3 Things Ricky Starks Should Have Achieved in AEW Before Making Shocking WWE NXT Debut

The landscape of professional wrestling changed forever when former AEW star Ricky Starks arrived in WWE NXT. It was reported on Monday, February 10th, that Starks' All Elite deal had expired, and he was 'free and clear' to go anywhere he wanted to.

The Absolute One wasted no time and immediately signed with WWE, making his shocking debut on the February 11th edition of NXT.

The Absolute One made a name for himself in wrestling during his tenure in AEW. He gained prominence for his charismatic personality and in-ring acumen, with many comparing him to WWE legend The Rock. Moreover, he is also a former FTW Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion.

However, despite that, there are some more accomplishments that a superstar of his caliber deserves. Here are the three accolades that Ricky Starks should have achieved during his time in AEW.

#3. Matches with top stars like CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Wil Ospreay, and more

Ricky Starks wrestled some significant stars during the very start of his AEW tenure, like his close friend Cody Rhodes. However, for the majority of his career, the fans did not see him competing against many marquee names.

This included top-tier stars like CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and more, all of them were on the AEW roster during Ricky Starks' time in the company. This was a major omission from his resume that could have been highly beneficial for The Absolute One.

#2. Ricky Starks never got a marquee feud or a major rival

In the world of professional wrestling, every top-level talent is defined by some marquee feuds with other top stars in the business. For The Rock it was Stone Cold Steve Austing, for John Cena it was Randy Orton, and for Cody Rhodes it was Roman Reigns.

However, the same cannot be said for Ricky Starks during his time in AEW. The Absolute One had all the talent to have a captivating feud in the company. But Tony Khan never took that creative direction with him.

#1. An AEW World Championship reign

For a superstar to be compared with one of the greatest wrestling stars in the business i.e. The Rock, Ricky Starks deserved nothing less than a World Championship run in the company. As mentioned, he did taste championship gold with two title reigns, but a run with the top prize of the promotion would have been highly significant.

Starks had everything in terms of physical stature, talent, mic work, and captivating presence to become the AEW World Champion. But he did not fit into the company's main event scene and that led to him not getting his hands on the World Title.