Yet another former title holder in AEW is seemingly no longer with the company.
Earlier today, eagle-eyed fans pointed out that Malakai Black, Miro, & Ricky Starks were no longer listed on AEW’s roster page, prompting many fans to speculate about their contract status, particularly as all three had been absent from AEW TV for a lengthy spell.
With reports confirming that both Malakai Black & Miro are no longer with AEW, we can now add Ricky Starks to that list as PWInsider are reporting that the former FTW Champion has also departed the promotion and is now a free agent.
“Ricky Starks is no longer with AEW, PWInsider.com can confirm. We are told he is 100% “free and clear” to go anywhere else he wishes to perform.”
-PWInsider
The news of Starks’ AEW departure was also confirmed by Fightful Select‘s Sean Ross Sapp, who noted that his deal would have been up within a few months after the company opted to extend his deal that was initially set to expire in Spring of 2024, despite Starks requesting the company not to do so.
As well as his reign as FTW Champion, Starks also held the AEW World Tag Team Championship alongside Big Bill, a pairing that came to an abrupt end as Starks wasn’t seen on AEW television beyond March last year, despite Fightful Select noting that he was open to working.
Whilst Starks was notably blocked from working GCW shows prior to his release, he has still made a number of appearances across the independent scene in recent months and was recently crowned the new DEFY World Champion after defeating KENTA.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Ricky Starks as soon as we hear more.
