In the ever-entertaining world of professional wrestling, nothing spices things up quite like a good mystery, and right now, Ricky Starks is the man of the hour. The former AEW World Tag Team Champion has been conspicuously absent from AEW programming since March, and the rumor mill is working overtime to figure out why. The last time Starks was seen in the ring, he was busy defeating QT Marshall in an independent appearance in May, but since then, it’s been radio silence.
On a recent WrestlePurists podcast, the gang tackled the elusive case of Ricky Starks, with Ibou dropping some juicy nuggets of confusion. “The problem with Ricky Starks and Ricky Starks-based reporting,” Ibou noted, “is you hear one thing about Ricky Starks from one guy and then what you hear from the next guy doesn’t line up at all.” That’s right, folks—reporting on Starks is about as straightforward as solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.
Ibou didn’t stop there, labeling the process of getting reliable information on Starks as “contradictory” and a “fool’s errand,” because apparently, in the world of wrestling journalism, clarity is for the weak. According to him, the only reliable tidbits come directly from Starks and his management team. Rumors abound, from speculations about issues with his tag team partner Big Bill to whispers of an injury. However, Ibou cleared the air, stating that the former FTW Champion is healthy but frustrated with AEW’s apparent lack of long-term plans for him. Who would’ve thought a wrestler might want a little thing called direction?
“The things that seem to be overlapping is that he is frustrated with the fact that he hasn’t been given a direction. AEW is of the belief that he doesn’t want to stay anymore and seemingly he is waiting his deal out, that is what people think,” Ibou revealed. As if that wasn’t murky enough, there’s more confusion about the status of Starks’ contract. Depending on who you ask, his deal either expired in July, will end at the close of the year, or has an entire year left. It’s like trying to figure out what happened to the lost city of Atlantis—but with fewer underwater ruins and more wrestling.
The takeaway? Ricky Starks is at home, healthy, and potentially binge-watching TV while he waits for AEW to decide whether he’s part of their future or not. Meanwhile, AEW President Tony Khan has been his usual upbeat self when asked about Starks, but let’s just say he’s keeping things pretty vague.
As for Ricky Starks? The bottom line is he’s chilling at home, healthy as a horse, but without any clear plans in AEW. Whether he’ll return to the ring or pull off a disappearing act Houdini would envy is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure—this saga isn’t over yet.