10 Most Mind-Blowing Wrestling Secrets Of 2023

3. Ricky Starks At The Royal Rumble

Vince McMahon triple h mask
WWE

Cody Rhodes' Royal Rumble 2023 return saw the 'American Nightmare' return from an injury that had sidelined him since May and win the titular battle royal to secure a place in the WrestleMania main event.

This was all enjoyably predictable for those following along with WWE's central output, but few could have seen coming the presence of AEW's Ricky Starks when the first images of a returning Cody dropped. That's because few should have - the picture came from leaked security camera footage that was obviously never intended for public consumption.

Ever-keen to smile through any crisis big or small, Rhodes took some blame all the same. Noting that "[Starks] should have kept his butt on the bus" and that he'd "make new friends in WWE", he accepted that there'd naturally be some speculation about a talent move even though 'Absolute' was just there to watch his friends. He was right - the rumours of an eventual AEW exit at the end of his existing contract have circled the former TNT Champion all year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett