During a recent appearance on the “Insight” podcast, Ricky Starks discussed his rivalry with CM Punk in AEW, highlighting how Punk played a vital role in shaping his presentation on television.
Starks defeated Punk in the finals of the Owen Hart Memorial tournament in 2023.
He said, “It was awesome. Punk was really instrumental in how I was presented. Mind you, I had all these ideas. I had the idea of filming walking into the arena with your bags, like how they do it on WWE. I had gotten that idea from the NBA walk ins when they are showing off their outfits. I wanted to do something like that. I was always pushing for that. I remember telling Punk that and he was like, ‘I love that idea.’ Then I would show up in the outfits that I always wore. He goes, ‘Love it. That’s incredible.’ I already know what I want to look like. I know who I am and I know where I want to go. I just need the other person to get on board with that. Punk was very instrumental in all of that. I went out on a promo with a Louis Vuitton bag. Before the promo they were like, ‘What’s in the bag?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Why do you have it?’ ‘I just bought it and I want people to see what I got, and what they don’t.’ He was very instrumental in that. The whole pyro thing, ‘Why not just have pyro go off for ten minutes?’ I said, ‘Oh, I never thought that. Let’s do it.’ It was great working with him, especially in the Owen Hart, too.”
During a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Kota Ibushi discussed his future in wrestling, mentioning that his legs might not be in optimal condition following recent injuries.
Ibushi underwent surgery for a tear in his right tibiofibular ligament and a complex injury to the lateral ligament of his right ankle that occurred in January.
He said, “I’m at the end of my legs, and it could end at any time. I wanted to preserve the time I had left before I couldn’t do it anymore, and that’s why I was allowed to participate today. I’m really on the edge, but I want to finish contributing to the world of pro wrestling, so I’m participating in various events. AEW will be getting visas again next year, but I thought the Japanese wrestling industry was somehow going down, and I wanted to raise it up. That’s why we are doing everything for free this time.”
Ibushi has competed in only four matches since August and hasn’t appeared in AEW since November 2023.
