Ricky Starks addressed criticism for attending WWE events while being an AEW wrestler, explaining he’s a wrestling fan first and enjoys supporting his friends and the sport.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Starks dismissed online backlash over his backstage appearances at Royal Rumble 2023 and WrestleMania 40, saying he attended to support Jade Cargill’s debut and watch Cody Rhodes, as he did the previous year.
Starks likened it to music artists attending each other’s concerts, emphasizing it’s normal outside wrestling. He found it absurd when fans accused him of favoritism, noting, “I got into this because I’m a fan… I’m gonna go support people that I love and wrestling in general.” He criticized the “taboo” of working for one company while attending another’s event, stating, “We’re all getting paid, aren’t we?”
Starks also pointed out that NXT wrestlers have attended AEW shows, and WWE stars have been backstage at AEW, with no similar controversy. He expressed no regrets, saying, “I didn’t care about the Rumble thing, and I didn’t care about the WrestleMania thing… I wanted to see my friends wrestle live, and that’s what I did.” Starks made it clear he won’t let criticism affect his decisions, prioritizing his love for wrestling over fan outrage.
Starks also revealed that he took Tony Khan’s permission before attending WrestleMania XL earlier this year:
“I was in the box, I was enjoying myself. You know who else was in the box with me? Dustin, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo. These fans had footage of me celebrating, there was no issue about that. There was no issue at all, only because before I had went, Tony already said, ‘Hey, it’s okay.’ So there was no issue.
Now, if he didn’t actually mean that, okay, I don’t know — that’s different.”
According to Fightful Select, Ricky Starks’ All Elite Wrestling contract will expire in mid-2025.
WATCH: ECW Diva Francine Gets Inappropriately Grabbed By Tommy Dreamer:
