Tag: ricky starks

Effy responds to AEW pulling Ricky Starks from GCW events

Posted on by Ian Carey

Effy has responded to AEW pulling Ricky Starks from GCW events.

Starks made a surprise appearance at GCW’s show on November 23 and looked to be entering a program with Matt Cardona. However, three days later, GCW announced that Starks had been pulled from all upcoming bookings with the company.

Fightful would later report that AEW pulled Starks from the shows partly due to Effy’s podcast comments regarding AEW booking Hammerstein Ballroom a month before GCW returned to the venue in January.

“Brett (Lauderdale) does not own a football team. Brett doesn’t have a dad who pays him to stay away. I don’t want this to be a personal thing. I don’t, but hey guys, you aren’t the only game in town,” Effy said last month.  

Our own Dave Meltzer confirmed the news in last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing, “While nobody officially said anything, the strong belief, actually confirmed to us, is that it was the comments from Effy of GCW on Tony Khan, particularly a line he said about Khan’s father paying him to stay away, led to Khan feeling he didn’t want to do business with GCW.”

Effy appeared on The Game Changer Weekly podcast last night and responded to the situation.

Effy said:

“I can’t speak for Ricky Starks, right? I want the best for Ricky. That may be at AEW, that may be at WWE, that may be out here on the indies, that may be with GCW, and I don’t think that dream is out the window.”

“To everyone who’s saying ‘oh, it’s Effy’s fault he can’t be here,’ this is how things are done in wrestling and it’s something that he’s going to have to go work out on his own, AEW’s going to have to work out with him. They are correct, he is under contract with them but I haven’t seen him on TV in a ten month period.”

Effy also discussed Starks’ interview with Chris Van Vliet, which was published just days after GCW Dream On. During the interview, Starks referred to his not being used by AEW as “a mind–k.” Shortly after, Fightful reported that AEW extended Starks’ contract in the spring, and his deal now stretched into spring 2025. Effy believes AEW wasn’t happy about the leaked contract details and is using him as a scapegoat. 

Effy continued:

“I think he was very honest and direct about his situation and who approved him being at GCW, but, somebody was not excited about his contract being leaked, that they’d added on the additional option, which they legally have a right to do. It’s all the timing of that happening at the exact same time and then using me as a blame. You know, go ahead, buddy. You can blame me. I can handle the blame, I can take the heat.”

“Someone pointed out a way out and they took the way out and that’s fine. I’m not someone who’s going to go back on what I say. I said what I said and I don’t think I said anything crazy. I just think there’s certain triggers that people have that you have to be mindful of, especially if you’re in business with them.”

“I think even the news articles that were confirming with them were a little confused and going, ‘Is this the reason you want us to print? This is the reason you want us to put with this, specifically.’

“I clearly am a person who’s GCW for life. I’m independent for life. I made this very clear. So, someone like me, who’s not looking at any future job opportunities currently, who’s not looking to work for the major companies, who’s not looking to sign any contracts, I understand the downsides of being that kind of independent, but I also see me as an easy person to go, ‘Okay, we can throw the blame on him.’” 

The full episode of Game Changer Weekly is available below:

Wrestling Observer Radio: Free episode on the state of AEW, WWE Survivor Series preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with a free Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

This episode is up for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and the full video is on our free YouTube channel, which is embedded below. Take advantage of our Black Friday deal for the website subscription as well as the Apple Podcasts Black Friday deal which both expire in just a few hours.

Here were some of the things we covered:

  • The passing of Mighty Inoue
  • Dave’s WON story on the state of AEW
  • Week one of the Continental Classic
  • AEW’s financial outlook
  • Ricky Starks
  • WWE Survivor Series
  • Jade Cargill
  • Kenny Omega
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event and WWE’s first Netflix show

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Ricky Starks to face Mike Santana in House of Glory debut

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Ricky Starks’ House of Glory debut is set.

On Friday, the company announced that Starks would be wrestling Mike Santana on January 17 in Chicago. Santana will be defending the HOG World Heavyweight title.

The news comes as Starks has continued to keep his name out in the open despite AEW not using him. Last weekend, he made his debut in GCW and was set to compete at several of their shows, including their return to the Hammerstein Ballroom in January. However, GCW informed fans just days later that he had been pulled from all shows going forward. According to reports, AEW pulled Starks due to comments GCW star Effy made against Tony & Shad Khan.

Starks has been kept off of AEW television since the end of March. In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, he explained that he has been home, has been healthy, and has never been injured. The only matches Starks has wrestled since March is a BTW event in May and at Glory Pro WrestlePocalypse on November 24, where he and Kody Lane went to a no contest.

Effy replacing Ricky Starks at GCW Highest in the Room

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Game Changer Wrestling has named a replacement for the match Ricky Starks was supposed to have at Highest in the Room 3.

Before being pulled from all of his scheduled GCW appearances, Starks was set to face Matt Cardona at the Saturday, December 14 event in Los Angeles. GCW announced today that the match will now be Cardona vs. Effy.

Starks made a surprise appearance for GCW last weekend and was going to work a series of dates for the promotion. However, he has since been pulled from all of those shows. Fightful reported that AEW’s decision to pull Starks was, in part, due to comments Effy made about Tony Khan and Shad Khan on his podcast.

“While nobody officially said anything, the strong belief, actually confirmed to us, is that it was the comments from Effy of GCW on Tony Khan, particularly a line he said about Khan’s father paying [Tony] to stay away, led to Khan feeling he didn’t want to do business with GCW,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Effy was critical of AEW after the promotion announced three dates for the Hammerstein Ballroom near the end of December — running the venue just a few weeks before GCW’s upcoming event at the Hammerstein. That January 19 show is one of the other GCW dates Starks was scheduled for.

GCW owner Brett Lauderdale told the Business of the Business podcast that he feels AEW “maybe” violated some written etiquette by booking their Hammerstein dates so close to GCW’s show.

Despite being healthy and under contract, Starks has been missing from AEW programming since March. He told Insight with Chris Van Vliet that the experience of being kept off TV has been a “mindf*ck.” Starks said he has theories about why he isn’t being used but does not want to voice them because he does not know for sure. While not confirmed, most fan speculation about Starks’ absence has been centered on a belief that he will eventually end up in WWE when his AEW contract expires.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles is hosting GCW Highest in the Room with the event set to stream live on TrillerTV+. A Bloodsport match between Josh Barnett and Royce Isaacs is among the other bouts that will be taking place on the show.

December 2, 2024 Observer Newsletter: Full Gear & the state of AEW, Ricky Starks situation, WWE Survivor Series preview

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: AEW

Subscribers can now read this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The lead story is about AEW and a recap of last weekend’s Full Gear pay-per-view, one that Dave Meltzer said provided an “an interesting look at the current state” of the company.

He also looks on the fallout from the Conor McGregor civil case decision and leftover thoughts from the mega-event that was Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.

He also looks ahead to this weekend’s WWE Survivor Series along with all the other news and thoughts on wrestling from the past two weeks.

Click here to read.

WOR: Continental Classic, Dynamite, NXT, John Cena

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including AEW moving their Brisbane show, Ricky Starks, John Cena’s 2025, Conor McGregor, the Continental Classic, Dynamite and AEW TV reports and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Giant David passes away

3:42: AEW moves Grand Slam Australia 

12:23: Ricky Starks pulled from GCW

17:21: John Cena advertised for Elimination Chamber, Wrestle Dynasty lineup, Scott D’Amore to open shopping center

24:35: Ratings, Conor McGregor lawsuit fallout

29:50: AEW Dynamite recap

57:03: WWE NXT recap

1:08:34: AEW Collision spoilers

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The Latest: AEW pulls Ricky Starks from upcoming GCW appearances

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

TOPICS:

— Ricky Starks pulled from upcoming GCW appearances

–GCW’s Brett Lauderdale on AEW pulling Ricky Starks: ‘It certainly doesn’t feel great’

–Roman Reigns says he visualizes what the Bloodline storyline could be in three years

WOL: AEW and GCW, Starks, NXT and AVA’s CHARACTER

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the whole situation with AEW and GCW, Ricky Starks, Dynamite and the Continental Classic, NXT notes including why the Ava character is the most incompetent GM in wrestling history, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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GCW’s Brett Lauderdale on AEW pulling Ricky Starks: ‘It certainly doesn’t feel great’

Posted on by Ian Carey

GCW’s Brett Lauderdale has commented on Ricky Starks being pulled from his promotion’s upcoming shows.

Starks appeared at GCW Dream On this weekend and cut a promo that referred to his not being used by AEW over the last eight months. It seemed that Starks and Matt Cardona were beginning a program, but then GCW was informed yesterday that AEW was pulling Starks from all upcoming appearances for the company.

