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Ricky Starks On AEW Absence, Cody Rhodes, Royal Rumble Appearance, The Rock Comparisons
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Ricky Starks (@starkmanjones) is a professional wrestler signed to AEW. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Austin, TX to discuss his absence from AEW TV since March 2024, being spotted backstage at the Royal Rumble with Cody Rhodes, being in attendance at WrestleMania 40, being in Sting's first AEW match, being compared to The Rock, going toe to toe on the mic with MJF, why his many WWE cameos didn't lead to a signing and more!
Quote I'm thinking about: "Staying positive doesn't mean you have to be happy all the time. It means even on hard days you know that there are better ones coming." - Diamond Dallas Page
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“March was my last match. I’ve been home, I’ve been healthy. Never was injured. I did have a stinger. I got a stinger in that match against Top Flight in March. I got immediately checked out and everything was fine, but I was just concerned at the time. So that happened and then I was just home. That’s kind of where it’s been at. I’ve just been home. It’s kind of a mindf*ck because I’m in my prime and it sucks when you’re on such a momentum, riding the wave, doing work and doing stuff, and then to just be at home for so long, you’re kind of like, whoa. It kind of throws it off. I am not meant to be at home. I’m not meant to be a homebody in this current phase in my life. I’m not meant to be just chilling at home and doing not the thing that I’ve been busting my ass to do for the past 13 years.”
“Beats me. I could have 1,000 theories about what’s really going on. The fact of the matter is that if I don’t have a definitive answer, I can’t just make up an answer for people and just assume. Would I love to know the exact reason? For sure. Do I have speculations about why? Absolutely. But that does nothing to speak on things that I speculate, does nothing for the situation. So I think it’s just a matter of, it sucks, it’s been a very cold day here in Austin. It’s been a very cold day. May have been cold for the past nine months, not sure. But thankfully, I have a sweater, and I’m always ready to keep the warmth going.”
“It’s incredible. I get so many messages from people who are like, Hey, we don’t know what’s happening. We don’t know what’s going on, but we miss you. We hope that you’re mentally okay. Obviously I would love to give an answer of what’s a definitive answer, and I still maintain the truth of this, I have no clue. I have no clue. So I already know this is gonna go up in flames too, but yeah, I love the fact that fans still care. All I know is this, regardless, I’m always gonna end up better than my situation. I’m always gonna end up better than the circumstances that I’m currently in. That’s just how it works for me. I can’t lose.”
“I don’t think that’s ever crossed my mind of like you’re being punished, because that wouldn’t serve me at all to think like that. I would be depressed and angry. That wouldn’t serve me.”
“You know what’s so funny about that whole situation? First off, yes, I did go see a friend of mine for his match, obviously, because it was an hour away. Secondly, they caught me walking to the bus. So like, Okay. Third off, somebody who worked at Alamo decided to take a video, take that screenshot, and then post it. I remember the next day, Sunday, I woke up and this whole thing was blowing up. I was like what is this? I had people from my job, I had one guy who was like ‘Were you at the Rumble last night?’ I said ‘Yeah and what the f*ck about it?’ He goes ‘Just saying that’s a bad look.’ How is it a bad look? I can’t control somebody taking security footage while I am walking to a bus, I don’t control that. Tell me how that is a bad look. We got people on our own program talking about people in the other company, but me having my security footage exposed is a bad look? Give me a break! It was simply visiting a friend. I was only on the bus. I stayed on the bus. I wasn’t trying to cause any type of issues or anything like that. The whole purpose was I was walking to the bus so I wouldn’t be seen by anybody.”
“You know who else was in the box with me? Dustin, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo. This is not me putting them on blast. This is just saying yes, there’s people in the box. There’s 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 like, there was no issue. Now, if he actually didn’t mean that, okay, I don’t know, that’s different. But there was no issue about that and I still, to this day, don’t see a problem with it. I’m gonna tell you why. I got into this because I am a fan. I love professional wrestling. Regardless of where I work, I’m going to go and support people that I love, and I’m gonna go support wrestling in general. I was there to watch Jade’s first Mania match and was extremely proud. I saw her match, and then I was there to see Cody’s match. Guess what? I was at Mania the year before that and saw Cody lose. There is no issue with somebody being at another show. Jay Z ain’t gonna go to another rapper’s concert? He ain’t gonna go to a J Cole concert? It’s only blown up online because people are trying to get paid for their engagement, they got rent due, I always make that joke. It’s people who just want to start something. You could say it’s the tribalistic fans, I don’t necessarily agree with that, to a certain extent yeah. I remember seeing some quote tweets about how I was dick riding Cody because I was there, and I was just like, wow, this is amazing, because if you took this situation out of the scope of wrestling, people would think it’s normal. But supposedly, for some reason, it is so taboo to not be over here when you work [for another company]. Who cares? We all getting paid, aren’t we?”
