On the April 13 episode of AEW Dynamite, Ricky Starks came home.
AEW was at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on that night and Starks entered to a big reaction from his hometown crowd. A clearly emotional Starks went through his entrance routine, soaking in the moment.
Speaking on the FITAID podcast, Starks reflected on his return to New Orleans.
"It was insane. My family was there. It was in my hometown. I was getting the admiration of people. You can see me almost cry when I do my entrance. I was so moved. It's important to be vulnerable in those situations because people can relate to it and understand there is a little more to me. I don't let everyone see me. If you get to see me beyond the front part of this beautiful museum, you're pretty blessed. That was great. I was literally eight minutes from my house, from where I grew up watching wrestling. It was so cool to have that moment and then the stuff that happened after. My only regret about that night is that I didn't send them home with a promo where I talked. It's not that I regret it, I think I didn't want to hold up everybody. I stayed after and made sure I gave everyone a picture and an autograph. That will live in my memory bank for as long as I hope," he said.
Starks continued by saying, "The day after, I went to my hotel and sat in the shower for a good 20 minutes. I sat there and my mom, sister, and brother all came. People I came up with were there. I don't think people understand the feeling, to lose a hometown. Your hometown is gone after the storm [Hurricane Katrina]. To come back and have something that people are proud of. In New Orleans, they are very prideful people. To be the representation...I'm proud to be from New Orleans, to be from Louisiana. I may have an accent sometimes or say things a little funny or act a certain way. That's me and me being part of New Orleans. It was a beautiful time. I visit a lot. I visit a lot when I feel there is bad stuff happening to me. I visit that because it's my guard. I sat in that shower for 20 minutes, let the water drip on me and burn my skin. I was tearful because, who would have thought? Who would have guessed it? The next step is to wrestle at the Superdome. That's the next goal. I was able to see WrestleMania at the Superdome when Taker [Undertaker] was wrestling (John) Cena and I said, 'I'll be here wrestling one day.'"
Starks teamed with Powerhouse Hobbs to pick up a victory over Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee on that episode of AEW Dynamite.
The Undertaker defeated Cena at WrestleMania 34. Starks helped train with Undertaker as he prepared for the match.
Starks is the reigning FTW Champion and will defend his title against Danhausen on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite.
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