Ricky Starks is a pretty popular man in professional wrestling, having made friends with some of the biggest stars in the world today during his time in NWA, AEW, and on the indies.
Over the course of his 12-year career, he's become incredibly close with Cody Rhodes, as fans learned on Rhodes to the Top, worked closely with CM Punk, and even formed more than a few notable tag teams, including his current pairing with Big Bill, filling Enzo Amore's shoes opposite the former Big Cass.
But who does Starks consider his best friend? Well, in an interview with Gabby AF, Starks let it be known that he'd place that honor on none other than Jade Cargill, the AEW-turned-WWE star who made her in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble. Discussing his relationship with “That Chick,” Starks celebrated her efforts and wished her nothing but the best.
“She busts her a**, she busts her a** more than anyone wants to give her credit for. It isn't up to her to try and disapprove these things that people say about her,” Ricky Starks said via 411 Mania.
“And that's why I tell her. ‘You won't ever change someone's opinion about you, and even then, it's not your job. It's not your job to change someone's opinion about you.' I'm so excited and happy for her and how things have gone. I will never shy away from supporting my friends publicly because I think they would do the same for me. And yeah, I think she's a great person, and she deserves everything she has because she works for it. She's made a ton of sacrifices.
“She's so creative. She's very creative, and her mind of how wrestling is, to see it shape and how it's starting to unravel, is very cool. Cause she gets it. And… in training, no less. A thousand percent, [she's] always giving it a thousand percent.”
After taking the past few months off to get in-ring ready and mourn the passing of her mother, Cargill made her big return at the Royal Rumble, proving to fans that she's every bit the sort of Superstar WWE likes to employ. While only time will tell if her path intersects with Starks again, as he feels more likely than most to jump ship to WWE when his contract comes to an end, if not, their friendship will be a worthy consolation prize.
Ricky Starks enjoys his road dog lifestyle in AEW.
As AEW prepares for a massive show in New Orleans, Ricky Starks stopped by Fox8 to discuss all things professional wrestling, including his time on the road as a full-time performer with the promotion.
Asked about the challenge of traveling so often for work, Starks noted that while he does enjoy travel, he has to take the good with the bad, as the road can get taxing.
“Not really. I live in Austin. So I came from Austin to Orlando. Orlando to New Orleans. New Orleans to St. Louis. St. Louis back to Austin. And that's all gonna be within the span of like four or five days,” Ricky Starks told Fox 8. “I do like traveling, don't get me wrong. And I don't let myself think about it in a negative way, but then I'll be turned off on it. But there's sometimes I'm like, ‘Man, I'm just enjoying spending time on my couch right now.' I take the good with the bad. But I've been traveling for 20 years, so at this point, I'm used to it, and I've figured out a way to train my mind to enjoy where I'm at and some type of routine because if not, being stuck in a hotel all the time I'll go crazy.”
Asked if he'd ever consider taking some time off of the road to recoup and recover, Starks said no, as even when he's off, he's not looking to slow down.
“Even when I'm home, I'm still doing stuff. And I think at this point in my career, I don't want to take too much time away, because I feel like that kills the momentum,” Starks noted. “I have to be in motion. I don't want to be stopped. I hate sitting in traffic. I hate stop signs. I hate red lights. I have to be doing something. So that's a balance that I have to make because my body needs to rest, but my mind and my ambition has to keep going. So I'll get there. One day, a week off ain't bad. Two days off ain't bad. But it's not like I'm not doing anything. I'm still doing something.”
Even if Starks doesn't work nearly as many matches in AEW as he would in WWE, as he only works at most two shows a week and doesn't have to worry about the house show circuit, the idea of going to the airport somewhere between 100-200 times a year can be pretty daunting no matter how you slice it. Fortunately, Starks is enjoying some of the best successes of his career at the moment, and that likely eases the burden at least a little bit.
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