AEW's Ricky Starks Says New Orleans Upbringing Fueled His Stubbornness And Confidence

At AEW Revolution, Ricky Starks picked up arguably the biggest win of his young career with a victory over Chris Jericho. At 33 years old, the former FTW Champion has even been compared to WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson due to his charisma and overall look. Appearing this week on "ESPN Radio," he pointed to why he's become so confident in himself.

"I grew up in a single-parent home with my mom, and my mom raised three kids by herself," Starks said. "If anything, my hard work and my stubbornness comes from her. But when it comes to my confidence in myself, that was a learned skill."

He noted that throughout his life, he learned that folks weren't just going to do things for him. He believes that's just New Orleans and the people you'll find there. Starks takes great pride in that, and along the way, it's helped him to not seek validation from others but rather find his own. "It's another reason too why I don't believe in the word humble," he added, calling out those who perceive him to be too full of himself.

Starks also revealed that he was bullied a lot while growing up and going through school while dealing with plenty of ignorance from people who had no idea he was Black. "I was in fights constantly," he stated. "I can't tell you how many times I've seen people who are surprised by them finding out that I'm Black ... It does suck. People online are real ignorant about the way that somebody should be looking, and that used to get to me really bad."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "ESPN Radio" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.