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Ricky Starks Addresses AEW Absence & His 'Controversial' WWE Royal Rumble Appearance

In a new sit down interview for Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Ricky Starks reveals he has no clue why he's been kept off AEW television since March. Plus, there's an update on the length of his contract.

Rick Ucchino

Ricky Starks at Worlds End 2023
Ricky Starks at Worlds End 2023 / Lee South - All Elite Wresting

The revolution hasn't been televised since March, at least not in AEW, and Ricky Starks has about as many answers as the rest of us do.

Starks has made just a few appearances since he and Big Bill lost in the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament to Top Flight in the spring, all of which have been for independent promotions. His absence from All Elite Wrestling has been an absolute mystery to many, which naturally has led to rampant speculation on his health and his contract status.

In a new sit down interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Starks was able to definitively clear the air on the former.

“I’ve been home, I’ve been healthy. Never was injured. I did have a stinger. I got a stinger 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."

It's been a difficult few months for Starks, who feels he should not be parked at home right now. He says he should be out on the road, like he has been for the last 13 years trying to thrive as a professional wrestler.

"It’s kind of a mindf--- 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."

The Takedown on SI had a chance to ask All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan about Ricky's status with the company ahead of All In back in August, but Khan provided very little context. Outside of confirming that Starks is still under AEW contract.

“Ricky's been a great star in AEW," Khan said on the All In media call. "He's been a champion here and has had great matches here. And I think very highly of Ricky. He’s somebody that has been here for several years and he's under contract in AEW. He’s a well-regarded wrestler here in AEW.”

Starks was reportedly backstage at AEW Full Gear this past Saturday night, after his surprise GCW appearance over the weekend. Fightful Select says his presence went over well with folks in the company, from all accounts thus far.

Additionally, his GCW booking would have required AEW clearance. As for why Tony Khan would sign off on letting Ricky wrestle elsewhere and not utilize him on All Elite Wrestling, Starks would love to know the answer.

“Beats me," Starks said when CVV asked why he was being kept off AEW TV. "I could have 1,000 theories about what’s really going on. 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."

One thing that Starks says has been incredible the past few months, has been the outpouring of support from his fans.

Ricky has received countless "we miss you" messages from folks, who are also simultaneously wishing him the best and searching for answers for why he's been kept on the sidelines for a vast majority of the year.

“Obviously I would love to give... a definitive answer, and I still maintain the truth of this, I have no clue. I have no clue. So I already know this is gonna go up in flames too, but yeah, I love the fact that fans still care. All I know is this, regardless, I’m always gonna end up better than my situation. I’m always gonna end up better than the circumstances that I’m currently in. That’s just how it works for me. I can’t lose.”

There's a contingent of wrestling fans that believe - or at least speculate - that Starks' association with certain wrestlers like Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, in addition to him attending a number of WWE shows in the past, has contributed to him being 'punished' by AEW.

The thought of being punished is one that Starks doesn't give much thought as it would only lead to depression and anger.

Starks, however, is very adamant that there is nothing wrong with supporting his friends in the business, as many wrestlers consistently do that for each other, regardless of which company signs their paycheck.

That being said, his very publicized backstage appearance at the 2023 Royal Rumble was one he was trying to keep quiet.

“Somebody who worked at Alamo decided to take a video, take that screenshot, and then post it. I remember the next day, Sunday, I woke up and this whole thing was blowing up. I was like what is this? I had people from my job, I had one guy who was like ‘Were you at the Rumble last night?’ I said ‘Yeah and what the f--- about it?’ He goes ‘Just saying that’s a bad look.’"

The thought of him being backstage at the Royal Rumble being considered a 'bad look' for himself or AEW, was one that left Ricky dumbfounded. In no way could Starks control the actions of whomever it was on the security team that night, that decided to leak private footage on social media.

"I was simply visiting a friend. I was only on the bus. I stayed on the bus. I wasn’t trying to cause any type of issues or anything like that. The whole purpose was I was walking to the bus so I wouldn’t be seen by anybody.”

Starks was also present at the last two WrestleMania's in support of both Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill. Numerous other AEW talent were also in attendance at the show this past April in Philadelphia.

Whether or not we see Ricky Starks in a WWE ring one day, or back on Dynamite or Collision, remains to be seen.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting this morning that Starks had an option year in his contract picked up by AEW back in the spring, which means he likely has a few more months on his current deal with All Elite Wrestling. Starks was reportedly hoping to test the open market, prior to that option being picked up.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino has been covering professional wrestling since 2019, but his broadcast career has spanned over 15 years. He can be heard every weekday morning on 700WLW radio in Cincinnati, OH. You can also read his work over on SI's Cincinnati Reds Talk. Follow Rick on X and Instagram: @RickUcchino

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