“No, I’m not [in character]. That’s not what I’m saying at all, because you’ll never know. But what I am saying is that I grew up in an era of Halo 2 online. So talking trash online, I’m built for it. The best part about it is when you reply to someone who runs you down, and they go, Well, you’re gotten too. What do you mean I’ve gotten too? Because I’m replying to you? Isn’t the purpose of you saying this anonymously online is to get a response, don’t you want to debate? You’re trying to debate with somebody, right? I’m giving you that, you’re not going to win because I’m too quick-witted. So I like talking trash to people. I like it because I quote tweet and I talk trash about it, and not everyone can see how stupid this person is. That’s why I like it.”
“It’s only when I’m in the mood. Sometimes I’m not in the mood, sometimes I laugh at it and keep it moving. Sometimes I will, I remember I posted a picture and someone was like, shouldn’t you be talking about the show tonight as opposed to posting pictures? It’s like, bitch, you’re on my Twitter. What are you talking about telling me what I should and shouldn’t do? You got some nerve. I don’t know. I find the internet, the IWC, I don’t think they’re as bad as a lot of people make them out to be, only because I choose to ignore certain things about it.”
“I remember when it got announced that me and Brian versus Sting and Darby was happening, it was such a wild reaction to it. Then I had to really think. I didn’t grow up as a Sting fan. I didn’t grow up watching WCW. I was an Undertaker fan. So as I got older though, I did study Sting. I studied a lot of WCW from the early 90s. I watch all types of wrestling, but that was an era that was really cool because he just had a certain energy to him back then. I’ll never forget Sting coming in and meeting him. He was so nice and so sweet, and he’s very collected. You have to realize he’s coming to a place that he knows nothing about, as far as this company goes, and he’s dealing with people younger than the place that he was at previously. I think what it was was he was very observant and it was just getting used to what was going on. I would hope that he probably met me and said, Okay, something is about this kid that I don’t really understand just yet, but I like it and I respect it, and he’s got his own little thing. When it came to the match itself, yes, there were some nerves about it, obviously. But I remember going and we didn’t practice, per se, but he needed to get the body warmed up again. So doing drills with Sting was insane. Then the match itself, we filmed it in two days. The second night was a lot colder, and I remember telling them, Hey, because I knew what was going to happen. Sting needs a heater. He needs a dry sauna just to keep the body limber, because we were stopping and there were breaks in between the films. You get how it is. It’s just filming is hard because there’s waiting, it was cold, it was all of that. So I remember telling them that and just making sure that he was as comfortable as possible. Because if anything I knew from training with him what would help him out, and he’s very respectful, and I’m not saying that this was a man who couldn’t speak up for himself, but I think that he only wanted to ask for things that was absolutely necessary in times, he didn’t want to seem like he was being too needy.”
“I mean, yes and no, there was a moment where Sting had me up for a gorilla press slam. I remember being up there like, Damn, he’s still very strong. And then the next thing, he punches me right in my mouth and I was like, Oh my God. There was a moment where, dude, Sting gave me a sunset bomb. I flipped him up in this, he gave me a sunset bomb, and I just was like, damn, this is kind of badass. Sting is giving you a sunset bomb. What is happening? You, Of all people. But yes, it was really cool, and Sting will forever hold a place in my heart, because out of anybody you could go to and talk to, and he was understanding. You talk to him, and he could view this look, and you would think that he wasn’t going to say anything. It’s just some thinking. And he speaks from a place where he’s lived life several times over.”
“There’s several instances where I think I’ve proven everybody that I’m actually more of a troll than Max is, and I’ve had it happen on live TV. But in that moment, that was in Austin, and I just had a match. So the promo that I went off on him with was so good because yeah I stumbled, and I said I’m gonna stomp an ass in your something. I like stumbling through a promo. I don’t care if it’s clean. You hear somebody freestyling on a rap beat, and it’s just like, well they kind of stumble, but they just keep it moving. I like when that happens. That right there was my moment in my head of just kill me with what you got. You give me an inch. I make sure that you get every juice out of that squeeze. And so obviously the chemistry with me and Max was palpable in that moment, because you could feel it, and you could see two people somewhat similar, but total opposites.”
“And I said he was a rip-off of Roddy Piper. You know what’s wild about that? Max says all that stuff about me, yet made a return in a leather cut-off jean jacket. How is it that I am trying to rip off The Rock and this guy every day is cosplaying Triple H. He’s cosplaying Ric Flair. He’s cosplaying Roddy Piper. Do you ever find that interesting?”
