Ricky Starks Reveals Reason for Competing Outside AEW During Prolonged Absence

Ricky Starks surprised fans when he disappeared from TV in late March. While he hasn’t been on AEW shows for a few months, Starks is now going to wrestle outside of AEW and he has now revealed the reason for him competing outside the company.

On the March 30 episode of AEW Collision, Ricky Starks appeared to sustain an injury during a tag team title tournament match where he and Big Bill faced off against Top Flight. This match ended up being his last appearance on AEW television, and he has been absent since then for reasons that remain unclear.

The Absolute is scheduled for a match against Cody Lane at Glory Pro Wrestling on November 24th. This match was confirmed when he made an appearance at Glory Pro Wrestling last month and took out Cody Lane.

While speaking with Weekend Joe, Ricky Starks talked about his decision to take this match despite being under contract with AEW. He explained that he couldn’t stay home for too long, as he starts to feel restless. Starks saw an opportunity to challenge for the title, and since he had previously lived in St. Louis, he felt it was a great chance to return. He also mentioned that he has known Cody Lane for a while, as they both trained in Texas, and thought it would be a good opportunity to test his skills against someone he’s familiar with.

“I can’t be stuck at home for too much longer obviously I go stir crazy and I saw an opportunity with Cody Lane to come out and challenge for the title of course and I thought it was even a better idea because I used to actually live in St. Louis. I used to live in Melville of all places. So I thought it was a good way to make a return and also I’ve known Cody for quite a bit, he used to train here in Texas and I said well why not just come back and test the grit against somebody that I’m very much familiar with.”

It is to be noted that WWE NXT is reportedly very interested in signing him whenever he becomes available. Regardless, we’ll have to see if Ricky Starks will remain in AEW once his contract expires. Till then, he is more focused on his upcoming match at Glory Pro Wrestling.