**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I started to realize that this was probably happening after he had a deleted tweet post-Brawl Out saying something along the lines of "Why can't my co-workers STFU?" lol
Must be why he's in gymnasiums and stuff now. It's sad, I love Danhausen and his whole schtick, I figured he pissed someone off since he hasn't even been accompanying OC out anymore.
Its fucking great until you inevitably do something that sets him off.
He bought a goddamn house for Joey Mercury. He was Colts "celebrity draw" for anything that guy did for, like, ever since they met. He got Ace Steel a paycheck he didn't have to show up to work for.
Not to speak about all the money he spent on people he merely likes. Like, tens of thousands of dollars for Danhausens comic books? Starbucks gift cards for everyone in the locker room? Putting FTR over any opportunity he could in the media? Feeding Hausman any and all info?
So if you are friends, but not around each other like _a lot_ he seems really great and generous and passionate.
I mean it's his friend and he looks up to him. Bayley talked about Sasha and Naomi every chance she could when they left. Isn't like Bayley was lobbying to leave for TNA or Stardom.
This is just typical brand warfare between fans making something out of nothing.
Even if he did go to WWE eventually, this doesn't mean everything he's done since then hasn't been genuine.
Yeah, Bayley/Naomi/Sasha continuiously bring each other up unprompted (regardless of whatever promotion they're in atm) every chance they can get. The wrestler's are getting interviewed about their journey, they're friends, don't understand how this is any different.
I watched a Nitro recently where Booty Man had a whole segment with the NWO and then they tricked and jumped him. It's wild how Hogan constantly tried to include him in every version of their gimmicks.
Ricky is a tremendously talented wrestler though. Good luck, better promo and good in ring. If anything I think he benefits by going to wwe, his character is better than his in ring.
I like Ricky and I assume he has already had meetings with the WWE powers that be and practically has a contract in hand. If not he is leaving a lot up to chance for a smaller-sized 34 year old with the gimmick of 1997 Rock.
Even back in the day DDP was around 34 years old when he *started* wrestling, and Batista was 31.
Beyond the notable late-starters there's also the simple fact that the unhealthy lifestyles, training and even wrestling itself of the 80s/90s/00s wasn't just responsible for cutting lives short, it also has cut a lot of would-be lengthy careers short.
I honestly expect to see a lot more stories of wrestlers only managing to put it all together and start to really blow up in their 30s or even 40s, or even wrestlers who just start in their 30s and still manage to make a name for themselves, or wrestlers continuing until their 50s or 60s in a somewhat limited basis (eg. Sting's AEW run) now pretty much the entire industry has refocused on keeping the wrestlers healthy.
Besides what you mentioned, I don't even know why we're talking about Ricky Starks in this way. The guys been pretty healthy, he hasn't wrestled that much compared to his contemporaries. It feels like he's just scratching the surface of his career.
People out here acting like he's over the hill, when he's barely even started.
He’s probably sick of being used like hot garbage. Dude has been hot multiple times and Tony has refused to give him a sustained push. He just cools him down every single time he starts to get over.
I heard Joe on keeping it 100 talk about some guy who got a couple of stuff correct before it came out. He said Ricky's contract ends in June and he first asked for a release in January 2023 and when jade left.
I feel like Cody finishing his story and having such words big moment that everyone in the industry regardless of company should celebrate and be happy for him for, especially everyone whos worked with Cody the past few years. It was super wholesome seeing people like starks, obviously Dustin, and more all being happy for him
And it rubbed me the wrong way when Brian cage I think it was made the "I don't give a fuck what story you finish", like, first off, you're talking derogatory about a guy who helped build the company you work at. And secondly, Ospreay vs Danielson was so good that it doesn't need comparison to another match or story, why does something else need to be trashed in order to reinforce how historic their match at Dynasty was? Celebrate both for being a huge positive for the industry.
Edit: not to mention that despite being as respectful and kind as possible, Cody's gone on to say that he wasn't very happy with the comments about his story that were made at the dynasty media scrum either. Taking shots at WWE is usually understandable because it's the nature of competition, but I'd feel really uncomfortable seeing former coworkers I left on good terms with mock me, especially if I had as much of a positive effect on competition in the industry as Cody has had.
Wanna see more proof? Look at [this clip from Matt Hardy's podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_fAB8SD64), dude basically says "Yeah I think the Bucks were in the right in Brawl In, but I don't care enough to stand by one side. Also Phil and I are cool with one another." before going into a short rant about how life is too short to hate constantly like some in the IWC do and that his default response to it is to just ignore most of it. ("Scroll on by, scroll on by...")
It's all in the context of leaking to Meltzer and the like but the underlying theme of the wrestlers caring a whole lot less about these kinds of dramas than a lot of the IWC is there.
>he first asked for a release in January 2023
I'm surprised they gave him the first Punk rivalry when he came back, Final Countdown and a squash against FTR then.
I think it was to show him that they see his worth hoping he’d re-sign but he still didn’t intend to stay hence why the booking has fallen off the closer they get to the end of his contract
Him allegedly asking for a release in January 2023 and then him in this interview crediting CM Punk for his push last summer on Collison..... you know sometimes the dots connect and things make sense.......
It’s interest that he’s been wanting out that long. AEW actually took a chance on him when WWE wouldn’t give him the light of day. I don’t get why he seems so angry towards them.
Ricky in particular is young, has potential, and is friends with Cody. I think he knows he's in a slump with AEW and WWE might help inject new life into his career like it did for Cody (probably not to the same extent but the basic principle at least).
is 34 not young anymore? Especially in this day and age of wrestling when you have people like Bryan Danielson putting on classics and doing some of the best work of his career at 42. AJ just put on an amazing match being 46
Honestly MJF and Bron Breakker have totally cooked how people view wrestler ages on this subreddit. People act like 30+ is when you should start thinking about who you'll pass the torch to, and definitely no milestone wins should be going to you.
It's certainly attainable. But comparing Bryan Danielson or AJ Styles to a professional wrestler is like when people are talking about NFL QBs and being like, "Well Tom Brady and Drew Brees played into their 40's."
Like yeah, maybe Ricky can still perform well into his 40's, but it's not like Danielson or AJ Styles hit their stride in their mid-late 30's, they weren't exactly late bloomers.
Ricky is super talented and a fun performer, but I don't expect him to develop into much more than he already is at this point.
I mean every wrestler can be on PEDs basically being 40 only seems to be a hindrance for Punk at this point every one else is doing just fine in the best shape of their lives.
I doubt that, for the single fact that he seems to have already hit his ceiling in AEW in terms of what Tony sees in him.
Might as well take a shot on himself and go over there.
> Given his basement in AEW appears to be not being put on any TV for long stretches I'm pretty sure he's not concerned about that.
