Ricky Starks posts cryptic image after his namesake appears on WWE SmackDown
During the latest episode of WWE SmackDown, some believe that the creative made a cheeky Ricky Starks reference. On the show, the duo of Kevin Owens and Randy Orton locked horns with A-Town Down Under, unsurprisingly, R-KO triumphed in the match.
Before Orton was revealed as The Prizefighter's surprise tag team partner, a wrestler named "Ricky" appeared on the show. After Owens entered, this new face followed him to ring with an entrance theme. Soon, the former WWE Universal Champion announced that the enhancement talent was not his first choice, however, he had no other option because his original partner could not make it.
Fortunately, The Viper showed up just in time, resulting in Ricky receiving a stunner from KO. Later that night, during SmackDown's final hour, AEW star Ricky Starks shared a cryptic image on X (formerly Twitter).
Starks posted a parody picture of the famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting. In it, instead of a woman, there was a dog, who was dressed exactly like the character in the piece of art. This has received a plethora of reactions from fans, with some fans believing that the wrestler was indirectly reacting to seeing another "Ricky" on WWE TV.
Ricky Starks is heavily rumored to sign from WWE after his contract with AEW expires later this year.
Is Ricky Starks on his way out of AEW?
After the All In Pay-Per-View, that took place last month, AEW founder Tony Khan praised Ricky Starks. Although the 34-year-old hasn't appeared on the company's programs for months, Khan stated that he is still under contract and believes that he is a huge asset.
"I think very highly of Ricky. He's somebody that has been here for several years, and he's under contract in AEW. He's a well-regarded wrestler here in AEW," said Tony Khan. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
While Tony Khan's words make it seem like Starks might stay with AEW, the rumor mill says otherwise. It will be interesting to see if The Absolute re-signs with AEW or heads to the Stamford-based company.