Tony Khan’s Real Reason Behind Holding Back Ricky Starks Revealed

In recent months, Ricky Starks has entered the spotlight on several occasions for his absence from AEW programming. Starks once commented that he would love to be back to contribute. Even Tony Khan expressed his desire to have Starks on television again. However, time continues to pass, and there is no trace of him in AEW.

Time has elapsed on the topic of the AEW star’s lack of direction on TV. However, the topic gained prominence yet again after a key event transpired. Ricky Starks has once again been the topic of conversation due to a rumor that has emerged in a post on Reddit (since deleted). The rumor claimed that Starks got into a fight in Calgary, Canada, in 2023. And that the police took him away in a vehicle as they apprehended him for his role in the conflict.

The post also discussed how the former FTW champion rejected AEW’s proposals to return on multiple occasions. Moreover, the report suggested that the AEW star did not even listen to the proposals in front of him. As reported on Fightful Select, people in AEW, including part of the roster, claim that these rumors that Ricky Starks has rejected creative proposals are true “to some extent.” And now, we have another major update on the rumor that reveals the reason Tony Khan has held back the AEW superstar.

One idea Ricky Starks rejected was to break his alliance with Big Bill by starting a rivalry between the two. The claim that “I did not even listen to these proposals” could not be confirmed. But it was revealed by Fightful that Ricky Starks was receiving criticism for his decision to disagree with the creative plan. Fightful wrote, “Those that criticized Ricky Starks within AEW claimed that he didn’t want to do business, despite those involved in the storyline hoping that it would launch Bill as a huge heel and Ricky Starks as a big babyface. It was said that Starks didn’t think that Big Bill losing a feud to him would end up being beneficial to Bill. And wanted them to have an amicable split if anything.”

This is not the first time Ricky Starks has expressed his dissatisfaction with a creative decision.

Ricky Stark’s disapproval of creative decisions comes to light

Fightful reports say that he wasn’t happy last year either. When AEW didn’t capitalize on the good impression his fight against Bryan Danielson had made at All Out. People who spoke to him said that Ricky Starks felt there was a turning point late last summer. Especially in terms of the way AEW was booking him. And that he believes CM Punk‘s departure slowed his momentum at the company.

As for the rumor of the fight in which he was involved in Calgary, Fightful Select added that numerous AEW people and Ricky Starks himself claimed that he has never had legal problems in Canada. All personnel named in relation to the alleged incident completely deny the rumors. So we have yet to find out if this rumor has any iota of truth in it. But it seems that for now, it is likely that Starks might leave the promotion and become a WWE superstar. What do you think? Do you want Starks in the WWE? Let us know in the comments.