Reports had been making the rounds that several AEW stars had been released, and there were some well-known names on that list. It wasn’t known if any of them would show up in WWE at some point down the line, but now we have our answer to that question, as one fan-favorite AEW star has now made their shocking WWE debut during tonight’s episode of NXT, and it’s none other than Ricky Starks. You can watch Starks’ unexpected debut in the video below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The main event of tonight’s NXT is the steel cage match for the NXT North American Championship between Champion Tony D’Angelo and Ridge Holland, but NXT got the party started early when someone appeared in the crowd. That person was Ricky Starks, and the crowd started chanting Ricky as soon as they spotted him.
Starks delivered a promo and announced that not only was NXT the hottest brand, but that they needed the hottest free agent as well, and he is now calling WWE NXT his home from here on out.
“This is the hottest brand, and you need the hottest free agent baby,” Starks said. “Do not let the handsome face and expensive fragrance fool you, I am here to turn this place upside down. And everybody’s been begging the question of When will the revolution be televised again, well, I’m here ain’t I?”
[RELATED: Watch: WWE’s Roxanne Perez Becomes Hugger Bayley and Causes Huge Change to Vengeance Day]
The crowd responded with chants of Ricky as things transitioned to the main event, and one notable element was that commentary never actually said his name. They referred to him as someone the crowd obviously knows, and WWE didn’t bleep out the Ricky chants, so it’s not known if he will go by Ricky Starks in WWE or if he will get a change to his name from here on out.
We’ve seen both happen from AEW to WWE crossovers, though most times AEW stars tend to keep their previous names. Jade Cargill, Ethan Page, and Shawn Spears all retained their names when they jumped over to WWE, and obviously, Cody Rhodes also did, but he was in WWE first. Lexis King however did receive a name change, though he has referred to his father more recently in promos and segments, so perhaps that is changing at some point down the line.
What did you think of Ricky Starks’ WWE debut? Let us know in the comments and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