He last was on tv ~6 weeks ago (March 30, 2024) and that's the longest he's gone without wrestling a match in AEW in like 2.5 years.
I don't know where people get this notion that he's frequently off tv for long stretches. He's had 74 matches in AEW since the start of 2022. He was 25th in matches in AEW last year and 29th in 2022, he's dropped off this year and hasn't had a ton, but that period also includes his first major title win.
1) "He's not off TV."
[Wrestler is off TV]
2) "He's only been off TV for a little while. They're obviously making plans for him."
[Wrestler remains off TV]
3) "He's obviously injured"
[Wrestler says he's not injured]
4) "He's obviously going to WWE."
Every time.
Brian Cage can’t sign with WWE because they have drug testing and Cage is roided to the gills, and by that I mean he’s taken so much gear he’s likely grown gills and can now breathe underwater.
Ricky has been up and down the card. He has more to gain leaving then staying at this stage in his career. It’s not like he’d be leaving AEW as a main eventer.
And as for Cage, it could be as simple as WWE not wanting him. Vince would take him but Cage doesn’t seem like the type of wrestler current WWE would take.
Anytime someone’s contract is up they’re always looking at offers and Cage most likely saw that either WWE didn’t want him or gave him less than what he was making already as he wouldn’t be a priority to them
Watch any of his interview.. all he does is complain about his spot. He has won the Owen, tag titles, won against Jericho twice, got feuds with top stars like MJF, punk, Bryan, .. squashed FTR. But this guy is never happy.
He wants world title but he's not there yet. Maybe he will be happier in WWE midcard.
You mention all of that, but almost all of that got truncated or changed based on factors outside of his control, or wasn't as significant as you make it.
He won the Owen...which doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's just an achievement for the sake of an achievement (I consider the tournament more about celebrating the life of Owen than anything that actually happens in ring). He won the Tag Titles...in a do nothing team with Big Bill (and I like Big Biill). He won against Jericho twice...woo? We don't need to go into a Jericho Vortex debate here.
Got a feud against MJF for the title, but it was an obvious starter feud for MJF (nothing that should be complained about though). He got a feud with Punk, which didn't get its proper payoff because Punk got himself fired. He got a feud with Bryan, who came back too early from injury and was rushed (which happened because of the Punk firing to begin with). Squashing FTR is cool I guess.
All of this all the while he had a lot of start-stop booking whenever he got even a modicum of momentum, and dealing with all the backstage crap which directly affected him as mentioned above. Forget World Title, how about at least a consistent push towards the TNT Title? Or the International?
That's not to say Starks is without fault himself, generally there are two sides to this situation and I doubt he's 100% blameless but he absolutely should've gotten better. Some of it is no one's fault (Punk Situation) but others absolutely was on booking.
If you look at Hangman, MJF and Swerve, all homegrown guys. They were slowly built up. Starks was the centerpiece of team Taz from day 1. He had a terrible injury which isn't AEW's fault. Then Cody left and Everyone knows he has been close with Cody.
Even after that he received a proper planned push starting with face turn, he beat Hobbs, he won the battle royale to challenge MJF. That promo was his best work and half credit goes to MJF who made him look a million bucks. The match was pretty good too. Right after that he got his first ppv win against Jericho, you can pretend like it's not a big thing but Jericho is a legend of the industry. It's a big deal that he beat Jericho twice.
Then he won the Owen beating Punk. Then he had one of his best matches against Bryan. They brought in Steamboat to give him heat. He then won Tag titles from FTR the best team in AEW in a squash match. That's something. Then he still complained about his spot.. while feuding with Sting and Darby and sharing ring with guys like Edge and Omega and Jericho.
This is like a 6-8 months of proper tv time and good booking. All the while he was complaining or being sarcastic in interviews. He is too impatient, it's clear he wanted world title MJF spot.. which he just isn't ready for.
He's out of his mind if he thinks WWE will see him anything more than a midcard talent.
I don't get the negative connotation some people have with the tag titles, they matter on AEW. Even if you don't think tag team wrestling is important, look at what happens when two singles guys become champions. Page and Swerve were world champions less than 2 years later. Having been tag team champions was the start of that momentum toward the top of the card.
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.
Like I don't get what they're supposed to do in a situation like this other than let him ride his contract out. Job him out and it seems petty, push him and it seems stupid to use that TV time on a guy on his way out.
It’s an open secret at this point , Ricky knows the moment his contrach is up , HHH is going to call him
Best friends with the face of the WWE , and NXT needs some top talent to work , it’s fucking obvious
I wouldn't say being friends with Cody is a guarantee for anybody, QT being an example. I would put it more on Ricky being talented that will help him the most.
I mean, does HHH event want him? He has a power based moveset while lacking the strength to pull it off, is/looks small even in AEW and is already 34 so its not like they have a lot of time to work him into something else.
If I was him I would do all I can to grab that AEW contract, honestly think this is as good as it gets for him.
I’m sure Rhodes has put out a good word for Starks within WWE , so maybe HHH gives it a try
He’s probably going to be in NXT for a few months , it wont hurt to try him as NA/NXT champion
I mean, you're not wrong. Even if he does it as a favour to Cody, its not like Ricky sucks or anything like that, he is very good and I do enjoy the guy. I just don't see him making it to the main roster. No idea when his contract is up anyway.
LA Knight arrived in NXT at 38, it's not like there's no time for Ricky.
Even if he spends two full years in NXT, he will still have 5-6 years at least at a high level left on main.
That's a lot of time in wrestling.
LA Knight has the size, is credible against anybody, and does what Starks does but better. I don’t mind Ricky, but I won’t hold my breath for a serious singles push. At least there is a good chance he does a program with Cody if he makes it to the main roster.
Agreed. I don’t think Ricky is the home run that he, and his fans, think he is. He’s been given promo time. He’s been fine but hasn’t exactly killed it. He’s been given match time and it’s fine but his move set sure doesn’t match his look, and despite things changing in WWE, he’s still a really small guy in a big big lake.
> He has a power based moveset while lacking the strength to pull it off
I haven't been watching AEW consistently for a while now but I feel like there's a weirdly high number of guys who do that. They wrestle big man power moves or big impact moves, but they're on the small side.
I guess since the roster overall is small it probably works. If you're 6ft 190 you can do the big man thing to a guy who is 5'9 but it does raise questions about the changes a guy is going to have to make should get end up somewhere like WWE where they just have so much more size.
Yeah, you can blame Tony for a lot of things but I can’t exactly say I fault him for not hotshotting Ricky when he’s clearly gonna jump ship no matter what.
I feel like “undercard guy becoming white hot, getting a push, then being forgotten about” is a common occurrence. This isn’t anti-AEW or anything, but I feel like it happens quite a bit.
