Ricky Starks answers TNT Championship open challenge on Dynamite, signs with AEW

Following his departure from the National Wrestling Alliance, Ricky Starks appeared on AEW Dynamite and answered Cody's TNT Championship open challenge.

June 17, 2020 Andrew Thompson NEWS

**UPDATE** 
After Dynamite went off the air, Tony Khan announced that Ricky Starks has signed with All Elite Wrestling.

Ricky Starks confirmed in May that he was departing from the National Wrestling Alliance and one month later, Starks has appeared on AEW Dynamite and he answered Cody’s TNT Championship open challenge. There was a video package that aired to promote Starks’ forthcoming Dynamite debut and after ten+ minutes of action, Ricky was not able to get the win and fell in defeat to Cody.

Cody will now continue his weekly open challenges on the road to Fyter Fest where he’ll defend the TNT Title against Jake Hager.

In May, WrestleZone conducted an interview with the former NWA World Television Champion Ricky Starks and Starks explained his decision not to stay with the NWA:

“Honestly man, these past few days and seeing what’s been posted, videos and all that, I think I made the best decision I could’ve made. I know that some people [are] like, ‘This dude was offered guaranteed money, per month.’ NWA offered to do a 50/50 cut with me on merchandise. I said no, I passed that up, and I know that some people [think] that’s stupid especially during a pandemic. But here’s the thing, if you get comfortable, you don’t move forward sometimes, and I think — I wouldn’t say I got comfortable because I was still trying to get more out of it but, it was too familiar for me so I wanted to get out of it. I understand that aspect of this. I understand this dude. I wasn’t fired, I wasn’t furloughed, I wasn’t any of that. I consciously made the effort not to. NWA wanted to. We just mutually couldn’t agree on stuff. So, I get the aspect of it but if I’m not taking a risk then what am I really doing. It’s exciting, yes and it’s scary, yes, but I have been by myself and had to work so hard just by myself in anything I’ve done, that all I have is myself and my support of myself and I have to constantly push myself and that’s how I’ve gotten to the place that I’m at, and if I don’t believe in myself enough to make a decision like that, then I’m really wasting my time, I’m wasting your time, I’m wasting everybody’s time. So, I made the decision, I slept on it, made the decision. I understand what’s at risk here and sure, I may have to struggle a bit but the reward and the payoff is worth that to me.”

Following tonight’s edition of Dynamite, there will be a new episode up of Rewind-A-Dynamite which can be found at this link.

About Andrew Thompson 8251 Articles
A Washington D.C. native and graduate of Norfolk State University, Andrew Thompson has been covering wrestling since 2017.
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