WATCH: Tony Khan spotted hesitating to endorse top AEW star after recent controversy

AEW President Tony Khan recently refused to promote a top star. The name being discussed is Ricky Starks, who has been one of the most beloved stars in the Jacksonville-based promotion.

The former FTW Champion received a massive push in 2023 and was a top star on weekly show, Collision, last year. However, his singles push was discontinued as he paired up with Big Bill. The two even won the AEW World Tag Team Championships. The Absolute star has not appeared on AEW programming since the March 30, 2024, edition of Collision.

Ricky Starks has been vocal about his absence and claimed he was unaware of why he was off the program despite being healthy. Starks was planned to make several appearances at GCW. However, he was pulled from his GCW bookings due to controversial comments made by Effy about Tony Khan and his father.

Recently, TK spent time with the fans after the shows when a fan asked him to sign a 'We Want Ricky' poster. Given the recent dispute, the AEW President was seemingly unhappy to sign the banner.

Take a look at the clip below:

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GCW star Effy breaks silence after Tony Khan's actions

Effy's comments reportedly infuriated the AEW President, which led him to pull Ricky Starks from GCW.

While speaking on Game Changer Weekly, Effy claimed he was bewildered that Tony would take such a massive action following his remarks.

"When I’m a reason for you to pull Ricky Starks from shows, therefore EFFY’s words are very important. They’re so cunning, they’re so jarring, and I just don’t understand, with some of the things Tony Khan has personally said about other people, that he would have the thin skin that is required for this to be what sets him off," he said.

It remains to be seen if Starks will appear on AEW programming before his contract expires.

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