The Ricky Starks - AEW situation is far from over

Professional wrestling will never be without its controversy. Right now, the topic at the forefront of the industry is Ricky Stars and his relationship with All Elite Wrestling. He was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet and the comments coming out of the conversation are sparking some interesting dialogue in the industry.

As always, there are two sides to the story. On one, there’s Starks who is an uber-talented performer. One that fans have remained behind and hoped to see him rise the ranks as a singles performer. He’s had flashes of opportunity placed in front of him. For example, the major feuds he had with MJF and CM Punk, before the latter was released from the company. But it’s been nearly a year since Starks has been on television and the mystery around why continues to bubble up to the forefront of conversations.

On the other side is seemingly All Elite Wrestling. As with any major promotion, business doesn’t stop because of one name. The company has continued to find success without Starks and will continue to do so if he leaves for WWE. Some rumors started that Starks turned down creative pitches, which is a typical rumor in situations such as these—rumors that Starks pushed back on via social media.

Things took an even more intriguing turn when news came out that AEW leveraged an option in Starks’s contract to extend him through Spring or Summer 2025. This caused blowback because if the company has no intention of using him, why keep him on the roster? In the eyes of many, this is a tactic unbecoming of AEW and its promise to work well with performers.

This is where the inclusion of social media in professional wrestling becomes both a positive and a negative. On one side, performers are able to speak their truth, directly to the public that matters to listen. On the other hand, too many voices speak on matters without actual knowledge of what’s going on. Grifters looking for clout and income spout whatever they want in hopes of getting engagement from those who care about AEW, Starks, or both.

At the end of the day, either Starks and AEW will find a way to work together, or the performer will go on to other opportunities. That’s the nature of professional wrestling as a business. How many times have top stars left a company, just to return years later? AEW is still in its infancy years and hasn’t truly experienced the push and pull of departures. Cody Rhodes and CMP Punk both left and returned to WWE, which had its impact. Surely more are to come, just as AEW will pull names from other companies.

Fans should look at the Ricky Starks – AEW situation as they’ve looked at all the others throughout history. There are three sides, his, the company’s, and the truth that lies somewhere in between. At the end of the day, the two entities will either find a way to work together or move on. That’s the nature of the game.