Ricky Starks surprised the world of professional wrestling Tuesday night when he appeared on WWE NXT just hours after he was released from all elite wrestling.
Among those shocked, superstar Roxanne Perez.
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Ricky Starks will be admitted to WWE Performance Center NXT on February 11, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Eric Johnson/WWE via Getty Images)
The two-time NXT women's champion who shot in the historic third title reign on Saturday's NXT Vengeance Day was one of those shocked.
Perez said in a recent interview that she has known Starks since she was younger and is excited to see him at the brand. Plus, she didn't even know he was there.
“It was great. I've known Ricky Starks since I was literally 15. He came to Texas just like me, so we definitely ran a lot,” she said. . “I didn't even know he was there. I never even saw him out into the crowd. I saw it with everyone else on the TV screen, so he's great so it's so great. I was happy. He was very happy. A great man and I think he deserves everything.”
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Ricky Starks will visit #Imdboat's official portrait studio on San Diego Comics-CON 2022 on IMDB Yacht in San Diego on July 23, 2022. (Irvin Rivera/Getty Images from IMDB)
Starks has not appeared on AEW since March last year and has been seen in several examples of Game Changer Wrestling, House of Glory and Defy.
The fans cheered in the stands when he showed up.
“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.”
Perez added that he hopes the Starks that appear in NXT lead to some kind of work.
“If I can meet him here and hopefully work with him, that's great.”
Roxanne Perez during the Women's Royal Rumble during the WWE Royal Rumble, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on February 1, 2025. (Image of Joe Campore Ale-Immagn)
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Perez is about to win the NXT Women's Championship in a fatal four-way match with current champions Julia, Bailey and Cora Jade.
Vengeance Day is set for Saturday at 5:30pm ET in Washington, DC
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