WWE Star Ricky Saints (Ricky Starks) Discusses Name Change And Reasons For AEW Fall Out

His name may be different, but the man himself is not. Ricky Saints talks NXT name change and AEW departure.

Ricky Saints has officially signed with NXT / WWE.com

Ricky Saints, the man now formerly known as Ricky Starks, has officially put pen to paper on his NXT contract.

The Revolution officially started on Tuesday night's episode of NXT when Saints' contract signing with General Manager Ava was interrupted by both Ethan Page and Wes Lee. Those conversations not only served to set up Ricky's first match next week in Cincinnati, but also added suspense to what his in-ring name would be in NXT.

It wasn't until the former AEW World Tag Team Champion dumped Lee from the ring and finally signed his contract, that the camera zoomed in to reveal 'Ricky Saints' in big bold letters.

"RICKY SAINTS IS NXT!"

The revolution has begun! 🙌#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/JIRsZZPesu

— WWE (@WWE) February 19, 2025

Saints was a guest on Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM immediately after NXT went off the air Tuesday night. He told Bully Ray that Saints was as close to Starks as folks were going to get, but also that he likes the change.

“It’s going to take time for [fans] to get used to it,” Ricky said. “I respect that they care so deeply about me that they rebel against the name change. But at the same time, I am a product of New Orleans, first and foremost, and I want to pay respect to that as well. I think this is the best of both worlds and that means a lot to me. Obviously I think it’s cool to have a piece of home with me. And the person doesn’t change. I’m still that guy, so it is what it is.”

Bully gave Saints the floor to discuss his departure from AEW, which only became official a day before he made his NXT debut.

"I am a product of New Orleans...this is the best of both worlds."@starkmanjones explains the personal connection of his name change to #RickySaints on the #bustedopen247 podcast!⚜️https://t.co/qghCRVL3UK@bullyray5150 | #BOAD | @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Ewe3imFQSj

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) February 19, 2025

Ricky had reportedly asked for the company to not pick up his option year in the fall of 2023, but that request was not granted. AEW locked Starks in for another 12 months in the spring of 2024 and then essentially left him on the sidelines until he was released on February 10.

When asked what went wrong during his AEW tenure, Saints was not able to pinpoint one specific moment or issue.

“You could say it was Punk leaving and things kinda fell apart. Absolutely, I probably agree with you on that, alright? Or you could say is that Ricky didn’t play the politics well enough. Alright, for sure…there’s so many things you can say.”

Ricky Starks' final match in AEW came last March when he and Big Bill lost in an AEW Tag Team Tournament to Top Flight. Ricky suffered a stinger in the match, which required an audible to be called to put Dante and Darius Martin over.

Cincinnati is about to be CRAZY! 😱@OfficialEGO & @WesLee_WWE vs. Ricky Saints & @WWEJeVonEvans in a Tag Team Match NEXT WEEK! 🙌#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/PCId5hBuIL

— WWE (@WWE) February 19, 2025

"After that, no, no dice, no communication. No nothing. And that is okay because… I ended up here. And it’s fine. Everything worked out."

Saints confirmed that he did ask for his release and said that may have played a role in his lengthy hiatus from television, but he maintains that he was always willing to work while still under contract.

"Never once was I not willing to do something, never once was I sabotaging anything,” Ricky said. “I will say this, there are some people who stuck their nose in my creative business that shouldn’t have,” Saints said. “Veterans. And that’s it, I’ll leave it at that. And if they got a problem with me, they got my number. And text me about it. I think what it was is if it didn’t work for their creative, then someone had to get the boot. That’s how I see it."

Ricky Saints will make his in-ring debut next Tuesday night in Cincinnati when he and Je'Von Evans take on Ethan Page and Wes Lee.

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