A fresh report paints a picture that Ricky Starks is unlikely to return to AEW television and the next time he appears on TV it will be for WWE.
AEW has had very few homegrown stars during their short time in existence. Many of their top stars were already major names in NJPW or WWE previously. However, performers like Ricky Starks, MJF, and Darby Allin became national names under the AEW banner.
Unfortunately for the promotion, Starks has not been seen on television for months due to a rumored rift between himself and the company. On a new edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, veteran reporter Dave Meltzer added some new inside information on the reason for the young star’s absence.
“They wanted him to turn babyface. He didn’t want to turn babyface. They’re not using him,” Meltzer said (h/t Wrestling Inc).
Officials in AEW believe Ricky Starks is WWE-bound
However, that is not all that Meltzer revealed. It seems that there is a general opinion within the company that he is headed to their top rival when his contract runs out. And that is expected to happen in the next couple of months.
I think that there’s a lot of people who think he’s headed to WWE because of Cody [Rhodes], and so they’re not investing in him right now. I think that’s basically the mindset,” said Meltzer. “We’ll see what happens.”
Starks and Rhodes have a well-publicized friendship and a video of the AEW star wildly celebrating Rhodes’ win at Wrestlemania 40 made the rounds on social media in April. Starks would be a big addition to the WWE roster since he is in the early years of his prime and is one of the more polished younger performers on the AEW roster.
