Ricky Starks sends a cryptic message amid rumors of requesting AEW release

Ricky Starks has not been seen on AEW TV in a long time. Amid his absence, he has sent a cryptic message on social media.

Ricky Starks has not competed in an AEW ring since March 2024 which has left many fans puzzled since he was once considered a rising star in the promotion. There was speculation that he was injured but Starks denied those rumors. Then the rumor mill speculated that he was leaving for WWE. However, Starks put an end to these rumors as well. Given his recent treatment over the past few months, new rumors state that the former FTW Champion has requested his AEW release.

Amid these rumors, AEW star Starks took to social media to post a cryptic message indicating that he was not too worried about the speculation.

"I’m the sun, baby."

Check out his tweet here:

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New details on why Tony Khan stopped using Ricky Starks

Ever since his AEW debut, it looked like Ricky Starks' career was headed in the right direction. He won the FTW Championship, won the Owen Hart Cup, and even held the World Tag Team Title. Hence, his current absence from AEW TV has baffled a lot of people who are wondering what went wrong behind the scenes. New details have come to light regarding why Tony Khan stopped using Starks.

According to a report by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tony Khan prefers using guys who are more receptive to his creative ideas. The report also suggested that the AEW boss lost interest in Starks after he was convinced the latter was leaving his company.

"Tony Khan more and more if someone doesn’t want to do his creative, unless they are his top tier guys, he just stops using them with the idea there are tons of other people who are cooperative that want TV time. Plus, with Starks, once he was convinced Starks was leaving, he wasn’t going to book him going forward because that’s just how he does things."

It will be interesting to see if Ricky Starks will make his return to the Jacksonville-based promotion soon.