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Cody Rhodes has remained in contact with several AEW stars despite working under the umbrella of WWE. Former wrestler Ryback thinks The American Nightmare could help his friend, Ricky Starks, get signed to the Stamford-based promotion.
The Stroke Daddy's future with All Elite Wrestling has been up in the air amid rumors that he turned down the creative pitch for his television return. He last wrestled on the March 30, 2024, episode of Collision. That night, he and Big Bill tagged together for the last time before the company decided to split them up amicably.
In his absence, there have been some backstage rumblings about The Absolute potentially joining WWE once his AEW contract expires.
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On the Ryback TV podcast, The Big Guy claimed that one of the reasons WWE signed Cody Rhodes was because of his connections with AEW talents.
"Cody [Rhodes] has the eyes and the ears of all the talent there [AEW] that they could possibly want. WWE can even talk through Cody [Rhodes] to them and to relay how to play things, and it's not unheard of," Ryback said.
Ryback implied that Triple H could be interested in signing Ricky Starks through Cody Rhodes, though he was unsure whether the former FTW Champion could thrive in the company due to his size.
"I like Ricky [Starks] a lot, and I'm very proud of him. But again in the size thing and like it's WWE. It's a different monster and animal, and I think though, I think WWE would be interested in him through Cody [Rhodes] and because taking pieces like pieces from there. But he's not had a sustainable run in AEW, you know, it had hiccups along the way, and the injuries have played a factor in that as well," he added. (1:02:50 - 1:03:54)
Check out the full episode below.
Did AEW bury Ricky Starks because of Cody Rhodes?
Speaking on the Drive-Thru podcast, former WWE personality Jim Cornette claimed that Ricky Starks probably lost his push because of his friendship with Cody Rhodes.
He's [Ricky Starks] being put in a deep freeze possibly because he's, you know, obviously close to Cody [Rhodes] because he was a Cody guy that Cody helped and he's friends with him. Perhaps that doesn't sit well with some members of the office staff over there at the friends company," Cornette said.
The American Nightmare has previously expressed his desire to see The Stroke Daddy jump ship to WWE. With his contract reportedly expiring this summer, it will be interesting to see whether Triple H will put feelers out to gauge Starks' interest.
If you use quotes from the article's first half, please credit Ryback TV and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.
