Ricky Starks made his surprise debut in WWE NXT during this week’s episode, just one day after reports that he had been released from AEW.
On a recent edition of the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, The Undertaker recalled meeting Starks years ago and praised NXT’s newest arrival. He said,
“We struck up a conversation, and he told me that he was trying to break into the business. I kinda’ talked to him about different things. And he actually, one of the Rumbles that Michelle was a surprise guest in, she wanted to get in the ring, and he came down and trained with her.
“I’ve seen him a few times here and there, and I’ve always had great conversations with him. He’s such a good kid, such a respectful kid. Yeah so that debut caught me completely off guard – I hadn’t seen him in probably a year, year-and-a-half maybe, and then I just looked up and saw him there. But yeah, that’s how we met. We met in a gym when I was getting ready for Shane at WrestleMania [32].”
Starks’ WWE NXT arrival came close to a year after his most recent match for AEW. His absence had been a source of frustration for many.
On this week’s episode of WWE NXT, Starks did not mention his name, nor did the commentators, leaving some to speculate about a potential name change.
Starks isn’t the only AEW name to leave as it’s been reported that Miro and Malakai Black have also been granted releases from Tony Khan’s company.
We got LIVE reaction of @undertaker & @bullyray5150 when they saw @starkmanjones show up on #WWENXT !👀👀👀
Full Interview coming on the #bustedopen247 Podcast! pic.twitter.com/hyNoq8i1Vu
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) February 12, 2025
