Ricky Starks seemingly turned heel on this week’s AEW Collision, cheating to beat CM Punk in the Owen Hart Cup Finals by grabbing the rope as he rolled Punk up for the pin. The trophy celebration for both Owen Hart Cup brackets took place after Collision on the Battle of the Belts VII special, in which Starks grabbed the title out of Jushin “Thunder” Liger’s hands and walked away in celebration without acknowledging the Japanese wrestling legend. This managed to catch the attention of New Japan Pro-Wrestling president Takami Ohbari.ย
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“Where is your respect?” Ohbari wrote. Starks’ victory makes him the first person to beat Punk in singles action since the former world champion returned to AEW TV last month.
AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts VII Results
- AEW World Tag Team Championships:ย FTR def. Bullet Club Gold (Two Out Of Three Falls Match)
- Owen Hart Cup Finals: Willow Nightingale def. Ruby Soho
- Kings of the Black Throne def. Local Talent
- Owen Hart Cup Finals: Ricky Starks def. CM Punk
- AEW International Championship:ย Orange Cassidy def. Lance Archer
- AEW Women’s World Championship:ย Toni Storm def. Taya Valkyrie
- AEW TNT Championship:ย Luchasaurus def. Shawn Spears
AEW Blood & Guts 2023 Card (July 19, 2023)
- Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta), Konosuke Takeshita & Pac vs. The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, The Young Bucks, Kota Ibushi) (Blood & Guts Match)
- Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Finals: MJF & Adam Cole vs. Daniel Garcia & Sammy Guevara
- FTW Championship:ย Hook vs. Jack Perry
Ricky Starks on Getting Compared to The Rock
Whether he’s been a face or heel, Starks has managed to draw comparisons to The Rock ever since he first arrived in AEW. He discussed that idea in an interview with ComicBook back in December.
“I always tell this: I don’t hate the comparisons,” Starks said. “What I do hate though, is being discredited for my natural creativity in lieu of someone saying, ‘Well, you’re just literally copying The Rock,’ which isn’t true at all.”
“My inspiration and who I am and how I talk and all that, cadence-wise, comes from people in New Orleans,” Starks clarified. “I can see how there’s a similarity there, but I’m being 100 percent forthcoming and honest when I say I don’t really look to The Rock for my inspiration. I do look to The Rock in terms of what a businessman he is and what he’s contributed and how he holds himself. If some by chance, somebody thinks that I’m Rock-lite, then that’s cool.”
