The Ricky Starks and Tony Khan controversy of AEW explained

It was recently revealed that Ricky Starks and AEW had parted ways after a nearly five-year partnership. The Absolute wasted no time making his WWE debut, appearing on this week's episode of NXT and voicing his mission statement for the company.

Although Starks had a strong start in All Elite Wrestling and worked with many of its top stars, the conclusion of his run in the promotion was arguably quite underwhelming, as he was absent from TV for nearly a year.

Let us take a closer look at how the working relationship between the two parties seemingly disintegrated over the past several months.

Ricky Starks' recent All Elite run

Ricky Starks made his AEW debut on the June 17, 2020, episode of Dynamite, unsuccessfully challenging Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship. The Louisiana native gained the admiration of fans through his powerful character work and formidable in-ring abilities, which he displayed against top names, including Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Sting.

The Icon and his ally Darby Allin dethroned Starks and his unlikely tag partner Big Bill for the World Tag Team Titles on Dynamite (February 7) last year. Ricky teamed with The Redwood again on the March 30 episode of Collision in an unsuccessful effort against Top Flight. This was Starks' last match on All Elite television, and Bill would later be slotted with Chris Jericho and The Learning Tree, splitting up their partnership.

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Lengthy hiatus from AEW; rumors of WWE move

Considering his popularity among the fanbase and his abilities as a performer, viewers were perplexed by All Elite Wrestling's reluctance to book Starks since March last year. Stroke Daddy clarified later in 2024 that his absence was not due to injury and even debunked rumors that he had allegedly rejected pitches from the creative team.

Incidentally, Starks was seen at WrestleMania XL, celebrating Cody Rhodes' dethronement of Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. His friendship with The American Nightmare and other superstars who left AEW (like CM Punk and Jade Cargill) led to rumors that Ricky would be headed to the sports entertainment juggernaut himself.

According to speculation, WWE's alleged interest in Starks and his supposed eagerness to sign with the Stamford-based company after the end of his AEW deal led Tony Khan to unwilling to bring the former FTW Champion back to AEW programming.

Scrapped GCW plans; indie return and AEW exit

Starks briefly returned to wrestling in the Indies, once in May and then in November 2024. He made a surprise appearance at GCW Dream On 2024 and was set to face Matt Cardona at the promotion's December 14 event. Unfortunately, he was subsequently withdrawn from his upcoming GCW commitments despite being allowed to accept bookings from other companies.

In the meantime, the former NWA star's All Elite hiatus continued to the extent that All Elite CEO Tony Khan seemed hesitant to sign a fan sign demanding Starks' return on one occasion. A report from last month claimed that Ricky had asked for his release but had not been granted it.

Starks has wrestled three independent matches in 2025 and became the new DEFY World Champion earlier this month. After his profile was removed from the AEW roster page, it was reported that the 34-year-old star had officially concluded his tenure in the company.

Ricky Starks now has a new platform in WWE to prove himself. What Triple H and the company have in mind for The Absolute remains to be seen.