Backstage Update On Ricky Starks' AEW Status, Whether The Two Sides Are Communicating

Ricky Starks' AEW contract status has been the topic of conversation amongst wrestling fans for months, with his last appearance for the company coming on the March 30 episode of "AEW Collision." In a one-week-only return of his Figure Four Weekly wrestling column (filling in for a vacationing Dave Meltzer in the absence of the usual Wrestling Observer Newsletter), Bryan Alvarez confirmed that Starks is taking indie bookings, but says nothing official has changed in his AEW status, "other than he's never around." Alvarez also noted that there is apparently little communication, if any at all, going on between Starks and the company.

Starks recently spoke about an appearance at Glory Pro Wrestling, and he'll be challenging Kody Lane, A1 Zero Gravity Champion, at WrestlePocalypse on November 24, the day after AEW's Full Gear pay-per-view. Starks said in the interview that he would "go stir crazy" if he was stuck at home for much longer, so he took the opportunity to challenge Lane, as he's known him "for quite a bit." He himself confirmed he remains under AEW contract.

Starks' last AEW appearance came when he and Big Bill lost in a tag team title tournament match to Top Flight on "AEW Collision" — the end of the match was changed on the fly due to a reported injury scare. Starks confirmed later that he was physically okay, and AEW was only taking precautions. He expressed his intent to return to the ring, and said he felt like he was more than ready, back in October. At the time, a report said that the problem was the company not having any long-term creative plans for him. Starks has not publicly stated when his contract with AEW ends.