Ricky Starks hasn't bešen on AEW television since March, and it iš§s unknown if or when he will return.
reported that AEW had an option year in the spring of 2024 on Starks' contract, whicš§øh they picked up. Starks was reportšØedly hoping to test free agency.
Speaą¹king on his , Matt gaź¦ve his take on the situation.
āI canāt speak into the reasoning theyāre not using them, because I donāt know those details obviously. I can say, I grew to like Ricky Starks so much. I love me some Ricky Starks. We had a greeting, he would always hit me and said, āWhatās up RNā. Thatās what he would call me every time that I ran into him and that kind of became our thing back and forth. Iāll leave that to your imagination what it might be. I got a lot of love for Ricky Starks, I think heās extremely talented, heās extremely charismatic, I think he gets the wrestling business and I can see him being a big star in the future, especially if he gets the correct opportunity.
āAs far as guys being there under contract, I guess if there is a dispute and maybe someone voices an opinion that is contrary to your company or saying he doesnāt want to work there or whatever it may be, once again, I donāt know any of this, but I get Tony Khan holding someone under contract until the end of their deal, I mean, if theyāre being paid, it is what it is. You signed a contract. That happens in business all the time, so thatās nothing new in pro wrestling. Thatās one of those things that Iām not going to be too critical of because thatās just kind of how business is conducted in the big scheme of things.ā
Asked by co-host Jon Alba what he thought of holding talent or not releasing them if theyāre unhappy or if they ask for their release, Hardy replied, āIt can be [within the businessās right.] In theory, if you signed a contract, you have made this agreement to do that time, so it is what it is. Now, Iām very different. I could see if someone did not want to be ā if Iām the boss and someone asked me, āHey, Iām not happy here, Iād like to move on and do this or thatā, I get that and I would probably think a little differently. If someone didnāt want to be here and Iām paying them just to sit at home, I would probably release people. I think after the Ethan Page deal where he asked for his release and he was granted his release and then he shows up in NXT and becomes a hit, I donāt think thatās going to happen anytime in the near future.ā
Starks was set to ācompete at multiple GCW events, but AEW pulled him from those appearances, reportedly in part due to comments made by Effy towardsš Tony Khan and Shad Khan.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Matt provided more insight into his contract situation with TNA. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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