Rob Van Dam has criticized just how much Ricky Saints appears to be inspired by The Rock.
The former Ricky Starks recently debuted in NXT following his long, drawn-out release from AEW. He debuted in the crowd last week before revealing his new name (Ricky Saints) and signing his WWE deal on Tuesday.
While Ricky Saints is seen as a future star by many, Rob Van Dam is concerned by how much he seems to be inspired by WWE legend The Rock.
On the most recent episode of his One of a Kind podcast, Rob Van Dam spoke about Ricky Starks. The WWE Hall of Famer complimented Saints’ look and conditioning. However, he was wary just how much he reminded him of The Rock.
Rob Van Dam then claimed he “reeked of inspiration”, implying that Ricky Saints was trying too much to like The Rock and not becoming his own character.
Rob Van Dam on ‘Ricky Saints’
“Yeah, I think, um, good kid. Looks good, you know, he’s in great physical condition. He seems to love the business,” Rob Van Dam said about Ricky Saints.
“He reminds me an awful lot of The Rock… and there’s already a Rock, you know? But I feel like the inspiration—he reeks of the inspiration, let me just put it that way. But yeah, that’s all I really know of him. I think that, um, he should probably be talked about a lot and considered a good talent that a lot can be done with,” he added.
This isn’t the first time Ricky Saints has been compared to The People’s Champion when he’s been an active part of the business. Adam Copeland called him a “vanilla midget version [of The Rock]” during their infamous promo segment back in 2023. Hopefully, he can shed the comparison when he gets going in NXT.
Despite the comparisons to The Great One, Starks has said The Undertaker is actually his favorite male wrestler.
Catch up on everything that went down on NXT, including Ricky Saints’ “debut,” here.
