Ricky Starks hasn’t been seen on AEW television since the March 30 episode of AEW Collision and while his AEW future is in question, Starks has been thriving in the independent scene. In fact, The Absolute has now won the DEFY World Championship during their latest event, showing the world what he is made of.
During DEFY Hundredth on February 7th, Ricky Starks challenged KENTA for the DEFY World Championship in a hard-fought battle. Both competitors gave it their all in a match that was evenly contested from start to finish.
In the final moments of the match, Starks hit his finisher on KENTA and got the three-count, capturing the DEFY World Championship. His epic win was a major moment that excited fans and marked a new chapter in his career, making it clear he will succeed without AEW.
This huge win comes after Ibou of WrestlePurists reported that Ricky Starks requested his release from AEW months ago, but Tony Khan denied it. As a result, Starks is now waiting out the remainder of his contract while taking select indie bookings to stay active.
“At the end of the day, things happened to where he’s on the outs with AEW right now,” Ibou explained. “There’s a lot of things, most of it will never be reported. But ultimately there’s a falling out there, and it is what it is. He’s asked for a release, Tony won’t give it to him, and he’s just going to wait out the rest of his deal.”
With Ricky Starks’ AEW contract set to expire in the spring, reports state that WWE is highly interested in bringing him to NXT, which could be a major turning point in his career.
Fans have largely accepted that Starks’ time in AEW is coming to an end, and now they wonder what’s next for him. Once he officially leaves AEW, his future will be wide open and the world will be his oyster, so it remains to be seen what Starks will decide for his career.
Are you happy about Ricky Starks’ huge title win? What do you think about Ricky Starks’ decision to compete on the indies while waiting out his AEW contract? Let us know in the comments below!
