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Ricky Starks Talks AEW All Out Match vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, More in B/R AMA

Posted: Aug 30th 2022 By: Mike Chiari

Ahead of one of the biggest matches of his career, AEW star Ricky Starks sat down with Bleacher Report for an AMA that touched on multiple subjects.

Perhaps most importantly, Starks gave his thoughts on his clash with former Team Taz stablemate and tag team partner Powerhouse Hobbs, which is set for the AEW All Out pay-per-view in Chicago on Sunday.

The former FTW champion also discussed his biggest influences in wrestling, his experience working with Sting, his friendship with Cody Rhodes, what the future holds for his wrestling career and much more.

The following is the transcript from the AMA session.

@ASnyder01 What will motivate you to defeat Hobbs at All Out?

I think that’s pretty simple. One of my good friends turned his back on me for a really dumb reason. Me being the type of person I am, I just have to whoop his ass for that. There’s no in-depth, philosophical answer to that. It’s pretty cut and dry.

@N1ghthawk What’s next after defeating Hobbs? Is TNT title contention a possibility?

I definitely think going for the AEW World Title and going for the TNT Title as well. It’s been a long time coming with me and things have been brewing. I don’t think of myself as an up-and-coming star. I hate that word because I’m a current star. It’s just a matter of putting the pen to paper and really just proving my worth, which I’ve been doing since 2020.

@LemonOG420 How does someone first get into pro wrestling?

The first step is literally looking in the mirror and asking yourself if you’re willing to give your mind and body and everything else to wrestling, 1000%. Am I willing to make the sacrifices that are really demanding. Second step would be to find a reputable school to make sure you get the basics and foundation down as good as you can.

@hSHOO07 Who is the wrestler that most impacted your ring style?

If anything, I would say Undertaker or Shinjiro Otani. One of those two.

@FCourtney27 How did you come up with the name ‘Absolute’?

I was doing something when I first started training. I did a front flip and landed on my back and one of my trainers told me to go train somewhere else. I just did and I remember looking at him as he’s yelling at me and I don’t know why I said it, but I said ‘when you’re absolute you can do anything.’ That got me in even more trouble. I was trying to think of something that helped first introduce me to wrestling and I think it stuck when I started using it.

@Bandsnmybritches Did Michael Jackson inspire your taunt? If not, who?

No. I am not a Michael Jackson fan. I am a Prince fan. If anything, not to say MJ isn’t good but anything past ‘Off The Wall’ I do not care for. My taunt came from when I was younger. I would grab my head when I was feeling good about myself or some food was good. I saw a picture of it recently and it kind of stuck when I started doing it. It’s just one of those moments you feel when you’re doing something good and feeling right. It’s like one of those statue poses in the Greek or Roman era.

@Somiaritobin17 Whose idea was the ‘stroke daddy’ / Stark line promo videos back in the day?

Those are all me. I produced and paid for them. All of them came from my head. Even the videos you see on AEW are done by me. I just wanted to give a different approach on who I was.

@AcesAnd8s What did you most learn from being around Taz?

Don’t take no for an answer.

@JustinFitts The belt doesn’t make the man. The man makes the belt. How does it feel to still be living that FTW lifestyle?

Well, I mean the better question is: ‘what does it feel like to live a world champion lifestyle?’ Other people reap the benefits of your work, so you have to have to let it roll off your shoulder.

@Trevor10 How was your experience wrestling Sting?

That was his first match after like 7 years. To be in the same ring with him was crazy. I don’t really reflect on those moments as much as I should have, but in hindsight it was amazing in the most bizarre way.

@Saadk11 Would you say that was your favorite match of your career or is there another?

I have a few - me vs. Darby. Me vs. Cody. I wrestled Sammy and that was good as well.

@sAADK11 Do you have an ultimate dream opponent at AEW?

Let’s shoot for the top here. I’m going to go straight for Kenny Omega. If not him, then definitely Punk.

@KingofArchers34 If WWE opened the forbidden Door, who would you like to face?

I’m not one to shy from a big matchup. I would do Roman Reigns or even Cody again.

@F222 I admire self confidence. Do you ever have days where your confidence is down, and if so, how do you handle that?

Yes. I’m a human at the end of the day. I do a lot of positive/self affirmation. I do a lot of looking in the mirror and just saying ‘it’s all good.’ I also listen to a lot of music that puts me in a good mood. There is no way around it, but it’s all about how low are you willing to let yourself go. It’s ok to feel that way as long as you don’t get stuck in it.

@RC1026 Best advice you’ve ever received?

Cody once told me, it’s easier to go through a bunch of food you enjoy rather than to go ahead and savor it. When you savor each moment of the experience, it’s really important. It’s important to live in the present.

@Shimonah Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of Women’s Wrestling?

Bayley, Sasha, Trish & Manami Toyota

@Dominicbyron Let’s fast forward a year. What does life in wrestling look like for Ricky Starks?

I’m making over a million dollars. I’m world champion, I’m on top of my game and people are finally coming around to me.