Ricky Starks last appeared on the March 30th episode of AEW Collision, during which he suffered an injury scare, which changed the planned outcome of the match.
Since that show, Starks has publicly stated that he is not injured and expressed uncertainty regarding AEW’s decision not to involve him in programming.
During a virtual signing for Highspots, Starks reiterated his good health and emphasized that the choice to wrestle is not within his control.
When informed about those who think he’ll end up wrestling somewhere else, Starks said,
“Honestly, that’s so sweet that people would say that to me. I think it’s a compliment. A great thing to hear people care about me that much. No. I’m healthy, I’m of sound mind and body. I’m capable to wrestle. Just, you know, not up to me. I get a lot of messages lately where people are like, hey, just checking in on you. Hope you’re doing well. Hope you’re mentally okay, and it’s so sweet. It means a lot to me because these people don’t know what’s going on, right. But yeah, I get a lot of messages and every time I read ‘em, I tear up. Because people care, you know? I love them. I wish I could give an answer. I’m healthy, I’m ready to get back in the ring. I am in shape obviously, always been in shape. Sometimes it isn’t up to me, I guess. I love wrestling and I’m gonna figure out a way to do it one way or another. I at least think I owe fans some type of explanation to the best of my ability, to the best of my knowledge so, some people don’t want to believe that. I don’t give a f**k. But, yeah, I wish I had more… a definitive answer but sometimes, darkness is your only friend, when you’re definitely trying to find the light.“
During a recent appearance on “The Masked Man Show,” Will Ospreay reacted to the criticism that he doesn’t sell in his matches.
The issue is that Ospreay often takes a big move but then immediately counters with an offensive move of his own.
Ospreay said, “I just feel there are different aspects in what people say with selling. If you understand and look at the backstory that I go through, who were the guys that I was training alongside? Okada, Ishii. You don’t think at any point in those training sessions and Japanese camps where you’d land on your f**king head and they’d be like, ‘Get up and just swing.’ If you don’t have that small burst of energy before you’re about to do something, they’re going to get the upper hand and win. If people don’t actually understand where I come from, think about this, Japan took a 22-year-old and taught him how to fight, and f**king tortured me. They beat the fu**ing piss out of me. I got chopped so hard my eardrum burst. I say to all those people who say ‘you don’t know how to sell,’ you don’t know the backstory. You don’t know how I fu**ing got here. You’ve never been in a situation where you’ve been in a moment where if you don’t put your f**king foot on the gas pedal, you die. To those people, I get where they’re coming from, I understand, but if you pause your opinion for a second and take a wide look at the arena, they’re standing up. You can’t tell Picasso how to paint.”
