Ricky Starks made his AEW debut on the June 17, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite when he answered Cody Rhodes' open challenge for the AEW TNT Championship. He was immediately signed by AEW after the match.
Starks and Cody will forever be linked through that moment and their bond has grown with Cody routinely going to bat for Ricky and Ricky appeared on "Rhodes to the Top."
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Ricky revealed that Cody is still the person he goes to for advice when it comes to wrestling.
"It's gonna be Cody. I have people I'm able to go to," he said.
When Bully Ray said, "It used to be Cody," as Cody is now signed to WWE, Ricky replied, "It still is Cody. There is nothing wrong with saying that. I don't really have that type of relationship back there (in AEW). There are people I can talk to, for sure, but it's not in terms of taking me under their wing. Sting is a person I talk to with stuff outside of wrestling. Sonjay (Dutt) is a producer I talk to and I like Sonjay a lot because he understands me and that's all I've asked for from people, is to understand me as a person, and he does. Jericho, I've talked to to get advice, but there isn't anyone I go to and sit there and pick their brains because I don't feel like I have that relationship just yet. It's not because of me, it's just how it is there back there and that's cool with me."
When asked to elaborate on how Sonjay understands him better than others, Ricky said, "What I say about understanding is he understands my style of my matches. I don't really think of wrestling that most guys think of it. That's not to be 'I'm such a mysterious or difficult guy,' I'm very easy to get along, but I think people look at me and put me in a box immediately. I do not fit in a box of wrestling. A lot of people look at me and go, 'this guy is a high-flier,' style-wise, that type of box. Then they try to put me in a box with my type of character. There is no character. This is who I am and how I operate and I know it works. Sonjay gets that. We are on the same page when it comes to that type of dynamite. This isn't me saying 'people don't get me back there,' it's more of an artistic and creative understanding and Sonjay is always on point and knows how to get the most. Trying to articulate my ideas is sometimes a hard part for me because my brain is so scattered. Sonjay can look at, organize it, and go, 'here's how we can do it.' That's why I like Sonjay. He's the man when it comes to that."
Starks is set to compete in a triple threat match on AEW Dynamite when he takes on Jungle Boy and Swerve Scott.
He will team with Powerhouse Hobbs at AEW Double or Nothing to challenge Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus for the AEW Tag Team Titles in a triple threat match that also features Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Dynamite beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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