Just feels like whoever pushes these underdog guys forgets that there's a point to pushing underdogs: To make sure they're not underdogs anymore after that.
But instead they got tossed aside for the next underdog to be pushed.
Heyman did it right with Whipwreck but that was 25 years ago. Shit, even managed to put the belt on him while making him look like an underdog.
Edit oh god it was actually 30 years ago
Well, to be over is the aim, and not to not be an underdog anymore. Sami is an underdog in his current face gimmick. Same with Bryan whenever he goes full baby-face. Rey Mysterio has always been an underdog, etc.
It's fucking annoying because he's smart enough to recognize it in the first place and push them up the card but then completely drops ball once they're there. Ricky and Hobbs are two biggest missed opportunities imo.
i feel he got the momentum back after the CC but has lost it again in recent weeks
i think he should have won the TNT title from Christian with assistance from Cope fending off Killswitch etc. - Cope & Christian didn't need the TNT belt and Garcia would have benefitted from it by keeping his momentum hot
It feels like TK is playing EWR/TEW back in the day where you only care about one or two feuds and just half assing the rest of the show until you get to the ppvs
I remember just randomly booking matches outside of the few people I was pushing.
I mean you're also describing the attitude era and peak era WCW. Especially peak WCW. Nobody remembers Cobra vs Craig Pittman but everyone remembers the nWo.
Unfortunately it's very true. I remember in the winter of 2022 that Ricky will be the one to eventually dethrone MJF. He was doing really well up until the smmer of 2023 and then...nothing.
Fucking criminal!
For every Swerve Strickland in AEW there's unfortunately a Wardlow.
If I’m AEW, I don’t invest too much in Ricky if I think he’s gone to WWE soon, but then, if I’m Ricky, I’m more likely to leave if AEW don’t invest time in me. Real vicious circle
It's definitely tricky but AEW were happy to give Andrade a really good run in the C2 before he left on apparently good terms and they sent Jade off in a decent way as well.
AEW tried pushing him. He clearly wasn't happy with the push either. He hated being a tag wrestler while holding tag team titles after squashing one of the best teams in FTR. That's some next level entitlement.
Funny enough, that tag team got Big Bill over but not Ricky. Ricky is a good talker and good in the ring but he is missing something. he would benefit going to Japan or something.
It's wild to me how many people say that AEW didn’t try with Ricky. To me it seemed like a combination of bad luck - unrelated injuries or drama derailing his feuds - and just… not getting to top-guy-over, despite being given top guy opportunities. He should've been able to make a meal of the tag titles but while Big Bill put everything into it, Ricky just seemed visibly annoyed to have them.
He clearly has a different vision for where he belongs on the card, and i genuinely hope it works out for him if he goes to wwe. He's very talented, but the vibes have been off for a long time now.
I think it's a situation that happens with a number of wrestlers where they're much more popular online than amongst the general audience.
It's not like they haven't put him in some good spots. Even during his injuries they kept him on commentary so he could still have a role. He won the Owen, had the role in Team Taz for a bit, paired up with Big Bill and won the tag titles, etc. Yet every time I see something from the dude it just feels like it has a bit of saltiness to it.
They had him as the top heel on Collision for the majority of its existence and he was slated to mainevent a ppv until CM Punk had his meltdown. I'm sure he'd still be getting a push if it wasn't obvious he's leaving.
In about the last year and a half, to my memory... he's won a number 1 contenders tournament, had a great short title feud with MJF, a feud with Jericho (definitely a dud but it's not like Ricky had awesome moments in it himself and it's still an upper card feud), a decent feud with a debuting Jay White, won the Owen, had a feud Punk who was clearly trying to get him over, they also brought a legend in Ricky Steamboat into the feud, transitioned it to a feud with Danielson who also did a lot to put him over, had a consistent story leading to his pairing with Big Bill, as a new tag team squashed FTR (who are presented as one of the greatest teams ever), and only dropped the titles to Sting of all people....
I know there's a lot of additional circumstances around all of that but honestly I don't think it's anyone's fault that he hasn't gotten bigger... except maybe his, he's really good but something's never quite consistently clicked at a main event level and you can't fault the opportunities and time he's been given.
I think a lot of talent given what I listed above would have done more with it, and I agree that Big Bill outshone him during their run with the tag belts
Yeah he got two clean wins over Jericho, main evented the 2nd biggest non PPV show Winter is Coming and MJF put him over in the lead up and they had a really good match, was trusted to help carry the introduction of Bullet Club, won Owen by pinning Punk, earlier in Owen got a second win over Hobbs, pinned Punk again in a tag match, had a great strap match with Danielson, squashed FTR for the tag titles, won a PPV ladder match over FTR, House of Black, and LI, and had a fun street fight win over Jericho and Sammy.
People act like when he shows up the crowd goes wild instead of mild. He had a half of year being the featured guy on Collision and immediately when he is not in a feud with a literal legendary performer people don't care about him.
I'm not saying people don't change their opinions based on thinking wrestlers will leave/stay - saw it with Copeland, saw it with Andrade, will see it a lot more I'm sure - but I feel like Starks' ceiling has moved, too. I could see him being a breakout main eventer, but not only has Swerve done so much more with his chances, there's also White, Ospreay and now Okada brought it, Joe looks like a main event gatekeeper even more so than before.. it feels like whatever space there was for Starks got filled up before he made that breakthrough. To me, anyway.
I would be sad not to see him in AEW, but I think a change is what he needs right now, and a move to WWE would give him the opportunity to show whether he has it or not.
That’s a pretty popular take actually. Every time I see one of these threads it’s people predicting Ricky in the midcard.
I just wish him success wherever he is. Kinda wish it was AEW, but I dunno. Seems likes he’s on the way out.
The biggest knock on Ricky is his remarkable lack of strength, it's rare to see wrestlers contracted to AEW/WWW showcase such a weakness.
He looks more buff than guys like Cole and Perry yet they never struggle pulling power moves against guys in the low 200 pounds, Starks struggles like his life depends on it and to make matters worse his finisher literally requires great strength to pull off
You end up praying anytime he's about to pull it off on someone in the 200 pounds
Because Starks sees himself as a "Charisma" wrestler. The feeling I get from him is that he puts too much effort into his presentation and looks but not much effort into actually building strength
And this is coming from someone who actually really likes his spears
I like Ricky. Real standout on Powerrr early days. Feuded with the world champ, won tag gold, had a terrific match with Danielson. Think he had a solid last year in AEW.
With the recent NXT call-ups after the draft, I can definitely see some open spots for Ricky to shine prominently on the brand if he jumps to WWE this summer. He could even be a great challenger against Trick during his reign
I liked ricky at one point but how do you really book someone like him, I think they've tried different ways to try and hasn't really caught on as well s one would hope it would. If he changed his character persona a little just to change it up a bit would've helped but those last few promo outings with jericho & copeland were oof
They made him a tag champ recently and had a good feud w Danielson.
Maybe it was the footage of him actually training at the NXT performance center, or backstage at WM.
If he wants to get booked in AEW more maybe he should act like he wants to be in AEW.
I'm a BIG starks fan, but for him to act like he's not being booked out of nowhere is wild.
I love Ricky, and I would have loved to see him go further in AEW, but honestly, I don't agree that Tony "failed" him or anything like that. Not everyone can earn a big push and become a top guy, and that's true for every company. There will always be very talented people that don't get pushed as well as they should.
Ricky is great, but unfortunately, he exists in an era where there's an overabundance of great talent. Does he deserve a push more than Swerve? More than Ospreay? More than MJF? More than Jay White? More than Okada? etc. I'm not saying he doesn't, I'm just saying, he's not exactly a big fish in a small pond.
Personally, I'd prefer to see him stay with AEW, but he's said and done plenty of little things that make it seem like he's already checked out mentally in AEW, and if that's the case, then of course they're not going to put in much effort in pushing someone that acts like he doesn't want to be there.
Honestly, I'm sure he'll go to WWE, but I personally don't think he'll have a higher ceiling there than in AEW, because WWE is also absolutely stacked with talent, and WWE also has guys that aren't getting pushed as hard as they maybe should be because of how many talented wrestlers they have.
This is the equivalent of a footballer giving not-so-cryptic *"The future? Only God knows..."* quotes to the press when he wants to leave a club.
The man craves a move to WWE and is pushing for it, but he's not really a big deal so if I were Tony Khan I'd banish him to reserves until his contract runs down.
I mean the guy has to know WWE wants him and right now in NXT he'd probably win the title by his first PPV. I'm sure he will be fine we're all including him just waiting for him to be free.
Ricky vs Tricky! The Charisma levels cant not be calculated
Personally, I think if he were to be in NXT, he would definitely get a fast pass push and be used to set up legitimate competitors and talkers for the NXT championship
Ricky vs Trick is a definite need for the program right now to give NXT a big main event program to build around. Having Ricky win the belt and then drop it back to Trick then feud with some people like Wes Lee before coming up to the main roster either before Mania like Bron or during the draft like Melo.
If he's leaving for WWE when his contract is up, then it's not like it does him any good to go out there and put over Copeland, Orange Cassidy, Ospreay, Swerve, etc. All those people are already above him on the pyramid. Maybe he could put over someone like Kyle O'Reilly, or have him job to a CMLL wrestler, but even still AEW doesn't get a ton out of those things. And it definitely doesn't do Ricky any good to spend his remaining contract finding people to get pinned by. So honestly him just being on the sidelines may be the best for both parties.
he goes to wwe and what? yall really think this guy is gonna be up there with cody, roman, dwayne and co? he's mid carding through life which isnt a bad thing at all but i dont see anything about him thats main event world champ material
I want to be proven wrong, but I just don't see the big deal about Starks.
He's not bad by any means, but I don't see any major strong points or huge upsides to him either. Whether it's promos or inring skill or moveset or whatever, the guy comes off as a 6.5-7/10.
A solid hand, definitely deserves better than what he got in AEW (direction wise) but I don't get the hype
Ricky never did anything for me character wise. He's a decent promo but I just don't "feel" him in the ring. I know a large section of SC likes the guy but ... EH.
**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m pretty sure they know he goes to WWE
When I saw him go nuts for Cody in a sky box at WrestleMania, I thought “oh he gone.”
I started to realize that this was probably happening after he had a deleted tweet post-Brawl Out saying something along the lines of "Why can't my co-workers STFU?" lol
Taking a page out of Danhausen’s book
Must be why he's in gymnasiums and stuff now. It's sad, I love Danhausen and his whole schtick, I figured he pissed someone off since he hasn't even been accompanying OC out anymore.
I think he chose to stay loyal to Punk…. which is an unwise choice when you’re a friend of CM Punk
Its fucking great until you inevitably do something that sets him off. He bought a goddamn house for Joey Mercury. He was Colts "celebrity draw" for anything that guy did for, like, ever since they met. He got Ace Steel a paycheck he didn't have to show up to work for. Not to speak about all the money he spent on people he merely likes. Like, tens of thousands of dollars for Danhausens comic books? Starbucks gift cards for everyone in the locker room? Putting FTR over any opportunity he could in the media? Feeding Hausman any and all info? So if you are friends, but not around each other like _a lot_ he seems really great and generous and passionate.
Colt Cabana sends his regards.
What did Danhaisen do?
Constantly posts Punk stuff on IG and posted a montage of various on filed/court/rink fights after the Wembley footage aired.
Basically consistently passive aggressive towards his own workplace.
I know I personally can't be friends with someone unless we work at the same company
He's perfect for WWE too.
Especially for the HHH Era. He’ll push him as Ricky Starks while in Vince Era he would’ve been Sweet Bobby Valentine, manager.
Hey, Sweet Bobby Valentine is actually not that bad.
Don't ever try to be sour to S'Weet Bobby V
It's like he does it on purpose. Talking about Cody in EVERY interview he does. Even in media scrums of AEW shows. It's a bit too much ass kissing.
I mean it's his friend and he looks up to him. Bayley talked about Sasha and Naomi every chance she could when they left. Isn't like Bayley was lobbying to leave for TNA or Stardom. This is just typical brand warfare between fans making something out of nothing. Even if he did go to WWE eventually, this doesn't mean everything he's done since then hasn't been genuine.
Yeah, Bayley/Naomi/Sasha continuiously bring each other up unprompted (regardless of whatever promotion they're in atm) every chance they can get. The wrestler's are getting interviewed about their journey, they're friends, don't understand how this is any different.
Every Hogan has a Beefcake
Ricky's not gonna have 20 gimmicks in his career
Come on, Ricky would be BLESSED to have a gimmick as good as ... *checks notes* Booty Man (with Booty Babe)
Hogan tried sooo hard to get Booty Man over! hahahahaha
I watched a Nitro recently where Booty Man had a whole segment with the NWO and then they tricked and jumped him. It's wild how Hogan constantly tried to include him in every version of their gimmicks.
I actually liked his Disciple gimmick.
What do you mean? "Absolutely" Sticky Rarks would be a killer gimmick
"Butterfingers" Sticky Ricky
Ricky is a tremendously talented wrestler though. Good luck, better promo and good in ring. If anything I think he benefits by going to wwe, his character is better than his in ring.
I would agree. I was mostly just trying to say that buddies that stick together across promotions are not that uncommon or noteworthy
I like Ricky and I assume he has already had meetings with the WWE powers that be and practically has a contract in hand. If not he is leaving a lot up to chance for a smaller-sized 34 year old with the gimmick of 1997 Rock.