“I don’t think I ever really gave it much thought. I think it’s pretty well known who my favorite wrestler was. The Rock was cool. I liked The Rock. He was cool. But this is how I do it. I can’t help the way that I look. I’m a handsome motherf*cker. That’s just how it is, and that’s a respectable thing. My style, as you know, even before we started filming is I had a Garth Brooks shirt on. I like what I like, and I wear what I like. It’s nothing to do with ripping somebody off and I would be honest if I was doing that. I am. I am an improvement on a design straight from the city of New Orleans. If you had to say that I copy anyone, I’m copying the people of New Orleans, absolutely, that’s who I am.”
“There was no script. Ricky Starks going off script? How is that possible if there’s no script to begin with? So to speak. I didn’t say anything crazy. I just called someone bug eyes. What’s wrong with that? That’s like, how is that any different than someone calling someone fat? Am I missing the point here?”
“You know what’s so great about that match? Before I went out I was nervous, but I guess I didn’t really realize what was about to happen, because I was so frustrated in such a beautiful, organic way. So the day before, Tony comes out and announces that Punk is gone, and then I actually opened that show with the promo. Watch the promo, it’s very good, and you can kind of tell what’s happening. But I was so frustrated about things happening the way they have. I’ll never forget someone telling me just be grateful that you even have a job. I remember someone being like, just be grateful we have a job. I’ll never forget feeling like, How dare you! Don’t tell me to be grateful for something that I’ve worked very hard for. That’s saying I know that you’re hungry for dinner, here’s a half-eaten loaf of bread, actually no, let me take that back. Here’s just the crumbs. F*ck you. Don’t tell me just be grateful for something, you don’t live my life. You don’t understand the things that I have gone through to even just get in this moment. It really set me off. So when it came to Sunday, I was looking forward to it, but I didn’t realize what laid ahead of me and what I was actually going to be capable of doing. Bryan had that injury too, and we had to deal with that, and that was such a weird thing for me. I’ll never forget, I’m sitting backwards, and that first whack from the leather strap echoes throughout the arena, and I remember feeling this jolt and then hearing it go, oh. I was like, Okay, here we are, nice. Then later on Bryan is tagging me in the face with that strap and he was like, Are you gonna take it? Are you a man? And this is my theory. I think Bryan thought I was a pussy. I think he thought I was a pussy because of how I look, because well this pretty boy. I guess what I’m trying to say is he wanted to test me, and I love that. He wanted to test me, and I definitely think I passed with flying colors.”
“I don’t know. I think at the time, I did a trial in 2017 and really put all my eggs in that basket. I was told that they liked me because I did a promo that they really enjoyed. I just don’t think they had a place for me yet and I was competing against guys who had a name on the indys. So you got to think about it. They were going to take the guys with names because those fans were going to follow them, and in turn those fans were going to buy a Network subscription or something. So you’re just adding to the bucket of money. You come in with something. I personally think that’s just what it is. Timing-wise, at the time, I thought it sucked, but looking back on it, I’m actually glad that I went on this route that I’ve taken with AEW and having them basically take a chance on me and me prove my work 10 times over.”
“So when I was a US Marshall, I drove to Dallas with my girlfriend at the time, she dropped me off. When you get into that building there’s no reception, just so you know. I left my wallet in her car. When I got there, I was trying to get my wallet back. I could not. As I’m trying to leave, just to go outside to grab it they go, are you trying to leave early? I said, No, no, no. I was just trying to go grab my wallet because, hopefully, she was still outside, and I was trying to get the reception and all this stuff. And they go, Well you need to get to the ring right now. Go to the ring. They tell me what the setup is. You’re a US Marshal, blah, blah, blah. Act like you’re not a wrestler, please, Like how you get in and all this stuff. Okay, so they get me suited up. They run out of letters to put on their US Marshal, but they somehow figure it out. I don’t know what a US Marshal is. I don’t know the jurisdiction of that, who’s over who in that situation? But to be arrested by a US Marshal means that you’re indicted on something, some serious charges, RICO charges, fentanyl charges, something. So I thought arresting Roman Reigns was like, what did he do wrong? I don’t even remember, but he did beat the piss out of all of us. But it starts, if you watch it, you can see how I get in the ring. I get in the ring like the women’s wrestlers used to back in the day, where they go to the real bottom. Because they’re like, hey, act like you never got in the ring before. I was like, Well,if I was a US Marshal I wouldn’t know how to get in the ring. I was doing all that, and I am wearing dress shoes. So then when I get hit by Roman, I slipped and fell, and had to get up and grab them. It was a mess, man. But I will tell you I look like a total badass in that outfit. And you know, as they say, long-term storytelling.”
“I could end up anywhere actually. It’s not crazy. I understand it, and definitely get it. Like, you know, you just go where your friends are. Yes, I love my friends. I would like to always see them every day in my life, whether they come to me or whatever the case may be. That’s just how it is in life. You have people that you are cool with, and you’re always gonna have people say, like, well, you’re gonna do that because of this person. It’s like, Well, damn, yeah, I can’t act on my own accord.”
“The people in my tribe, the support of people and that I am happy and proud of myself.”
