The Revolution has arrived in NXT.
On Monday, PWInsider reported that Ricky Starks was no longer with AEW and was free to appear elsewhere immediately, and it certainly didn’t take long for him to do just that.
Starks made a surprising appearance in the crowd during last night’s episode of NXT, although interestingly, there was no mention of his name. Fightful Select have now provided an update on this, noting that the crowd chanting Starks’ name was expected by WWE, although it remains unclear why the man himself didn’t introduce himself.
“Starks debuted on the February 11 NXT, notably not actually saying his name. The crowd knew however, and chanted it repeatedly. We’re told this was the expected reaction, and that not mentioning him by name wasn’t an accident. However, we’ve not been told why specifically that is.”
-Fightful Select
The former FTW and AEW World Tag Team Champion had long been linked with move to WWE, with the report noting that AEW had considered Starks amongst the names in the plans for releases for some time.
Starks certainly didn’t waste anytime in making the move to WWE, and it appears as though the deal came together quite quickly, with Fightful adding that they’d been told as of December that no contact was made between the two parties, although those that were spoken to knew that he’d land in WWE if he became available.
Another aspect of this story that some fans found surprising was the decision to have Starks head to NXT initially as opposed to going directly to the main roster.
Regarding this decision, the report claims that WrestleMania 41 plans being in place was a key factor, with it being easier to slot Starks into the mix on NXT for the time being.
“As for why Starks showed up on NXT, Fightful inquired with NXT and main roster sources. Those we spoke to on the main roster said that they believe the majority of creative heading into
-Fightful Select
WrestleMania is planned, and NXT would be much more fluid working him into the fold.”
Word of Starks being on last night’s episode began to circulate around the WWE Performance Center about 30 minutes before the show began according to Fightful, once again highlighting how quickly things came together to make it happen.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Ricky Starks signing with WWE as soon as we hear more.