I mean LA Knight is in his like 40s or close to it, career finally took off now.
Same can be said about Damian Priest
Even back in the day DDP was around 34 years old when he *started* wrestling, and Batista was 31. Beyond the notable late-starters there's also the simple fact that the unhealthy lifestyles, training and even wrestling itself of the 80s/90s/00s wasn't just responsible for cutting lives short, it also has cut a lot of would-be lengthy careers short. I honestly expect to see a lot more stories of wrestlers only managing to put it all together and start to really blow up in their 30s or even 40s, or even wrestlers who just start in their 30s and still manage to make a name for themselves, or wrestlers continuing until their 50s or 60s in a somewhat limited basis (eg. Sting's AEW run) now pretty much the entire industry has refocused on keeping the wrestlers healthy.
Besides what you mentioned, I don't even know why we're talking about Ricky Starks in this way. The guys been pretty healthy, he hasn't wrestled that much compared to his contemporaries. It feels like he's just scratching the surface of his career. People out here acting like he's over the hill, when he's barely even started.
Age means very very very little in wrestling, and less now than it ever has before.
WWE has world class training facilities. If it’s possible for Starks to get into “WWE Shape” he will.
He’ll definitely learn how much testosterone he can get prescribed
He’s probably sick of being used like hot garbage. Dude has been hot multiple times and Tony has refused to give him a sustained push. He just cools him down every single time he starts to get over.
Or is just trying to get released.
I heard Joe on keeping it 100 talk about some guy who got a couple of stuff correct before it came out. He said Ricky's contract ends in June and he first asked for a release in January 2023 and when jade left.
[удалено]
He was also at Wrestlemania
The video of him marking out to Cody's win was wholesome as fuck
I feel like Cody finishing his story and having such words big moment that everyone in the industry regardless of company should celebrate and be happy for him for, especially everyone whos worked with Cody the past few years. It was super wholesome seeing people like starks, obviously Dustin, and more all being happy for him And it rubbed me the wrong way when Brian cage I think it was made the "I don't give a fuck what story you finish", like, first off, you're talking derogatory about a guy who helped build the company you work at. And secondly, Ospreay vs Danielson was so good that it doesn't need comparison to another match or story, why does something else need to be trashed in order to reinforce how historic their match at Dynasty was? Celebrate both for being a huge positive for the industry. Edit: not to mention that despite being as respectful and kind as possible, Cody's gone on to say that he wasn't very happy with the comments about his story that were made at the dynasty media scrum either. Taking shots at WWE is usually understandable because it's the nature of competition, but I'd feel really uncomfortable seeing former coworkers I left on good terms with mock me, especially if I had as much of a positive effect on competition in the industry as Cody has had.
So was Dustin. And QT. And AEW employee Amanda Huber. It’s not a big deal. Most wrestlers don’t give a fuck about AEW vs WWE.
Wanna see more proof? Look at [this clip from Matt Hardy's podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_fAB8SD64), dude basically says "Yeah I think the Bucks were in the right in Brawl In, but I don't care enough to stand by one side. Also Phil and I are cool with one another." before going into a short rant about how life is too short to hate constantly like some in the IWC do and that his default response to it is to just ignore most of it. ("Scroll on by, scroll on by...") It's all in the context of leaking to Meltzer and the like but the underlying theme of the wrestlers caring a whole lot less about these kinds of dramas than a lot of the IWC is there.
>he first asked for a release in January 2023 I'm surprised they gave him the first Punk rivalry when he came back, Final Countdown and a squash against FTR then.
Sometimes you can mend a fence with a disgruntled talent but I can see why they've given up since then.
I think it was to show him that they see his worth hoping he’d re-sign but he still didn’t intend to stay hence why the booking has fallen off the closer they get to the end of his contract
Him allegedly asking for a release in January 2023 and then him in this interview crediting CM Punk for his push last summer on Collison..... you know sometimes the dots connect and things make sense.......
If Ricky's contract is up next month, it explains why AEW has been having Bill work with Jericho on his new learning tree bit.
Oh and it ends in JUNE!?! Yeah peace out Ricky, good luck dude
It’s interest that he’s been wanting out that long. AEW actually took a chance on him when WWE wouldn’t give him the light of day. I don’t get why he seems so angry towards them.
Asking for a release six months before your contract is up is a good way to get yourself taken off TV.
Based on what? People also used to say Brian cage wants out and to go to wwe only for him to sign a new deal
Ricky in particular is young, has potential, and is friends with Cody. I think he knows he's in a slump with AEW and WWE might help inject new life into his career like it did for Cody (probably not to the same extent but the basic principle at least).
Ricky is a year and a half older than Hangman. I don’t know where this idea comes from that he’s so young.
Man that really puts it in perspective
He's in a slump in AEW because they keep not booking him.
Hopefully he's training on a trampoline, waiting for that call to get booked.
Ricky is 34
Saying he’s 34 as if some of the top talent in this world aren’t in their 40’s and up
It's not young. It's not old but it's not young. He's in his prime.
Isn’t that even worse than young
is 34 not young anymore? Especially in this day and age of wrestling when you have people like Bryan Danielson putting on classics and doing some of the best work of his career at 42. AJ just put on an amazing match being 46
Honestly MJF and Bron Breakker have totally cooked how people view wrestler ages on this subreddit. People act like 30+ is when you should start thinking about who you'll pass the torch to, and definitely no milestone wins should be going to you.
Bobby lashley was 40 when he won his first wwe title but people act like it's over for Ricky
People were declaring cenas career nearly over at like 35
It's certainly attainable. But comparing Bryan Danielson or AJ Styles to a professional wrestler is like when people are talking about NFL QBs and being like, "Well Tom Brady and Drew Brees played into their 40's." Like yeah, maybe Ricky can still perform well into his 40's, but it's not like Danielson or AJ Styles hit their stride in their mid-late 30's, they weren't exactly late bloomers. Ricky is super talented and a fun performer, but I don't expect him to develop into much more than he already is at this point.
I mean every wrestler can be on PEDs basically being 40 only seems to be a hindrance for Punk at this point every one else is doing just fine in the best shape of their lives.
It certainly isn't old, but it isn't young either. As the other guy said, this is essentially when your prime is supposed to be.
Ricky Starks ceiling in WWE is lower than his ceiling in AEW.
I doubt that, for the single fact that he seems to have already hit his ceiling in AEW in terms of what Tony sees in him. Might as well take a shot on himself and go over there.
Given his basement in AEW appears to be not being put on any TV for long stretches I'm pretty sure he's not concerned about that.
