Ricky Starks discusses working with Chris Jericho.
Starks started feuding with Jericho following his loss to MJF on AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming in 2022. After Starks rejected Jericho's attempt to recruit him to the Jericho Appreciation Society, the two stars faced off on the January 4 episode of AEW Dynamite, and Starks emerged victorious. Their feud continued, and Starks beat the former AEW World Champion again at AEW Revolution.
At the AEW Revolution post-show media scrum, Starks was asked to describe what he learned from Jericho, a renowned veteran who has been in the business for over 30 years. He responded by stating that he learned how to do the ring things at the right moment. Starks noted that he has wanted to work with experienced stars like Jericho because he believes that iron sharpens iron. Starks detailed how his feud with Jericho gave him some extra flair and made him a better performer. He also highlighted Jericho's experience and his knowledge of the business.
“There are a few things that I’ve learned about Chris. He’s a very masterful type of conductor in a way. I guess for me, learning from Chris was all of the right things to do at the right moment. I’m a big believer, and I’ve talked about this heavy in interviews about the people that I want to wrestle here. I’ve mentioned Kenny, I’ve mentioned Punk, I mentioned all of these people with the experience because iron sharpens iron. To wrestle Chris Jericho, that is iron sharpening iron. I think, coming out of this, I am a better performer, I’m a better entertainer, after all of this. Not to say that I wasn’t before, but to add just a little bit of some extra flair to a well-seasoned meat that is me, I think that worked out as perfectly as it could. Chris is a legend in this business. I don’t think y’all realize how old Chris is. I’m not saying that in a negative way, but I’m saying it to say he’s been doing this for a very long time. To have him on the roster is a very vital thing for people such as myself, who are hungry, who don’t want to sit in catering and have to just wait for the next thing. That is what I have always wanted since I’ve been here. I had it with Sting, didn’t get it for a bit, now I got Chris. There’s more to it from that. So Chris is a very, very special type of talent. I will give him that," Starks said.
Starks continued by noting that he saw an interview in which Jericho stated that he saw a glimpse of The Rock in the former FTW Champion. He made it clear that he thought the comment was a nice thing to say. Starks then emphasized that he learned from Jericho, and he also called the interview segment they had on the February 22 episode of AEW Dynamite a challenging test.
"I did read an interview where he said he saw a glimpse of everyone favorite comparison to that y’all have for me, The Rock, and I thought that was a very nice thing to say because he has been around and been with the greats. Whether he meant it or not, I don’t care. It’s already out there in publication, so people just believe it. But I’ve learned quite a bit. If anything, I thought the interview that we had in Phoenix was more of a test than anything I’ve had here in a very long time. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I delivered," Starks said.
During the scrum, Starks also expressed his excitement being able to participate in his first post-show scrum.
Catch up on our coverage of AEW Revolution here. For a full review, check out our post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.
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