Jim Ross comments on Ricky Starks leaving AEW for the WWE NXT brand

As seen during the February 11th 2025 edition of NXT, former AEW Ricky Starks made his debut with WWE. During his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross commented on Starks leaving AEW for WWE…

“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. 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.

So, I saw the episode of NXT last night and was surprised to see Ricky Starks. I don’t know how he’s going to do. He’s got a high opinion of himself, and he’s got a lot of abilities. There’s no doubt about that. So we’ll see how it works out for him. It’s never easy to get over, and hopefully, he can get over and stay over as a top star. It remains to be seen. Let’s see how it goes.” (quote courtesy of Robert DeFelice)