Rickey Starks hasn’t been seen in the AEW ring for a while and the reason hasn’t been clear either. Amid the ambiguous AEW contract status and several reports about Tony Khan underusing the Stroke Daddy, rampant rumors of a potential WWE debut took over the rumor mills real quick.

Now, to add to Khan’s misery, another instance of creative mistreatment has cropped up in the lore, intensifying the rationality of an envisaged WWE move.

Ricky Starks-Big Bill’s tenure as an AEW tag team duo permanently winds down

Starks, 34, has been a true ‘absolute’ to the fans. Despite being fairly tender at his age, the fighter showed his mettle in the promotion. Whether it’s destroying Adam Copeland with a mic in his hand or feuding against Bryan Danielson in one of the most captivating storylines, the one-time AEW World tag team champion established himself as a bona fide star. But despite Starks’ sky-high potential, the AEW head honcho hasn’t paid much attention to him. Ever since his remarkable tag team championship run alongside Big Bill came to an end, Starks has been left in the background. Moreover, as per the latest report, there is feeble hope that AEW will revive the iconic pairing in the future.

Amidst the absence of the ‘Absolute’ since his defeat at the hands of Sting and Derby Allin, Big Bill has already carved out a separate path for himself by joining forces with Chris Jericho as an integral part of the Learning Tree. Capitalizing on that dynamic, Fightful Select reported there are no plans for the reunion of the former tag team champions, even if Starks returns anytime soon. Although both wrestlers harbor zero hard feelings toward each other, they mutually felt their terms of working together had reached a natural conclusion.

So, does a solo spotlight into the rival promotion loom next for the 34-year-old? Let’s dig into the details.

What are the chances for the rumored WWE run happening for Ricky Starks? 

Starks’ fizzled-out potential as an AEW star prompted a chunk of fans and veterans to anticipate a WWE run. More specifically, an NXT run for him. NXT bigwig Ilza Druganov once commented how he would like to help Starks make a statement in WWE. The company higher-ups also have shown great interest in having the promising AEW star lately, with fans vehemently backing it up.

However, there’s still no official word on whether Starks will really go for a WWE move despite the promotion not hiring him during an uncomfortable tryout several years ago.

For those unversed, Ricky Starks had started his career by wrestling a match on SmackDown back in 2012. What’s your take on AEW having no plan to resume the pairing of Starks and Big Bill? Let us know in the comments.