The wrestling world was abuzz Tuesday night as former All Elite Wrestling star Ricky Starks made a shocking appearance on WWE's NXT program. Just a day after his release from AEW, Starks addressed the NXT crowd, signaling his arrival in the rival promotion.
Starks' last AEW appearance was on March 30th in a tag team loss. Since then, he'd wrestled at independent events, even capturing the DEFY World Championship. His sudden release paved the way for a swift move to WWE, where he wasted no time introducing himself to the NXT audience.
NXT commentator Vic Joseph exclaimed "Holy crap!" as Starks emerged, met with enthusiastic cheers. Starks declared himself "an absolute superstar of the future" and "the hottest free agent right now," embracing his new platform.
This move follows a trend of wrestlers transitioning between companies. Ethan Page, formerly of AEW and Ring of Honor, joined WWE last year. Shawn Spears, an AEW original, also returned to WWE and NXT in 2024. Conversely, former WWE stars like Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP have recently appeared in AEW.
While Starks' immediate impact on NXT is yet to be seen, his arrival has undoubtedly generated significant excitement amongst fans.
