Top AEW star claims he was uninspired by The Rock's wrestling career
The Rock has undoubtedly inspired many wrestlers throughout his career, and many of them find themselves in AEW today. However, Ricky Starks claims the legend wasn't the one to inspire his career despite the many comparisons.
Ricky Starks has often been compared to The Brahma Bull mainly due to his uncanny resemblance both physically and in persona to the legend. But the Absolute star has never agreed to the juxtaposition and recently permanently put the comments to rest.
During his interview with ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley, Ricky Starks claimed that the legend was only his number three favorite wrestler growing up.
“I tell this all the time, The Rock wasn’t my favorite wrestler. He was like my number three favorite wrestler,” Starks said “That’s not to discredit The Rock from any type of talent he has, but I say that to say he wasn’t a big inspiration.”
Ricky Starks pulling off The Rock vibes tonight.
#AEW #AEWDynamite https://t.co/xJN9qajTIU
Starks then continued, clarifying that he doesn't hate the comparisons to Dwayne Johnson but rather the fans trying to discredit him.
“I don’t hate the comparisons,” Starks continued. “What I do hate though, is being discredited for my natural creativity in lieu of someone saying, ‘Well, you’re just literally copying The Rock,’ which isn’t true at all. If some by chance, somebody thinks that I’m Rock-lite, then that’s cool.” (H/T: SEScoops)
Ricky Starks recently rued about not being able to wrestle CM Punk during his tenure with AEW and might have accidentally confirmed the Second City Saint's departure from the promotion.
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite or Rampage? You can check the results here.
Ricky Starks also recently addressed the comparisons to The Rock on social media
Ricky Starks' similarities to The Rock have not gone unnoticed by his peers, as MJF recently called him a "Dollar-store Dwayne," igniting the comparisons yet again.
In a recent Twitter post, Ricky Starks commented on the official AEW page, sharing MJF's recent jab and comparison between the Absolute star and The Great One.
"Don’t get it twisted, I appreciate the @TheRock comparison but I’m doing good carving out Starks legacy," wrote Starks.
Check out Starks' tweet below:
While Ricky Starks isn't a fan of people comparing him to the legend, he's clearly poised to be as big a star in AEW if the booking in his feud with MJF goes well. Fans will simply have to wait and see if Starks ends up having a career comparable to Dwayne Johnson.