Ricky Starks already has a new home with NXT.
Starks made a surprise appearance on Tuesday’s episode of NXT, entering the arena through the crowd in Orlando. Starks declared NXT needed a star like him, declaring his intention to call Tuesday nights home.
“It’s obvious you know who I am. If NXT is the future of professional wrestling, well guess what? You need an Absolute Superstar of the future! If this is the hottest brand, well you need the hottest free agent around, baby,” Starks said.
Starks said he was there to flip NXT upside-down, and his revolution would be televised, borrowing from his catchphrase.
Ricky Starks’ road to WWE
Ricky Starks appeared on NXT just one day after he became a free agent. Starks had been under contract with AEW, but had not appeared on AEW TV in several months. Starks’ last appearance on AEW programming was in March 2024.
AEW reportedly picked up an option year on his contract, extending it into 2025. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via Fightful Select) reported that Starks’ AEW contract was set to expire in the spring. Earlier this year, Starks began taking independent bookings. He also reportedly asked for his release, but his request was denied by AEW.
Ricky Starks was asked about his absence from AEW television in a November interview with Chris Van Vliet. He recently confirmed he has not been injured and didn’t know the true reason for being kept off of AEW TV, but would love to know why.
“Beats me. I could have 1,000 theories about what’s really going on,” Starks told on Insight. “The fact of the matter is that if I don’t have a definitive answer, I can’t just make up an answer for people and just assume. Would I love to know the exact reason? For sure. Do I have speculations about why? Absolutely. But that does nothing to speak on things that I speculate, does nothing for the situation. So I think it’s just a matter of, it sucks, it’s been a very cold day here in Austin. It’s been a very cold day. May have been cold for the past nine months, not sure. But thankfully, I have a sweater, and I’m always ready to keep the warmth going.”
“March was my last match. I’ve been home, I’ve been healthy. Never was injured. I did have a stinger,” Ricky Starks continued. “[It happened] in that match against Top Flight in March. I got immediately checked out and everything was fine, but I was just concerned at the time. So that happened and then I was just home. That’s kind of where it’s been at. I’ve just been home.
“It’s kind of a mindf*ck because I’m in my prime and it sucks when you’re on such a momentum, riding the wave, doing work and doing stuff, and then to just be at home for so long, you’re kind of like, whoa. It kind of throws it off. I am not meant to be at home. I’m not meant to be a homebody in this current phase in my life. I’m not meant to be just chilling at home and doing not the thing that I’ve been busting my ass to do for the past 13 years.”
