WWE fans stunned as ‘hottest free agent’ debuts 24 hours after AEW exit
He's arrived.
Ricky Starks has turned the wrestling world on its head with his WWE debut on NXT.
The 34-year-old star – along with Aleister/Malakai Black and Miro (AKA Rusev) – officially left rivals All Elite Wrestling (AEW) this week almost a year after his last match for the company, but just over 24 hours later he made his next big move.
During last night’s NXT show, which aired live on Netflix in the UK, ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks appeared in the crowd at the Performance Center to a huge reaction as fans chanted his name.
‘It’s obvious you know who I am,’ he quipped, before making a statement with his very first promo on WWE television.
‘If NXT is the future of professional wrestling, well guess what, you need an absolute superstar of the future. If this is the hottest brand, well you need the hottest free agent right now baby,’ he said.
‘Do not let the handsome face and expensive fragrance fool you, I am here to turn this place upside down.’
He described himself as the ‘hottest free agent’ out there (Picture: WWE) He became a free agent just one day earlier (Picture: WWE)He insisted everyone has been wondering ‘when will the revolution be televised again?’, before teasing: ‘Well, I’m here ain’t I?’
It didn’t take long for his fans and fellow superstars to react to the news, including the likes of CM Punk and SmackDown’s Jade Cargill, who he knows from their own spells in AEW.
‘MY BEST FRIEND!!! So proud,’ wrote Jade, as Ricky replied: ‘We did it!’
Punk shared the video of his friend’s promo alongside a smiling emoji, while Carmelo Hayes shared three fire emojis.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next Page‘I’m so pumped right now I am so happy to see the biggest free agent in the world of wrestling back on my TV welcome to NXT @starkmanjones can’t wait to see you take it over,’ wrote fan @Scottgarland81 on X.
‘Wasn’t expecting Ricky Starks to appear on NXT that quickly. So happy he’s finally on television again though,’ tweeted @GunsAndMachines, as @bte_club added: ‘That was fast , best way to do it . Will his name be Ricky Starks still ?’
Indeed, Ricky’s name is the subject of a lot of speculation, given WWE’s habit in the past of renaming people when they sign – although in recent years, the likes of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin still work together under those monikers as the Motor City Machine Guns, while Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia kept their names too.
He built his reputation in AEW and became a firm favourite with the fans (Picture: AEW/Lee South) AEW boss Tony Khan hadn’t featured him on TV for almost a year (Picture: AEW/Ricky Havlik)Ricky notably didn’t say his own name during his promo, even if he did acknowledge the fans’ chants.
According to Fightful, ‘not mentioning him by name wasn’t an accident’, but no reason has been given for the decision, while the deal to sign him obviously came together quickly given the fast turnaround between his AEW release and NXT debut.
The decision to have him on that show rather than Raw or SmackDown is reportedly down to the ease of getting him involved in storylines compared to the main roster, where most of the WrestleMania creative is already in place.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