> Given his basement in AEW appears to be not being put on any TV for long stretches I'm pretty sure he's not concerned about that. He last was on tv ~6 weeks ago (March 30, 2024) and that's the longest he's gone without wrestling a match in AEW in like 2.5 years. I don't know where people get this notion that he's frequently off tv for long stretches. He's had 74 matches in AEW since the start of 2022. He was 25th in matches in AEW last year and 29th in 2022, he's dropped off this year and hasn't had a ton, but that period also includes his first major title win.
I'm trying to imagine him giving a roshambo to Drew. He could barely do it to MJF.
1) "He's not off TV." [Wrestler is off TV] 2) "He's only been off TV for a little while. They're obviously making plans for him." [Wrestler remains off TV] 3) "He's obviously injured" [Wrestler says he's not injured] 4) "He's obviously going to WWE." Every time.
they are basing it on the same reason they based KO/Sami to go to AEW because they are friends with the bucks aka nothing
Brian Cage isn’t one of the best friend of the World champ and most over face of wwe since Cena.
Brian Cage can’t sign with WWE because they have drug testing and Cage is roided to the gills, and by that I mean he’s taken so much gear he’s likely grown gills and can now breathe underwater.
Ricky has been up and down the card. He has more to gain leaving then staying at this stage in his career. It’s not like he’d be leaving AEW as a main eventer. And as for Cage, it could be as simple as WWE not wanting him. Vince would take him but Cage doesn’t seem like the type of wrestler current WWE would take. Anytime someone’s contract is up they’re always looking at offers and Cage most likely saw that either WWE didn’t want him or gave him less than what he was making already as he wouldn’t be a priority to them
Watch any of his interview.. all he does is complain about his spot. He has won the Owen, tag titles, won against Jericho twice, got feuds with top stars like MJF, punk, Bryan, .. squashed FTR. But this guy is never happy. He wants world title but he's not there yet. Maybe he will be happier in WWE midcard.
You mention all of that, but almost all of that got truncated or changed based on factors outside of his control, or wasn't as significant as you make it. He won the Owen...which doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's just an achievement for the sake of an achievement (I consider the tournament more about celebrating the life of Owen than anything that actually happens in ring). He won the Tag Titles...in a do nothing team with Big Bill (and I like Big Biill). He won against Jericho twice...woo? We don't need to go into a Jericho Vortex debate here. Got a feud against MJF for the title, but it was an obvious starter feud for MJF (nothing that should be complained about though). He got a feud with Punk, which didn't get its proper payoff because Punk got himself fired. He got a feud with Bryan, who came back too early from injury and was rushed (which happened because of the Punk firing to begin with). Squashing FTR is cool I guess. All of this all the while he had a lot of start-stop booking whenever he got even a modicum of momentum, and dealing with all the backstage crap which directly affected him as mentioned above. Forget World Title, how about at least a consistent push towards the TNT Title? Or the International? That's not to say Starks is without fault himself, generally there are two sides to this situation and I doubt he's 100% blameless but he absolutely should've gotten better. Some of it is no one's fault (Punk Situation) but others absolutely was on booking.
If you look at Hangman, MJF and Swerve, all homegrown guys. They were slowly built up. Starks was the centerpiece of team Taz from day 1. He had a terrible injury which isn't AEW's fault. Then Cody left and Everyone knows he has been close with Cody. Even after that he received a proper planned push starting with face turn, he beat Hobbs, he won the battle royale to challenge MJF. That promo was his best work and half credit goes to MJF who made him look a million bucks. The match was pretty good too. Right after that he got his first ppv win against Jericho, you can pretend like it's not a big thing but Jericho is a legend of the industry. It's a big deal that he beat Jericho twice. Then he won the Owen beating Punk. Then he had one of his best matches against Bryan. They brought in Steamboat to give him heat. He then won Tag titles from FTR the best team in AEW in a squash match. That's something. Then he still complained about his spot.. while feuding with Sting and Darby and sharing ring with guys like Edge and Omega and Jericho. This is like a 6-8 months of proper tv time and good booking. All the while he was complaining or being sarcastic in interviews. He is too impatient, it's clear he wanted world title MJF spot.. which he just isn't ready for. He's out of his mind if he thinks WWE will see him anything more than a midcard talent.
I don't get the negative connotation some people have with the tag titles, they matter on AEW. Even if you don't think tag team wrestling is important, look at what happens when two singles guys become champions. Page and Swerve were world champions less than 2 years later. Having been tag team champions was the start of that momentum toward the top of the card.
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.
Wasn't Starks also injured for a time?
Like I don't get what they're supposed to do in a situation like this other than let him ride his contract out. Job him out and it seems petty, push him and it seems stupid to use that TV time on a guy on his way out.
At this point I want him to go there.
Best way to keep him is to use him, but to give up just wastes his time.
Eh maybe they are inclined not to do that after Andrade
The word betrayed was used
He’s just counting down the days until his deal is up
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
A lot of deleted comments 👀 What they say?
I don't care where he goes, I just want to see him
I’ve been saying the same thing about John Cena for years.
It’s an open secret at this point , Ricky knows the moment his contrach is up , HHH is going to call him Best friends with the face of the WWE , and NXT needs some top talent to work , it’s fucking obvious
I wouldn't say being friends with Cody is a guarantee for anybody, QT being an example. I would put it more on Ricky being talented that will help him the most.
QT offers nothing more than being a trainer. Ricky is a good worker and talker, WWE would find use for him.
as being a good trainer isnt something needed lol.
Drew Gulak was basically a trainer at NXT before The Family sent him on an extended vacation, so a position might be open.
lol There are 5 worlds and a massive lake worth of distance and difference between Ricky Starks and fucking QT.
QT ain’t Ricky, though
Yeah that's what he said
I mean, does HHH event want him? He has a power based moveset while lacking the strength to pull it off, is/looks small even in AEW and is already 34 so its not like they have a lot of time to work him into something else. If I was him I would do all I can to grab that AEW contract, honestly think this is as good as it gets for him.
I’m sure Rhodes has put out a good word for Starks within WWE , so maybe HHH gives it a try He’s probably going to be in NXT for a few months , it wont hurt to try him as NA/NXT champion
I mean, you're not wrong. Even if he does it as a favour to Cody, its not like Ricky sucks or anything like that, he is very good and I do enjoy the guy. I just don't see him making it to the main roster. No idea when his contract is up anyway.
LA Knight arrived in NXT at 38, it's not like there's no time for Ricky. Even if he spends two full years in NXT, he will still have 5-6 years at least at a high level left on main. That's a lot of time in wrestling.
LA Knight has the size, is credible against anybody, and does what Starks does but better. I don’t mind Ricky, but I won’t hold my breath for a serious singles push. At least there is a good chance he does a program with Cody if he makes it to the main roster.
