His name my be different, but the man himself is not. Ricky Saints talks WWE NXT name change and AEW departure.

WWE star Ricky Saints (formerly known as Ricky Starks) recently explained why he wasn't afraid to ask for his release from AEW.

Ricky Saints (Ricky Starks in AEW) left AEW on February 10th when he was removed from the AEW roster page, becoming a free agent. One night later, Ricky appeared on NXT television. Ricky had been off AEW television since March 2024, but had been making independent appearances at the end of the year.

WWE has filed a new trademark for former AEW star Ricky Starks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). On the February 18th episode of NXT,

AEW released Ricky Starks and Miro after lengthy TV absences, setting the stage for WWE to add the two stars to their loaded roster.

Shortly after it was revealed that multiple AEW wrestlers were leaving the company, Ricky Starks made his shocking debut on WWE NXT entering through the crowd.

Cody Rhodes imposed his own roadblock to the world championship, and maybe, seeing how WWE is using Penta, AEW could have done even more with him. There wasn’t the same feeling around Saints as there was for Brian Pillman Jr. and Ethan Page.

"WWE NXT" star Ricky Saints, formerly Ricky Starks, discusses where he thinks his standing within All Elite Wrestling changed.

The former Ricky Starks first appeared on WWE NXT on February 11. Notably, WWE commentary and Ricky himself avoided saying his name. This practice continued for the next week, and throughout the February 18 episode of NXT,

WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff reacts to the surprising "WWE NXT" debut of Ricky Starks, who previously worked for AEW.

After making a surprise debut on NXT out of nowhere, these AEW stars weigh in on Ricky Starks making the jump to WWE.