Lauderdale addressed the situation on an episode of the Game Changer Weekly podcast early Tuesday morning. He said:

“Ricky Starks has worked for GCW before. So, he’s no stranger. We know him and we had a little bit of a relationship. And he’s also pretty tight friends with a few of the people in our locker room.”

“He, like many others, reached out to us and asked if we’d be interested and, of course, we’d love to have a guy like Ricky Starks, who we know how talented he is, we know how popular he is.”

“His promo and his appearance could have easily led to good business in many different directions. So, I think it was a big opportunity and a big opportunity seized and up until a couple of hours ago, it looked like we were on the right track. All of us.”

“Theoretically an independent contractor is independent, and they can go and work wherever they want. But in wrestling, these independent contractors don’t seem to be very independent. They’re at the whim of an employer, which sure makes it seem like they are an employee. I don’t know. It’s above our pay grade. I’m just an indie wrestling company and I don’t have people under contract.”

“I don’t really have a line of communication with AEW. I’ve never talked to Tony Khan on the phone or via text in my entire life. They don’t talk to me. I’m not trying to say that necessarily in a negative context but, I guess, we’ve never really had to talk.”

“I haven’t been on the phone with AEW where they’ve given me an explanation or asked me any questions or anything. I have no communication with AEW over this. I don’t know where it goes beyond Ricky Starks. But, of course, Sunday was Bloodsport in Jersey city and Jon Moxley was there, and Marina was there, and some others, many others, actually, were there, both on and off camera. So, I’m not sure what the deal is. Of course, I’ve heard things. I’ve heard things in many different directions but, again, without me hearing it directly from AEW, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.”

“I’ve always considered GCW and AEW to be on the same team. So, I don’t know if this is meant to punish Ricky Starks, is it meant to punish GCW, is it somewhere in-between? I just don’t know because again, I just don’t have that line of communication. It certainly doesn’t feel great. I would love to know if there is something that we should have done or something we should be doing or whatever. But we got to the point where this stuff was agreed upon and announced and fans were looking forward to this. So whenever that happens, to promote something and then have to pull it back, it’s not ideal.”

Shortly after Starks was pulled from GCW shows, Fightful reported that comments made by GCW’s Effy on his podcast regarding Tony Khan’s father, Shad Khan, played a role in the decision. Effy said on his show, “Brett (Lauderdale) does not own a football team. Brett doesn’t have a dad who pays him to stay away. I don’t want this to be a personal thing. I don’t, but hey guys, you aren’t the only game in town.” 

Lauderdale responded:

“I don’t get to regularly tune into Effy’s podcast, so I wasn’t really aware of anything that would be considered too controversial that he would have said. I’ve only heard snippets now since I’ve read that. And you know, what Effy says is Effy’s opinion and Effy’s an independent wrestler, he’s an independent contractor, he says this stuff on his own personal podcast which is not endorsed or promoted or amplified or platformed by GCW. He’s his own guy.”

“I don’t review what he does. I have no control over Effy. He is absolutely independent, 100 percent.”

Lauderdale’s entire appearance on the show is available below:

We’re Live, Pal: WWE Survivor Series preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

It’s another episode of We’re Live, Pal as Andrew Zarian and I talk about what’s going on in wrestling today. This episode is also available for free on YouTube (below), Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

We kicked off the show talking about the Thanksgiving holiday before hitting on some key topics such as:

  • Ricky Starks’ comments about not wrestling in AEW
  • CM Punk joining Roman Reigns’ Survivor Series WarGames team
  • A look through a marketing lens at how AEW used the Costco Guys
  • The ending to AEW Full Gear
  • AEW’s need for a babyface hero

You can also follow the show account on X.

For website subscribers, you can click here to listen (sub needed).

Ricky Starks pulled from upcoming GCW appearances

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Just as soon as it started, Ricky Starks’ GCW run is over.

The company announced on Tuesday that Starks has been pulled from all of his upcoming GCW appearances. This includes unannounced matches in December as well as an unannounced match at their Hammerstein Ballroom event on January 19.

Shortly before GCW’s announcement, Fightful Select reported that it was AEW’s move to pull Starks’ appearances, with the decision being made on November 26. According to the report, AEW was unhappy regarding GCW star Effy’s recent comments regarding Shad Khan & Tony Khan and AEW running the Hammerstein Ballroom one month prior to GCW’s event.

Starks made his first appearance for GCW over the weekend confronting Jimmy Lloyd. He cut a promo saying he was tired of sitting at home and called himself a generational superstar, eventually laying out Lloyd.

In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Starks talked about his current status with AEW, where he hasn’t been used since the end of March. 

“I could have a thousand theories about what’s really going on. The fact of the matter is that — if I don’t have a definitive answer, I can’t just make up an answer for people and just assume,” Starks said. “You know what I’m saying? 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. So I think it’s just a matter of — it sucks.”

Ricky Starks on Adam Copeland’s ‘Rock ripoff’ comment: It wasn’t me who came off looking bad

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ricky Starks doesn’t believe he came off looking bad during a promo segment with Adam Copeland last year.

On the October 13, 2023, edition of AEW Dynamite, the two exchanged words during an in-ring promo segment. Starks called Copeland “bug-eyed,” and Copeland responded by calling Starks a “vanilla midget” and a ripoff of The Rock. 

During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Starks addressed the segment and people comparing him to The Rock.

Starks said:

“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 then addressed Copeland, calling him a ripoff of The Rock last year. 

“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?” he continued.

“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 then said that he didn’t go off script during the promo because there was never a script to begin with. 

“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’ full interview with Chris Van Vliet is available below.

Ricky Starks on AEW absence: ‘It’s a mindf*ck’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Eight months removed from his last AEW match, Ricky Starks still does not have a definitive answer as to why he’s being kept off television.

Starks, who was once one of AEW’s top rising stars, has not competed for the promotion since the end of March. In an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet that was uploaded this week, Starks reiterated that he remains under contract with AEW and is not injured. The experience has been a “mindf*ck” for Starks, who is in the prime of his career but has had to stay at home.

“I’ve been home, I’ve been healthy. Never was injured. I did have a stinger. I got a stinger in that match against Top Flight in March. I got immediately checked out and everything was fine, but I was just concerned at the time,” he said. “So that happened and then I was just home. And that’s kind of where it’s been at. I’ve just been home. It’s kind of — it’s a mindf*ck because I’m in my prime and it sucks when you’re on such a momentum, riding the wave and doing work and doing stuff, and then to just be at home for so long, you’re kind of like, ‘Whoa.’ It throws it off, you know?

“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 just chilling at home and doing not the thing that I’ve been busting my ass to do for the past 13 years.”

The 34-year-old Starks said he has theories about why AEW is not using him, but he’s not going to voice those because he does not know for sure.

“I could have a thousand theories about what’s really going on. The fact of the matter is that — if I don’t have a definitive answer, I can’t just make up an answer for people and just assume,” Starks said. “You know what I’m saying? 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. So I think it’s just a matter of — it sucks. It’s been a very cold day here in Austin. It’s been a very cold day. May have been cold for the past nine months, not sure. But, thankfully, I have a sweater, and I’m always ready to keep the warmth going.”

We have seen Starks make a few indie appearances during his AEW absence, including showing up at an event for Game Changer Wrestling this past Saturday. He was then backstage at AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view on Saturday night. Starks vs. Matt Cardona is set for a GCW show on December 14. Starks has a booking for House of Glory on January 17 as well.

Starks told Van Vliet that he’s been working out and staying in shape. The support he’s received from fans has been “incredible” — and Starks loves that people still care about him.

Van Vliet asked Starks if he feels like he’s being punished by AEW.

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

The reason for Starks’ AEW absence remains unconfirmed, but most fan speculation has been centered on a belief that he will eventually end up in WWE. Starks is good friends with WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill, who both left AEW to join their current promotion.

Starks was at WWE Royal Rumble 2023 and WrestleMania 40 supporting his friends. He told Van Vliet that he does not see a problem with him going to those shows. Starks said he is a fan of wrestling and wanted to be there for people he cares about.

AEW signed Starks in 2020 following his debut for the promotion. He’s a former AEW Tag Team Champion and FTW Champion.


AEW Full Gear media scrum notes: Tony Khan on WWE ID, Kenny Omega, Ricky Starks

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AEW stars spoke to the media following AEW Full Gear.

Tony Khan, Big Boom AJ, Mercedes Mone, Private Party, Daniel Garcia, Don Callis, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, and The Hurt Syndicate took questions following Saturday’s pay-per-view events. Here are the highlights.

TBS Champion Mercedes Mone

  • Staying mostly in character, Mone said that Statlander had given her the hardest match she had, but she’s better.
  • When someone asked about Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, she said you could expect her there.

Big Boom AJ

  • AJ was positive about his pre-show match, saying that the goal was about making people happy and being a hero.
  • Tony Khan put over The Costco Guys, saying he’s never seen anything like what he saw doing media with AJ. Every person at Fox News wanted a picture with Big Justice and AJ. He said it was really nice to see a father and a son working together and having such big success, calling them “marketing geniuses.”
  • AJ said he loves it in AEW and if he’s welcomed back, he would bring the boom.
  • Someone asked AJ about a possible match against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. He said he doesn’t think a championship run is likely.

AEW Tag Team Champions Private Party

  • They were asked about performing in front of their hometown family. Quen said it was more pressure as his family is usually hard on him. Kassidy said he doesn’t notice, as he lives in the moment.
  • They were also asked who they would like to play them to the ring. Quen said Drake, while Kassidy said Jay Z.

TNT Champion Daniel Garcia

  • Garcia said winning the TNT Championship felt like a bucket list item for him, comparing it to chasing a ghost. 
  • He officially announced that he would be competing in the Continental Classic tournament, which starts on Dynamite this Wednesday.
  • Garcia was asked why the crowds have stayed with him despite losses. Garcia said that people can relate to coming up short. 
  • He confirmed that his mother did the voiceover for his promo prior to Saturday’s TNT title match. He said he became a fan through his mother, so it is cool for her and his family to see this moment.

Kyle Fletcher, AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita, and Don Callis

  • Callis was asked if Fletcher and Takeshita would be going after the tag team titles next. Callis chose to put over both Fletcher and Takeshita, as well as Lance Archer and Brian Cage.
  • Fletcher said that something very profound needed to happen in order for him and Ospreay to reconcile, basically saying Ospreay needed to flatter him with praise.

The Hurt Syndicate

  • MVP ended up answering questions with short, one sentence answers.
  • They were asked what it was like to be in a place having so many Black champions. Lashley said he wanted to eliminate the world Black, saying they have normalized the idea of minorities being champions, so they can just be champions now.

Tony Khan

  • Regarding pay-per-view buys, Khan said he didn’t have numbers yet but he strongly suspected it did better than WrestleDream.
  • Khan said WWE ID would have an effect on the independent scene, but he has been providing independent talent with opportunities for a while, pointing out that the best place for independent talent to go during the pandemic was in AEW, specifically highlighting Daniel Garcia as someone who benefited during that time.
  • Khan only had positive things to say about Big Boom AJ and Big Justice, saying today was the first time he met The Rizzler. He hoped they were a gateway for the casual fan the same way GI Joe and Sgt. Slaughter were a gateway for him to get into pro wrestling.
  • Regarding the recent New York Post article with Jon Moxley, Khan said that Moxley wanting to help younger talent was the greatest thing in the world and that every time Moxley has been champion, it’s been good for the company. He called Moxley one of the most important people in the company.
  • Someone asked about the status of Ricky Starks and Kenny Omega. Tony said to keep an eye in the future and put over Wrestle Dynasty, pointing out Omega would be working on that show. He called them both great champions.
  • Regarding November Rain being used, Tony Khan said it would be the first time Guns ‘n’ Roses has been properly compensated for using it. He said the music video they did would always be in the AEW library in perpetuity. He’ll use it again this week to promote the fallout from Full Gear and the start of the Continental Classic. 
  • He was asked about an update on Adam Copeland. Khan said he couldn’t wait to have him back in the near future.

Ricky Starks appears at GCW Dream On

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ricky Starks made a surprise appearance at today’s Game Changer Wrestling event.

GCW Dream On was held at The American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and featured appearances by Mick Foley and Kurt Angle.

Starks made a surprise appearance on the show, interrupting a promo by Jimmy Lloyd. Lloyd asked Starks if he was supposed to be “in catering” up the street at the Prudential Center, the venue for tonight’s AEW Full Gear. Starks gave Lloyd a DDT and then addressed the crowd.

Starks said:

“I think everyone wants a statement from Ricky Starks, huh? Well, the statement is I’m standing right here in the middle of a GCW ring.”

“Passion runs through my blood, and I will be damned if I sit at home and I get frozen out. I’ll be damned if I sit at home and let my career dwindle. I am 34 years old. I’m healthy. I am goddamn good looking, and most importantly, I am a generational superstar.”

“I’m going to come back to where I came from in the very beginning. And why not start in one of the hottest promotions right now, GCW?”

Lloyd then attempted to attack Starks from behind, but Starks ducked and gave him a spear as his music played throughout the venue.

Starks hasn’t wrestled for AEW since March, and his future with the company remains unclear. Starks is also scheduled to wrestle for House of Glory on Friday, January 17.