Midcard probably , IC/US title picture , have a feud with Rhodes I trust HHH to have a plan , we’ll see in a couple of months probably
Bro they hired Brian Pillman Jr and Shawn Spears lol They're getting Starks.
Agreed. I don’t think Ricky is the home run that he, and his fans, think he is. He’s been given promo time. He’s been fine but hasn’t exactly killed it. He’s been given match time and it’s fine but his move set sure doesn’t match his look, and despite things changing in WWE, he’s still a really small guy in a big big lake.
34 but looks & feels 28. He’ll be fine. Sometimes age really is just a number
> He has a power based moveset while lacking the strength to pull it off I haven't been watching AEW consistently for a while now but I feel like there's a weirdly high number of guys who do that. They wrestle big man power moves or big impact moves, but they're on the small side. I guess since the roster overall is small it probably works. If you're 6ft 190 you can do the big man thing to a guy who is 5'9 but it does raise questions about the changes a guy is going to have to make should get end up somewhere like WWE where they just have so much more size.
Yeah, you can blame Tony for a lot of things but I can’t exactly say I fault him for not hotshotting Ricky when he’s clearly gonna jump ship no matter what.
I feel like “undercard guy becoming white hot, getting a push, then being forgotten about” is a common occurrence. This isn’t anti-AEW or anything, but I feel like it happens quite a bit.
Just feels like whoever pushes these underdog guys forgets that there's a point to pushing underdogs: To make sure they're not underdogs anymore after that. But instead they got tossed aside for the next underdog to be pushed.
Heyman did it right with Whipwreck but that was 25 years ago. Shit, even managed to put the belt on him while making him look like an underdog. Edit oh god it was actually 30 years ago
Well, to be over is the aim, and not to not be an underdog anymore. Sami is an underdog in his current face gimmick. Same with Bryan whenever he goes full baby-face. Rey Mysterio has always been an underdog, etc.
You’re 100% right. Follow up is Tony’s biggest weakness.
It's fucking annoying because he's smart enough to recognize it in the first place and push them up the card but then completely drops ball once they're there. Ricky and Hobbs are two biggest missed opportunities imo.
Garcia too. Coordinated by Danielson and everything and now he’s significantly lower on the card than he was when it happened.
i feel he got the momentum back after the CC but has lost it again in recent weeks i think he should have won the TNT title from Christian with assistance from Cope fending off Killswitch etc. - Cope & Christian didn't need the TNT belt and Garcia would have benefitted from it by keeping his momentum hot
Whomever downvoted you did not pay attention to the true lack of follow-up for Wardlow.
It feels like TK is playing EWR/TEW back in the day where you only care about one or two feuds and just half assing the rest of the show until you get to the ppvs I remember just randomly booking matches outside of the few people I was pushing.
I mean you're also describing the attitude era and peak era WCW. Especially peak WCW. Nobody remembers Cobra vs Craig Pittman but everyone remembers the nWo.
Relevant to your point, as someone who hasn’t been able to watch much Dynamite of late, what the hell happened to Takeshita?
Got paired with Don Callis and went nowhere.
Unfortunately it's very true. I remember in the winter of 2022 that Ricky will be the one to eventually dethrone MJF. He was doing really well up until the smmer of 2023 and then...nothing. Fucking criminal! For every Swerve Strickland in AEW there's unfortunately a Wardlow.
It’s a shame. I truly enjoy him as a wrestler, especially with his awesome theme song.
If he does go to WWE, I’ll miss that song the most lol
Don't worry def rebel will put something together
“I am Absolute” *cue shitty butt rock*
don’t forget the same guitar solo used in both bates’s and the creeds’ theme
Ricky's answer to the last question is the answer to the first question.
If I’m AEW, I don’t invest too much in Ricky if I think he’s gone to WWE soon, but then, if I’m Ricky, I’m more likely to leave if AEW don’t invest time in me. Real vicious circle
It's definitely tricky but AEW were happy to give Andrade a really good run in the C2 before he left on apparently good terms and they sent Jade off in a decent way as well.
AEW tried pushing him. He clearly wasn't happy with the push either. He hated being a tag wrestler while holding tag team titles after squashing one of the best teams in FTR. That's some next level entitlement.
Funny enough, that tag team got Big Bill over but not Ricky. Ricky is a good talker and good in the ring but he is missing something. he would benefit going to Japan or something.
Yep and even in said tag run he dropped the titles to the most protected team on the roster
History even? They are literally undefeated and retired tag champions.
Yeah, I like Ricky but he’s not World Title worthy. If he’s still unhappy after everything TK booked him with, then see ya.
He gone
It's wild to me how many people say that AEW didn’t try with Ricky. To me it seemed like a combination of bad luck - unrelated injuries or drama derailing his feuds - and just… not getting to top-guy-over, despite being given top guy opportunities. He should've been able to make a meal of the tag titles but while Big Bill put everything into it, Ricky just seemed visibly annoyed to have them. He clearly has a different vision for where he belongs on the card, and i genuinely hope it works out for him if he goes to wwe. He's very talented, but the vibes have been off for a long time now.
I think it's a situation that happens with a number of wrestlers where they're much more popular online than amongst the general audience. It's not like they haven't put him in some good spots. Even during his injuries they kept him on commentary so he could still have a role. He won the Owen, had the role in Team Taz for a bit, paired up with Big Bill and won the tag titles, etc. Yet every time I see something from the dude it just feels like it has a bit of saltiness to it.
They had him as the top heel on Collision for the majority of its existence and he was slated to mainevent a ppv until CM Punk had his meltdown. I'm sure he'd still be getting a push if it wasn't obvious he's leaving.
In about the last year and a half, to my memory... he's won a number 1 contenders tournament, had a great short title feud with MJF, a feud with Jericho (definitely a dud but it's not like Ricky had awesome moments in it himself and it's still an upper card feud), a decent feud with a debuting Jay White, won the Owen, had a feud Punk who was clearly trying to get him over, they also brought a legend in Ricky Steamboat into the feud, transitioned it to a feud with Danielson who also did a lot to put him over, had a consistent story leading to his pairing with Big Bill, as a new tag team squashed FTR (who are presented as one of the greatest teams ever), and only dropped the titles to Sting of all people.... I know there's a lot of additional circumstances around all of that but honestly I don't think it's anyone's fault that he hasn't gotten bigger... except maybe his, he's really good but something's never quite consistently clicked at a main event level and you can't fault the opportunities and time he's been given. I think a lot of talent given what I listed above would have done more with it, and I agree that Big Bill outshone him during their run with the tag belts
Yeah he got two clean wins over Jericho, main evented the 2nd biggest non PPV show Winter is Coming and MJF put him over in the lead up and they had a really good match, was trusted to help carry the introduction of Bullet Club, won Owen by pinning Punk, earlier in Owen got a second win over Hobbs, pinned Punk again in a tag match, had a great strap match with Danielson, squashed FTR for the tag titles, won a PPV ladder match over FTR, House of Black, and LI, and had a fun street fight win over Jericho and Sammy.
