Ricky Starks on His Current Lengthy AEW Absence, Infamous Promo Segment with Adam Copeland & Being Called a “Rip Off Rock”, & Attending WWE’s Royal Rumble 2023 Event

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast featured Ricky Starks as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Starks’ thoughts about his current lengthy absence from AEW.

“March was my last match. I’ve been home. I’ve been healthy. Never was injured. I did have a stinger in that match. I got immediately checked out and everything was fine. I was concerned at the time. That happened, and then I was just home. That’s kind of where it’s been at. I’ve just been home. It’s a mindfuck because I’m in my prime. It sucks when you’re on such a momentum and riding the wave and doing work, and then to just be at home for so long. You’re like, woah, it throws it off.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about if he wants to be at home during his time away from AEW.

“No. I am not meant to be at home. I’m not meant to be a homebody. In this current phase in my life, I’m not meant to be chilling at home and doing not the thing I’ve been busting my ass to do for the past 13 years.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about not knowing the actual reason for his current absence from AEW.

“Beats me. I could have a thousand theories about what’s really going on. The fact of the matter is, if I don’t have a definitive answer, I can’t just make up and interpret people and just assume. Would I love to know the exact reason? For sure. Do I have speculations about why? Absolutely, but that does nothing. To speak on things that I speculate does nothing for the situation. I think it’s just a matter of, it sucks. It’s been a cold day in Austin. It may have been cold for the past nine months. Thankfully, I have a sweater and I’m always ready to keep the warmth going.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about when he realized he wasn’t getting called back to be used for shows.

“There’s not really a moment. I kind of just figure it out. I have been working out, maintaining shape, being in the ring still. I have been traveling. That’s what I can control. It’s such a mindfuck because I am capable. I am of sound body and mind. You have to be careful with what you say because things get spun so quickly. It’s not right that certain people will believe this stuff, especially people you work with and people in your industry will believe this stuff that small rumors sprouse up online.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about if he has tried to get an answer from the company about his absence.

“From work? Yes, everything has always been able trying to get some type of communication. Lack of communication says more than no communication. Lack of communication means there is some, but not a lot. No communication just means it’s dead silent.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about if he feels he is being punished for the potential reason for his current absence from AEW.

“I don’t think that. I don’t think it’s ever crossed my mind of, ‘You’re being punished.’ That wouldn’t serve me to think like that. I would be depressed and angry. That wouldn’t serve me.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about his promo segment with Adam Copeland on the October 13, 2023 AEW Dynamite show involving Starks calling Copeland “bug eyed” and Copeland calling him a “vanilla midget” and a “rip off Rock.”

“I think it’s pretty well known who my favorite wrestler was. The Rock was cool. I liked The Rock. He was cool. But this is how I do it. I can’t help the way that I look. I’m a handsome motherf*cker. That’s just how it is, and that’s a respectable thing. My style, as you know, even before we started filming is I had a Garth Brooks shirt on. I like what I like, and I wear what I like. It’s nothing to do with ripping somebody off and I would be honest if I was doing that. I am an improvement on a design straight from the city of New Orleans. If you had to say that I copy anyone, I’m copying the people of New Orleans, absolutely, that’s who I am.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about Copeland’s comments towards him during their promo exchange.

“Do you know what he called me? Do you remember? He called me a vanilla midget Rock ripoff. That clip goes viral all the time, and it’s so funny because at the end of it, I wanted to say more but if you see me smile and say ‘Oh, that really sent me over the edge,’..I only did that because I knew this thing was going to get off track.

You might as well call me a great heel because I got somebody so flustered on live TV that they stumbled and stuttered their way into one of the worst insults that you could say, that’s so passe, so 2000. A vanilla midget?

Personally, I don’t think that Ricky Starks came out of that looking very bad, you know what I’m saying? I think it wasn’t me that looked bad in that whole situation and so it is what it is.”

Starks also gave his thoughts about him not going off the script during his promo exchange with Copeland since there was no actual script for the segment.

“There was no script. Ricky Starks going off script? How is that possible if there’s no script to begin with? So to speak. I didn’t say anything crazy. I just called someone bug eyes. What’s wrong with that? That’s like, how is that any different than someone calling someone fat? Am I missing the point here?”

Starks also gave his thoughts about him attending WWE’s Royal Rumble 2023 event and a security photo of him backstage being leaked out to the public.

“You know what’s funny about that? First off, yes, I did go see a friend of mine for his match. It was an hour away. Secondly, they caught me walking to the bus. Third off, somebody who worked at Alamo decided to take a video and screenshot and post it. I’m very respectful of wrestling traditions and the hierarchy, but I’ll be damned, the minute that I am disrespected, you do not get that back. A veteran was telling me, ‘You think a McDonald’s worker is going across the street to Burger King.’ ‘What?’ ‘That’s such a bad look on the business.’ We have veterans who do podcasts where they openly talk about the storylines they are in currently and how they did a match. They’re telling me that walking to a bus, on security footage, that is more disrespectful to the business than them being on a podcast and being like, ‘This is the idea we had about this current angle.’ Give me a break. Ya’ll are crazy.

It was simply visiting a friend. I was only on the bus. I stayed on the bus. I wasn’t trying to cause any type of issues. The whole purpose was, I was walking to the bus so I wasn’t seen by anybody.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com 1 & 2, F4WOnline.com