The WWE Universe remained shocked Tuesday as Pro Wrestling superstar Ricky Starks showed up in the building to deal with the crowd, and NXT put together the latest episodes.
Starks was released from all elite wrestling on Monday after months of absence. He was not seen on AEW TV on March 30, 2024 when he and Big Bill lost a tag team match between Dante and Darius Martin.
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San Diego Comic-Con Ricky Starks was in San Diego, California on July 23, 2022. (Irvin Rivera/Getty Images from IMDB)
He appeared on the Game Changer Wrestling Show at the American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and appeared at House of Glory last month. He won the Defy World Championship last week against defending champion Kenta.
He was then released. WWE doesn't seem to waste time on him showing up.
“Holy crap!” NXT broadcaster Vic Joseph said as Starks appeared in the crowd.
Fans who attended cheered on Starks' name.
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“It's obvious you know who I am,” he said. “If NXT is the future of wrestling, what do you guess? You need an absolute superstar of the future. If this is the hottest brand, you need the hottest free agent right now, baby.”
Starks' arrival at NXT is the latest example of professional wrestlers making a spectacular jump to rival companies.
Ethan Page played at AEW until the summer of 2023 and was at Ring of Honor before joining WWE last year. Shawn Spears re-joined WWE in February 2024 and was with AEW since its 2019 launch before starting its performance at NXT.
On the contrary, former WWE stars Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP were among those who have recently appeared on AEW after leaving the Connecticut-based company.
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The WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow Halloween event was held in Atlanta on October 31st, 2011. (Moses Robinson/Getty Images)
It is unclear what impact Starks will have any immediate results. However, it was clear that fans were excited about his arrival.
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