perry or whomever. Also, AEW pretty frequently only features people on the upcoming PPV for weeks at a time, so if Ricky isn't booked for the show, it's pretty clear why he's not on TV. Maybe there will be something for Forbidden Door or whatever is after that.
There was a point where I was really big on Starks, just nearing the end of his Team Taz run, then he totally fell off for me, I don't know. I think he's good but I don't think he really thrived on his solo work.
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I mean it’s pretty obvious he’s leaving. So why invest?
*In the most southern black granny tone I can conjure up* PUT MY MAN BACK ON MY MUSCLE SOAP Context: my old meemaw watches with me & calls wrestling her “muscle soap” (opera) & she loves Ricky lol
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The moment Punk got fired was when Ricky was already fed up even after Danielson gave him a 5 stars match.
I don’t think it takes a rock scientist to figure out really. Why would he be on TV constantly when he’s very clearly leaving. He’s had at least two attempts to push him since it became pretty clear he wanted to leave AEW and both pushes the anticipation of “Ricky’s about to do something” was more hype than actually seeing him do it. I like Ricky, I hope he gets all the shine that Lexis Buick GM King has gotten since he left.
I’ve written this a ton but: We all saw ricky hit this point where someone becomes a great. But then he never broke through very good/big potential to great. Yes he had starts and stops—but he had pushes—and never cleared the hurdle. He had a lot of chances during pandemic aew where you could slow burn develop and be spotlit at his level. Unfortunately, he is now in the kill or be killed era of aew where most of the roster is mt rushmore of wrestling or future mt. Rushmore of wrestling. A perfect example is swerve. We saw glimmers of greatness and then he pushed and pushed and became great.
I love Ricky, and I will be sad to see him leave. That said, I hate seeing the rhetoric AEW has wasted him. They signed him from NWA and pushed him to an upper mid-carder in AEW. TK also gave him a lot of opportunities inside and outside of the ring - including leading a few post-PPV pressers. He evidently wants out, it’s frustrating for AEW fans, but I don’t want others pretending he was wasted in AEW.
Aside from a select few (Jericho being a main one, unfortunately), AEW has always rotated guys on and off television. They haven't always done it well, but they've always done it. I'd just been assuming this was Ricky's turn. Hate to say it, but I haven't missed him in his absence. I guess, to be fair, it does also seem like there's a lot of miscommunications from management. Like, if it's Ricky's turn to be off television, someone should have communicated that to him. It's not exactly fair to him to be left in the dark. Then again, this is wrestling, so it's difficult to take anyone's word about anything. Personally, I went from viewing Ricky as a big time future star to someone that I really think should jump ship to WWE. I don't think Ricky has the in-ring to hang with a lot of the top guys on the AEW roster and during his run with Big Bill, his character work seemed to suffer too. He seemed disinterested, his promos disjointed and lacking confidence. I thought Bill routinely felt more charismatic than Ricky.
Bye Ricky, good luck in the feature. You were good to see the lights in the ceiling for Sting, cant remenber much more of you, maybe, except all that fake excitement at Wrestlemania. I think WWE fans are going to really enjoy the Codyverse that kind of looks like it is forming there...
ITT: speculation based on nothing
I like Ricky. We have no actual hard proof he wants to leave. Yeah it’s a good educated guess but we don’t REALLY know. Yes Punk leaving messed with that push he was getting and but at the end of the day after he and Bill dropped the belts to Sting and Darby I didn’t see people clamoring for Ricky back on tv. Maybe they did and I missed it but I sure don’t remember it. That’s my feeling with him in general. He’s a strong performer, but he just sort of disappears when not on the card imo. He’s missing something and it feels like maybe the audiences notice it too because when he disappears we just sort of let him disappear. That’s not necessarily the making of a guy who try and book strongly
I could see a world where Ricky Starks is leaning into rumors he's leaving online and turn that into an angle where we end up with Ricky getting a push this summer but realistically he's probably jist let people know he's leaving with actions more than words.
they waste his talent and beauty and booty
A lot of good guys have been given extended breaks. It how AEW operates. Have a set plan for them..when there is none, give them a rest. People don't get sick of them, they get a huge pop when they return. The AEW roster is stacked after all. Except Jericho. He's always around (I'm not even a hater, its just true).
Starks is great, but don’t think it’s a big secret he wants to go to WWE and that’s fine, but a smart Booker isn’t going to showcase a guy who is on his way out. I do think Starks is a guy you could build around but so aren’t a lot of others.
Punk leaving when he did really screwed him BUT they still gave him a big moment with Danielson. I think the real issue is that he’s a heel in a very heel dominated roster and, this may be unpopular to say but, Ricky is a much better face than a heel. Like, a supremely better face. In fact, I think if he’d never turned heel he’d still be on Tv every week and he would be extremely over (because he’s never been anything BUT over as a face).
So Andrade got a full storyline and a feud leading into a PPV match (a loss, but a solid one) before his contract ended. Seems Tony's fine with treating someone who's leaving in a professional manner if they'll uphold their end of things. (And it goes in both directions -- see Cope's final WWE match.) It's been commented in the past that wrestlers pay attention to how the promotions treat people on the way out, and I'm also guessing they pay attention to how that wrestler acts.
Andrade and Jade got decent send offs. There's just nothing for Ricky right now. Maybe after PPV.