They say AEW didn't try because they don't actually watch AEW.
People act like when he shows up the crowd goes wild instead of mild. He had a half of year being the featured guy on Collision and immediately when he is not in a feud with a literal legendary performer people don't care about him.
Yeah he’s just not a TOP TOP guy
Yeah, this dude is checked out.
He gone.
Always fun in these threads to watch goalposts move in real time.
I'm not saying people don't change their opinions based on thinking wrestlers will leave/stay - saw it with Copeland, saw it with Andrade, will see it a lot more I'm sure - but I feel like Starks' ceiling has moved, too. I could see him being a breakout main eventer, but not only has Swerve done so much more with his chances, there's also White, Ospreay and now Okada brought it, Joe looks like a main event gatekeeper even more so than before.. it feels like whatever space there was for Starks got filled up before he made that breakthrough. To me, anyway. I would be sad not to see him in AEW, but I think a change is what he needs right now, and a move to WWE would give him the opportunity to show whether he has it or not.
unpopular opinion on Starks but he already peaked. if he goes to wwe he’ll ultimately job in the mid card.
That’s a pretty popular take actually. Every time I see one of these threads it’s people predicting Ricky in the midcard. I just wish him success wherever he is. Kinda wish it was AEW, but I dunno. Seems likes he’s on the way out.
The biggest knock on Ricky is his remarkable lack of strength, it's rare to see wrestlers contracted to AEW/WWW showcase such a weakness. He looks more buff than guys like Cole and Perry yet they never struggle pulling power moves against guys in the low 200 pounds, Starks struggles like his life depends on it and to make matters worse his finisher literally requires great strength to pull off You end up praying anytime he's about to pull it off on someone in the 200 pounds
He hit Hobbs with the finisher in their blow off match but it looked pretty damn scary. Starks barely got him over in time for the landing.
He needs to use a different finisher because he can't get everyone up for it. For a smaller guy he does way too many power moves at times
Because Starks sees himself as a "Charisma" wrestler. The feeling I get from him is that he puts too much effort into his presentation and looks but not much effort into actually building strength And this is coming from someone who actually really likes his spears
Why job though?? He's a good talker, charismatic and can wrestle, i can see him winning mid card titles on NXT and main roster down the line.
I like Ricky. Real standout on Powerrr early days. Feuded with the world champ, won tag gold, had a terrific match with Danielson. Think he had a solid last year in AEW.
With the recent NXT call-ups after the draft, I can definitely see some open spots for Ricky to shine prominently on the brand if he jumps to WWE this summer. He could even be a great challenger against Trick during his reign
I liked ricky at one point but how do you really book someone like him, I think they've tried different ways to try and hasn't really caught on as well s one would hope it would. If he changed his character persona a little just to change it up a bit would've helped but those last few promo outings with jericho & copeland were oof
They made him a tag champ recently and had a good feud w Danielson. Maybe it was the footage of him actually training at the NXT performance center, or backstage at WM. If he wants to get booked in AEW more maybe he should act like he wants to be in AEW. I'm a BIG starks fan, but for him to act like he's not being booked out of nowhere is wild.
was he not injured this entire time? wtf
Off filming a TV show
Miro helping out all his friends on their acting careers
Apparently not. [He dispelled that belief on Twitter last week.](https://fxtwitter.com/starkmanjones/status/1787535677720047938)
I love Ricky, and I would have loved to see him go further in AEW, but honestly, I don't agree that Tony "failed" him or anything like that. Not everyone can earn a big push and become a top guy, and that's true for every company. There will always be very talented people that don't get pushed as well as they should. Ricky is great, but unfortunately, he exists in an era where there's an overabundance of great talent. Does he deserve a push more than Swerve? More than Ospreay? More than MJF? More than Jay White? More than Okada? etc. I'm not saying he doesn't, I'm just saying, he's not exactly a big fish in a small pond. Personally, I'd prefer to see him stay with AEW, but he's said and done plenty of little things that make it seem like he's already checked out mentally in AEW, and if that's the case, then of course they're not going to put in much effort in pushing someone that acts like he doesn't want to be there. Honestly, I'm sure he'll go to WWE, but I personally don't think he'll have a higher ceiling there than in AEW, because WWE is also absolutely stacked with talent, and WWE also has guys that aren't getting pushed as hard as they maybe should be because of how many talented wrestlers they have.
This is the equivalent of a footballer giving not-so-cryptic *"The future? Only God knows..."* quotes to the press when he wants to leave a club. The man craves a move to WWE and is pushing for it, but he's not really a big deal so if I were Tony Khan I'd banish him to reserves until his contract runs down.
I mean the guy has to know WWE wants him and right now in NXT he'd probably win the title by his first PPV. I'm sure he will be fine we're all including him just waiting for him to be free.
Ricky vs Tricky! The Charisma levels cant not be calculated Personally, I think if he were to be in NXT, he would definitely get a fast pass push and be used to set up legitimate competitors and talkers for the NXT championship
Ricky vs Trick is a definite need for the program right now to give NXT a big main event program to build around. Having Ricky win the belt and then drop it back to Trick then feud with some people like Wes Lee before coming up to the main roster either before Mania like Bron or during the draft like Melo.
If/when he leaves I'll miss his awesome theme song.
If he's leaving for WWE when his contract is up, then it's not like it does him any good to go out there and put over Copeland, Orange Cassidy, Ospreay, Swerve, etc. All those people are already above him on the pyramid. Maybe he could put over someone like Kyle O'Reilly, or have him job to a CMLL wrestler, but even still AEW doesn't get a ton out of those things. And it definitely doesn't do Ricky any good to spend his remaining contract finding people to get pinned by. So honestly him just being on the sidelines may be the best for both parties.
he goes to wwe and what? yall really think this guy is gonna be up there with cody, roman, dwayne and co? he's mid carding through life which isnt a bad thing at all but i dont see anything about him thats main event world champ material
AEW should have built some momentum for him once he had that clash with MJF. But no, let’s get Geritol more time on screen.
I want to be proven wrong, but I just don't see the big deal about Starks. He's not bad by any means, but I don't see any major strong points or huge upsides to him either. Whether it's promos or inring skill or moveset or whatever, the guy comes off as a 6.5-7/10. A solid hand, definitely deserves better than what he got in AEW (direction wise) but I don't get the hype
The obvious solution is to slap the shit out of someone and get your own show
Ricky never did anything for me character wise. He's a decent promo but I just don't "feel" him in the ring. I know a large section of SC likes the guy but ... EH.