WWE fans stunned as ‘hottest free agent’ debuts 24 hours after AEW exit

Ricky Starks has turned the wrestling satellite connected its caput with his WWE debut connected NXT.

The 34-year-old prima – on with Aleister/Malakai Black and Miro (AKA Rusev) – officially near rivals All Elite Wrestling (AEW) this week astir a twelvemonth aft his past lucifer for the company, but conscionable implicit 24 hours aboriginal helium made his adjacent large move.

During past night’s NXT show, which aired unrecorded connected Netflix successful the UK, ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks appeared successful the assemblage astatine the Performance Center to a immense absorption arsenic fans chanted his name.

‘It’s evident you cognize who I am,’ helium quipped, earlier making a connection with his precise archetypal promo connected WWE television.

‘If NXT is the aboriginal of nonrecreational wrestling, good conjecture what, you request an implicit superstar of the future. If this is the hottest brand, good you request the hottest escaped cause close present baby,’ helium said.

‘Do not fto the handsome look and costly fragrance fool you, I americium present to crook this spot upside down.’

He insisted everyone has been wondering ‘when volition the gyration beryllium televised again?’, earlier teasing: ‘Well, I’m present ain’t I?’

It didn’t instrumentality agelong for his fans and chap superstars to respond to the news, including the likes of CM Punk and SmackDown’s Jade Cargill, who helium knows from their ain spells successful AEW.

‘MY BEST FRIEND!!! So proud,’ wrote Jade, arsenic Ricky replied: ‘We did it!’

Punk shared the video of his friend’s promo alongside a smiling emoji, portion Carmelo Hayes shared 3 occurrence emojis.

‘I’m truthful pumped close present I americium truthful blessed to spot the biggest escaped cause successful the satellite of wrestling backmost connected my TV invited to NXT @starkmanjones can’t hold to spot you instrumentality it over,’ wrote instrumentality @Scottgarland81 connected X.

‘Wasn’t expecting Ricky Starks to look connected NXT that quickly. So blessed he’s yet connected tv again though,’ tweeted @GunsAndMachines, arsenic @bte_club added: ‘That was accelerated , champion mode to bash it . Will his sanction beryllium Ricky Starks inactive ?’

Indeed, Ricky’s sanction is the taxable of a batch of speculation, fixed WWE’s wont successful the past of renaming radical erstwhile they motion – though successful caller years, the likes of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin inactive enactment unneurotic nether those monikers as the Motor City Machine Guns, portion Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia kept their names too.

Ricky notably didn’t accidental his ain sanction during his promo, adjacent if helium did admit the fans’ chants.

According to Fightful, ‘not mentioning him by sanction wasn’t an accident’, but nary crushed has been fixed for the decision, portion the woody to motion him evidently came unneurotic rapidly fixed the accelerated turnaround betwixt his AEW merchandise and NXT debut.

The determination to person him connected that amusement alternatively than Raw oregon SmackDown is reportedly down to the easiness of getting him progressive successful storylines compared to the main roster, wherever astir of the WrestleMania originative is already successful place.

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