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Ricky Starks has been the subject of WWE rumors for months now. Starks, Miro, and Malakai Black have all left three left AEW, which is notable as the trio have have been rumored to join the competition's roster for some time now. Booker T just opened up on Starks potentially joining the company, and his thoughts may not sit well with some.
The self-proclaimed Stroke Daddy is close friends with WWE's Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill. This has only added to the speculation about his future amid months of uncertainty from within AEW. Starks has built up a loyal fanbase and his friendship with Rhodes will certainly be an asset in him landing a WWE contract. However, while fans have called on the sports entertainment giant to sign Starks for months, not everyone is convinced the 34-year-old will be a good fit for the company.
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Booker T could see Starks end up in WWE, but first he needs the one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion to show him enough to make him a believer. On the latest episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, the former World Heavyweight Champion discussed The Absolute One and where he stands.
"This is no diss to Ricky Starks or anything like that, maybe it's because of him being in that system over there, but me, personally, I have not seen anything from Ricky Starks. He's got to show me something, you know what I mean? If Ricky Starks plans on being a player, he has to show me something," Booker T said. [From 24:44 to 25:05]
The Hall of Famer continued:
"Now he's not in that system with AEW, so where's he gonna go to show me? Is he gonna show up in NXT? I don't know. A guy like Ethan Page... there again, I asked the same questions of Ethan Page. I said, 'Man, I need this guy to show me something!,' and boom... immediately this guy showed me he was a player. So, that's what I'm talking about as far as a Ricky Starks. He's gonna have to show me something before I become a believer," Booker T said. [From 25:06 to 25:30]
Starks has worked the indies, but hasn't wrestled for AEW since March 30, 2024. Collision that night saw Starks and Big Bill lose a tag team tournament match to Top Flight.
Ricky Starks wins gold ahead of AEW exit
Ricky Starks is now a World Champion. The former AEW star returned to DEFY Wrestling this past Friday for his second appearance for the Seattle-based promotion after debuting with a loss to Schaff in July 2018.
Friday's DEFY 8 Year Anniversary PPV was headlined by Starks defeating KENTA in 22 minutes, days before his AEW exit. The former Hideo Itami saw his DEFY World Championship reign end at 626 days.
DEFY launched in 2017, and was the home promotion of AEW names like Nick Wayne, Darby Allin, and Swerve Strickland. Wayne held the DEFY World Championship shortly before joining AEW, while Swerve held the title three times.
