Ricky Starks DONE With AEW Amid Heavy WWE Speculation (AEW News)

After plentiful speculation and chatter about his AEW status and what could lie in his future, Ricky Starks' time with AEW has now come to an end.

Starks hasn't wrestled for AEW since March of last year, only wrestling five matches for the promotion in all of 2024. As Ricky revealed in an interview with ourselves last May - and more recently in a Chris Van Vliet chat - he hasn't been injured, he didn't know why he'd not been used more, and he was fit, healthy, and eager to work.

Via Fightful Select, the Stroke Daddy has now left AEW, as reflected by him having been removed from the AEW roster page. Previously, Starks had asked in late 2023 for AEW to not pick up the option that was coming up in Spring 2024 to trigger a contract extension. Despite that request, AEW did indeed trigger that extension, although reports at the time said the company still had no intention of using Absolute on TV. For his part, Ricky was open to seeing out that extension and working for AEW, but clearly the company had other plans - keeping the hugely talented star benched for nearly a year by this point in time.

Starks' AEW deal would have been up in a few months, but now he's been let out of that deal earlier and finds himself a free agent. And Ricky isn't the only one, for Malakai Black and Miro have also departed AEW this week. Due to the nature of their AEW exits, all three men aren't under any sort of non-compete clause, meaning they could essentially turn up in another promotion immediately.

What's Next For Ricky Starks?

After nearly a year of not being used by AEW, it felt as if Ricky Starks was going to spend a good chunk of the year doing the exact same thing as he waited for his AEW deal to expire.

Starks has made no secret of his desire to work, be that for AEW or elsewhere. And while he was due to work some dates for GCW last year, AEW scrapped those plans due to comments made by GCW mainstay Effy, meaning it was just a one-and-done appearance for Ricky in GCW. Since then, though, the former AEW Tag Team Champion has worked a couple of shows for House of Glory - a fantastic match against HOG World Champion Mike Santana, and a fun bout with the nefarious Charles Mason - and defeated KENTA to become the DEFY World Champion last weekend.

As for what's next for Absolute Ricky Starks, WWE would seem a logical next step in the career of the New Orleans native. Starks has long viewed William Regal as a mentor figure, is close friends with, among others, Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill, and likewise struck up a relationship with CM Punk during their time working together in AEW.

Of course, Ricky could opt to test the waters in TNA, maybe sample New Japan, or simply explore free agency on the independent scene. That said, given previous reports of WWE interest in the one-time NWA World Television Champion, it could well be that Ricky Starks lands in WWE sooner rather than later.

A 14-year veteran of the game by this point, Starks had been with AEW since June 2020, memorably debuting to challenge Cody Rhodes for the TNT Title. Ricky would soon become a member of Team Taz, winning the FTW Title and even being part of Sting's first match for the promotion. Other AEW highlights include winning the 2023 men's Owen Hart Cup, that rivalry with CM Punk, the brutal matches with Bryan Danielson in the aftermath of Punk's exit, a mini-feud with MJF, and a really fun tag team run with Big Bill that saw the pair capture the AEW Tag Team Titles from FTR. Prior to landing in AEW, Starks made himself a highlight of the NWA during those great early days of NWA Powerrr.