Say hello to... Ricky Saints
Ricky Starks has a new name
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The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
Ricky Saints bound for stardom in NXT
A look at the past week in wrestling
Kyle Fletcher on Mark Davis
Tweet of the Week
Goodbye Starks, Hello Saints
Bryan Danielson became Daniel Bryan.
Kevin Owens was Kevin Steen.
And for a moment, it felt like Gunther would always be known as WALTER.
It isn’t about the name.
That was on display last night, when Ricky Starks became Ricky Saints in NXT.
Before becoming Saints in NXT, Starks experienced quite the pro wrestling odyssey. Never a highly-touted prospect or must-see attraction on the indies, his first big break came five years ago in the NWA. That’s where he became Television Champion, but before he could climb any higher, he was gone from the company.
That spring, Starks wrestled Cody Rhodes on AEW Dynamite in the open challenge for the TNT title. Starks and Rhodes formed a bond, and it looked like the sky was the limit in AEW. After winning the Owen Hart Cup in 2023, defeating CM Punk in the finale, his ascent appeared inevitable.
Then Punk was gone and their feud was off, but it made no difference. Instead of battling Punk, Starks had a sizzling program with Bryan Danielson. Their no-DQ strap match at All Out in 2023 was violence in motion, showing yet another layer to Starks’ versatility.
Given his past, none of this should be all too surprising. Starks, 34, knows adversity, the kind that occurs outside the wrestling ring and the booker’s room.
“It wasn’t that long ago when I moved to St. Louis back in 2014 and I was sleeping on a mattress on a living room floor,” Starks shared with me in an interview three years ago. “Then I moved back to Texas and didn’t have a place to stay, so I was sleeping in my 2000 green Honda Accord. Thankfully, it had cloth seats. Then I was able to stay on my friend’s couch while I was a gymnastics coach. By the grace of God, the NWA came. Then I left, and I had less than $10 in my bank account when I wrestled Cody in AEW. But I wouldn’t change my past. It wasn’t easy to get here, but my past still shapes me.”
NXT is a world of opportunity. There is the crossover partnership with TNA (Moose arrived last night, and The Hardys will be there next week), but WWE wants their own star atop the brand. That spot is there for the taking.
Now that I’m thinking back on older interviews, one with Aleister Black sticks out. This was shortly before Black left WWE, and he discussed how to reach higher ground in pro wrestling: “To get to the next level, I need the audience. The audience is a great steering wheel to bounce off what it is that you do. The energy you give, they give back to you, and vice-versa. The more I get my energy back from them, the more their voices tell me what to do. The fans are such a vital essence to the character. If they’re not giving me that emotional response, I don’t know where to go with it. I need them.”
That captured the essence of why Starks will be a star as Saints. He knows how to connect with the crowd. Now, with WWE’s marketing machine on board, it feels like he is unstoppable.
Stardom is finally coming for Ricky Starks, and he’s going to reach a whole new tier as Ricky Saints.
This past week…
Big news on Raw: Kevin Owens will wrestle Sami Zayn in an unsanctioned match at Elimination Chamber. This has to lead to WrestleMania, right?
Week by week, the Gunther-Jey Uso feud keeps getting more entertaining.
Raw ended early on Monday, but after that phenomenal Seth Rollins-Finn Balor main event, I wasn’t complaining. In a finish that was expected, Rollins won–and he completes a star-studded field for the men’s Elimination Chamber match that also includes John Cena, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and Logan Paul.
Roxanne Perez is headed to the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
The path for AJ Styles is clear: he’s headed toward a bout against Bron Breakker for the IC title.
The match of the night at AEW’s Grand Slam this past Saturday was the opener, where Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher. But my personal favorite was Mercedes Mone getting tested by Harley Cameron. Make no mistake: Mone went out of her way to ensure Cameron shined. Another star is exactly what AEW needs; whether Cameron can fulfill that role is yet-to-be-determined, but it will be exciting to see where she goes from here–and if she can ultimately dethrone Mone.
The MJF/Hangman segment was among the highlights of last week’s Dynamite.
In a series of heartfelt posts, Josh Alexander announced his departure from TNA. Wherever he ends up next will be fortunate to have him.
If Demolition is getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, it is long overdue. Years have passed since they starred in the ring, yet their greatness never dimmed. Their victory at WrestleMania VI in 1990 was their last great moment together (SummerSlam ’90 was memorable, but they were playing the villains and had introduced a third member), defeating Andre The Giant and Haku for a three-peat as champs.
Kyle Fletcher on Mark Davis: “I love watching him wrestle”
Kyle Fletcher looked outstanding this past Saturday during AEW’s Grand Slam Australia broadcast, where he teamed with fellow rising star Konosuke Takeshita in defeat against Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay.
If you’re not closely familiar with Fletcher as a singles performer, there is a reason for that. Prior to AEW, Fletcher, 26, wrestled primarily in a tag team–Aussie Open–with Mark Davis.
This past November, Fletcher and Davis split in AEW. But there is hope yet for Aussie Open fans: two weeks ago on Dynamite, Davis joined Fletcher in The Callis Family faction, opening the possibility of more tag team matches for the duo.
“I haven’t talked about Davis in a long time,” said Fletcher, who spoke with Undisputed ahead of AEW Grand Slam Australia. “It’s nice now that he’s part of the family, I can hype him up again. There is just a grit to Davis, a harshness to him. Every time I see him on the apron and chop the absolute f--- out of people, it just grabs me. I love watching him wrestle.
“I’m glad we’re back together. I can’t wait to watch him again. When he gets his opportunity, he’s going to absolutely smash it.”
Fletcher also touched on shaving his head, which he did on the October 23 edition of Dynamite. There was a reason behind the move, as he made it crystal clear that he did not want anyone comparing him to Will Ospreay.
“My family always hated my dumb hair,” said Fletcher, speaking like a true heel. “That always fueled me to keep it.”
Fletcher was asked if there was anyone in his life who opposed the idea of shaving his head.
“My girlfriend Skye was a little apprehensive at the time, but she likes it now,” said Fletcher. “There are people who love it and people who hate it, and some people miss the hair, but if they’re talking about it, that’s a good thing.”
Tweet of the Week
This doesn’t feel complete without the signature point from Triple H.