"Take the money, sit back" - Current WWE personality has major advice for Ricky Starks and other AEW absent stars
Ricky Starks and several other AEW talent are currently being paid to sit at home and collect a paycheck. A current WWE personality has offered some advice for these talents.
Booker T is the latest to comment on Ricky Starks' situation. The Absolute One has found himself in a similar spot as several other AEW stars like Miro. He has not wrestled for the company since March this year despite being under contract. He tried to take matters into his own hands and appeared at a recent GCW show where he voiced his frustration over his lack of booking. He was even set to compete against Matt Cardona at Highest in the Room 3 but was pulled from the event by Tony Khan. While several of these stars are frustrated, Booker T has one piece of advice for them.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T advised all the wrestlers frustrated with their booking to just sit at home and collect their salaries since Tony Khan is paying them a lot of money.
“I’ve heard, I could be wrong because I don’t know, you’re talking about contracts and whatnot. I’ve heard that Tony Khan is paying these guys so much damn money just to sit at home and do nothing. Yeah, you know, take the money, sit back, and if Tony Khan doesn’t want you to do anything and he’s paying you an exorbitant amount of money, take it, you know what I mean? Until the contract is up, and then move on. So, that’s the way I see it." [H/T Ringside News]
Booker T also addressed the Ricky Starks situation and called it a win-win since Tony is paying these wrestlers a lot of money to sit at home and do nothing. He even called it a win-win situation for the former FTW Champion.
“I say Ricky Starks, you know, he’s in a win-win situation as far as I’m concerned, if it’s told the way it’s been told. And the way it’s been told is Tony Khan is paying these guys a whole lot of money, so I can see Tony Khan wanting these guys to do what he’s telling them to do. I mean, he’s the boss, and these guys aren’t under contract until the contract expires or until he releases them or whatever. They are under his will, that’s just the way I see it. I could, like I say, I don’t know the ramifications as far as Ricky Starks and his contract or anything like that.” [H/T Ringside News]
Booker T pushes for Ricky Starks to join WWE
When Starks was absent from AEW TV, many people believed that he was headed to WWE. The star is close friends with Cody Rhodes and was even present at WrestleMania 40 when the American Nightmare won the Undisputed WWE Championship.
However, the Absolute One was quick to debunk those rumors by saying that he was staying in AEW. But, Booker T believes a move to WWE would be perfect for Starks.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said that Starks would fit right in NXT just like Ethan Page did. He also said there is a lot of upside to the AEW star and though he hasn't seen a lot of what he can do in the ring, he believes the former Tag Team Champion will be able to show him what he is capable of.
"Do I think he can fit in NXT right now? Of course. I mean, just like Ethan Page, he can make a huge difference as far as the roster goes. He is very charismatic. He is a guy with upside. As far as Ricky Starks' work, I haven't really gotten a chance to really see him go out there and do a lot in the ring. But just like Ethan Page when he came to NXT, I didn't see a lot of him either. He showed me what he was worth very quickly, almost immediately... A guy like Starks, if he came over, he'll do the same thing," Booker T said. [From 30:30 to 31:26]
It will be interesting to see if and when Ricky Starks will make his return to AEW TV in the future.