Another AEW star to get the same punishment as Ricky Starks? Analyzing all we know so far
While AEW can boast of having one of the most stacked rosters in all of pro wrestling currently, it also has its share of creative difficulties and backstage issues. This often leads to prominent names not being featured on television for long stretches of time. This has notably been the case for some time now with Ricky Starks, and now, another major All Elite star - Britt Baker - might face a similar treatment.
The Absolute One has not been used on AEW programming since March last year. Starks' status in the company has been a subject of conjecture for several months now, and prevailing reports indicate that he most likely will depart the Tony Khan-led company after his contract expires this Spring.
Rumors suggest that the former World Tag Team Champion may not appear on All Elite television until his deal runs out, and speculations that he will be WWE-bound afterward may have led to Khan not featuring Starks on his brand all this time, according to fans and industry experts.
While the star has returned to competition in the independent circuit recently, the same cannot be said about Britt Baker, who wrestled her last AEW match this past November. Her future in the promotion seems somewhat ambiguous after reports emerged earlier claiming that she may be finished in All Elite Wrestling.
The rumors suggested that her time was up due to several reasons, including her unpopularity in the women's locker room, her past backstage issues, and her reputation of being difficult to work with.
The initial report has been somewhat challenged since then, with new ones asserting that while she may not be on her way out of the company, it is not known exactly when she may return to programming, or if Tony Khan will re-sign The DMD after her contract eventually expires.
As things stand, Baker may not be brought back to television for quite some time, similar to Ricky Starks - this might, in turn, drive the former women's champion to compete in indie promotions like GCW, HOG, DPW etc, to keep her skills sharp, just like Starks.
Jim Cornette's conjecture on AEW turning Britt Baker heel
Despite making her debut in AEW as a babyface, Britt Baker turned heel the following year, although that did not put a dent in her popularity among fans.
Speaking on a recent edition of his podcast, however, Jim Cornette speculated that the promotion switching up her character may have signaled her backstage problems.
"This is what they were building around remember she was the original top babyface because and I thought and they could have gone further with it in a more professional tone but she's a professional person, she's a medical professional, she's educated, she's pretty.....But then they switched her heel and she twisted in the wind for a week or two and then potentially her natural personality came through. Maybe they were ahead of us on this Brian and they knew when we thought they were crazy for switching her heel they [said], 'No, you ought to know her. If you just met her, you know why we're doing this,'" Cornette said. [7:08 - 7:55]
It remains to be seen when The Doctor will return to All Elite Wrestling.