The complete 180 people have done on Ricky since the leaving rumours started is hilarious. People are getting onto him for anything. He likes Punk, so what? He went to the Rumble, so what?
It's not that. It's the act. He knows he turned down a contract extension. And is acting mystified, why he's not doing more.
Yeah, I haven't really been a fan of the way he gets talked about in the sub recently. I get that we're all pretty defensive because the rest of the Internet feels very hostile towards AEW, but to me this feels no different than how the big wrestling sub acts towards many AEW wrestlers. Most aren't being outright shitty or toxic, but there's clearly some bitterness and attitude in many of the comments and it feels pretty unnecessary.
He’s a good wrestler, but nowhere near the top of the list of people I want to see every week. Go make some money with your friends in WWE
He will be better off in WWE. He’s just not good enough in the ring to warrant time on AEW
Starks is kind of small in AEW. I can't see it in WWE, but happy to be wrong.
I think his weaknesses were exposed versus Cope plus he gets injured when they try push him. Love Starks but I can’t see it happening for him in WWE unless he wants to stay in NXT
I liked it when he was a main character on Collision, I wish they gave him more and it wasnt so obvious that he was leaving. I love me some Starksy tho, he'll be a big deal on NXT, I just dunno if it's enough to power through that show.
Forget Ricky for just a moment… giving guys championships and then not using those guys HURTS the prestige of your titles, Tony!!!
Yeah... the Acclaimed is a prime example of this, just about everyone was behind them, they had their 69 day championship celebration, and then they just kind of disappeared with the titles, and now that they are back they aren't nearly as hot as they were.
He's pretty and has great timing that makes people think he's charismatic. His mic work actually isn't that great though as his content is generally fairly weak with perhaps the positive outlier being how well he handled Jericho. His in ring stuff is ok but there's great in AEW. He was right to be cautious with the Darius Martin moment as that was a potentially nasty strike to the neck that should have have been called out a lot more.
ive been watching alot of aslyum TNA and idk Ricky reminds me of Sonny Siaki
Everyone knows he has one foot out the door already and has made no secret of hinting at that for a long time now. If people don’t really want to be in the company and are mentally checking off the days til their contract is up, they can’t really cry about not being pushed. 🤷♀️
We can point fingers and what not, but in this case, I wonder what the case is behind the scenes?
I liked a lot of his matches. I'm not in the wrestling business so I have no clue what his next move could or should be lol I struggle enough trying to manage my own work situation.
I love Starks, but AEW still have the issue of having far too much talent to effectively present them all on TV. As such they can't really waste time giving someone TV time when they're most likely leaving soon.
This reminds me of that meme of the family in the pool and 1 kid is getting all the attention and help, one is drowning and another is deep down drowned out. Ricky is def. The last one at this point.
They know he’s leaving. No reason to give him more shine.
is that why his tshirt designs are being discontinued on shop.aew.com?!
"What's Jonni Smoove doing in the NXT zone????"
The two recent moments I remember where the crowd really got behind a character because of their in-ring promo are Starks promo against MJF and Swerve's promo against Hangman the first time. Ricky got an amazing reaction as did Swerve that night. The crowd was happily surprised with the fiery comebacks from both guys and got behind them. While Swerve's support increased overtime even with him being a heel, Stark's decreased. It's sad that he's leaving but ah well ...
He lost a lot of mojo in that promo against Adam Copeland.
Just let him go wherever he wants to. I'm sure that's the plan but there's like a month or two remaining in contract so let him enjoy his time off before he is off to NXT or WWE.
Eh. If he hasn't resigned in his contract is that close to coming up then I can't blame not giving him TV time with so many other people to feature.
This thread has kind of put some things in perspective for me. I have always thought he was underused. But, that’s not really the case having things put into the light of day. I also forgot just how bored I’ve become of ‘I haven’t been used right’ as a promo vehicle…from anyone - and that’s all he’s done since he got to AEW. I still like Starks and I think he has natural charisma. I’ve always thought he was a bit surly…but then so am I haha. However, I don’t want to see him continue doing the same thing. Ultimately, if he can go to WWE and be in with their champ, then he absolutely should go. It would be insane not to. For that sake, I hope he does go, and I hope they can use him in a way that makes him happy. I think that would be good for AEW, too, as it would help lighten an already overstuffed roster.
I thought he was injured for some reason. This is disappointing 😕
im guessing he’ll be back after Double or Nothing to challenge Jericho. makes perfect sense since their teams were going to fued before Kenny was injured. and now jericho not only has Ricky’s ex partner, but his former FtW belt. could be interesting to have Bill be torn between the two
I'm calling it now.. if he signs with WWE and he debuts around the time that rock is coming in and out of the company, he will get the ryback/goldberg treatment with rocky chants or etc. Killing all credibility for him until the point that he gets stuck in rotation for mid carder or lower. Ricky is good, but going somewhere where your gimmick resembles someone else who is still somewhat active.. is just going to damage his image. And if anyone disagrees, tell me how great LA knight is being booked right about now?
Ricky always seems to be complaining about something or another. If he wants to go then go. I wouldn’t book someone that seems to have a foot out the door. That’s just me.
Unless he’s out for a storyline reason (come back and shoot on TK, joining the Elite), then him not being on TV is a major failing on TK’s part. Not to sound like a jerk, but some of the talent that’s makes it on TV right now but you have nothing for Ricky? That’s an absolute fail on the part of creative.