Prior to facing Swerve Strickland tonight on AEW Rampage, FTW Champion Ricky Starks spoke with Busted Open Radio about his goals with the title and also commented on tonight’s match.
On facing the former NXT North American Champion: “Here’s the thing. Tonight. It’s me and Swerve. FTW Championship on the line on AEW Rampage. A lot of people think we’re evenly matched when it comes to confidence. Me personally, I was actually born with this charisma and this confidence. On the other hand, Swerve had to go out and buy out, through grills, glasses, and Pho jackets. I’m already in a winning betting pool here, in my opinion. On paper, I already have the upper hand, but I think two, don’t forget we’re going to be in Austin tonight. So that’s my second home and they always show me love, man, so I’ll have the home-field advantage as well.”
Starks wants to make the FTW Championship mean more: “You know what, ever since I actually won the title, it’s been a very big goal of mine to – I don’t wanna say revamp, but make it a lot more important than what the previous champion was doing with it. And so, obviously, Taz is very protective of the FTW Championship because there’s a big history and it’s a part – it’s a huge part of him. So, not only do I have the pressure of making sure I retain the championship, but I also have the pressure of making sure that I do right by Taz. And represent that championship as best as I can to my ability. And I think we’ve gotten to a point him and I, where he can trust me, that I will not do wrong by him when it comes to the FTW Title.”
