By John Christopher Aquino
The arrival of Ricky Starks in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) developmental show, NXT, created shockwaves online as it also caught the attention of the wrestling world’s icons.
Starks appeared on the February 11 edition of NXT, only 24 hours after his release from All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
The 34-year-old appeared suddenly, with no musical cue, and the crowd went ballistic.
Clips of his arrival garnered millions of views on social media, catching the attention of wrestling legends.
Praise from the dead man
Mark Calaway, more famously known as “The Undertaker”, recalled during a podcast how he previously met Starks at a gym, stating that he was “really respectful” and “a good kid”.
“Yeah, so I’m training at this gym. I notice this kid [Starks] is there every day. Doesn’t say anything. Really respectful,” Calaway said.
“As the training went along and we needed different spotters and different help, he was always right there. Finally, we struck up a conversation and he told me that he was trying to break into the business, and I sat him down, kind of talked to him.”
The WWE Hall-of-Famer further noted how the debut caught him “completely off guard”.
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High hopes from a legendary voice
Jim Ross, a former WWE commentator who is currently employed by AEW, stated that Starks has a “unique future” with the company.
“I don’t know if he’ll be the next Shawn Michaels at his size, but he has a unique future. He’s got a big personality, so hopefully, he’ll do well and live his dream,” Ross said during a podcast.
“It seems like the dream for a lot of talents is to make it to WWE and call it a day. That’s not where it ends, that’s where it begins.”
Bischoff hails Starks’ unveiling
Former wrestling promoter and WWE Hall-of-Famer, Eric Bischoff, made it clear that the way WWE handled Starks’ debut was impressive.
“I saw the clip. I was really impressed with the way they brought him in,” he said.
“The way they brought him in, down through the crowd first off the bat. Once that crowd recognised that they were part of the show, they realised that red light was pointing at them, they got into it.”
“It took them a couple of seconds. Maybe 20, 30 seconds. And then all of a sudden, everybody realised, ‘Oh, crap! This is his entrance, and I’m on TV!’”
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