"Some People [In AEW] Stuck Their Nose In My Creative... Veterans." - Ricky Saints (WWE News)
The former Ricky Starks is now in WWE - but has lifted the lid on his AEW tenure.
Ricky Saints - the former Ricky Starks - has arrived in WWE. He made his second appearance on the NXT brand and officially "signed" his contract in a worked TV angle last night (February 18). He then appeared on Busted Open Radio. After discussing the inspiration behind his name change, host Bully Ray encouraged Saints to discuss his time in and exit from All Elite Wrestling.
Saints first clarified that his departure did not stem from his appearances at the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble and WWE WrestleMania 41 pay-per-views. These displays of support for close friend and WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes drew much in the way of online attention.
Ricky's then boss Tony Khan was purportedly "okay" with that, a defiant Saints insisted. "Screw you," he said. "You're an idiot with no friends and no passion in life if you think the damndest thing I've done is cheering somebody on in another company".
Saints, when pressed, was unable to pinpoint one key factor that made his stay in AEW untenable, although he was adamant that "not once was I unwilling to do something".
Saints tossed around various ideas when discussing "a storm of things" that complicated his tenure. He cited the departure of CM Punk, with whom he was feuding when Punk was terminated with cause in September 2023. "Things kinda fell apart," Saints mused. He then alleged that, echoing sentiments expressed by other past and present AEW talents - Punk and Rey Fénix, most notably - that after suffering an injury in March, there was "no communication".
In the most interesting tidbit, Saints cryptically said "There are some people who stuck their nose in my creative business that shouldn't have happened...veterans. And that's it."
Saints did not clarify the veteran to whom he was referring.