Bryan Danielson had nothing but high praise for Ricky Starks following their match at AEW All Out 2023, going as far as to say that the latter carried him in the bout.
Speaking at the post-AEW All Out 2023 media scrum, Danielson commented on returning as soon as he did, Ricky Starks carrying the match, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the post-show media scrum below:
On returning as soon as he did: “So one, I had an excellent opponent tonight. And I think every time people see Ricky Starks, every time Ricky Starks gets an opportunity, he knocks it out of the park. And I will be the first one to say — and this is outside of like, within our stories and what we do — he carried me through that match tonight.
“And I’m good at certain things. I’m good at a decent amount of things and I’m confident in saying that. I can fire up, I can do all these things, but he was the one who carried me through that match. And so I’m just — that’s what I’m gonna say.”
On Starks as a top star moving forward: “Asking me about the finish, one of the things that we to in the Blackpool Combat Club is, we like to test people. We like to push people. And part of that is story, and part of that is real. And I have never wrestled Ricky Starks before. Never. We’ve never touched, we’ve never done anything. I’ve always watched him, and I thought, every time I see him, ‘This guy is a star!’ He did that interview last night before I came out. And I was watching. And when he started talking about Big Bill, he also gets it. He’s talking great, he’s helped Big Bill in that thing. And he didn’t have to.
“And anyway, I wanted to see, ‘Okay, I’ve seen him. I’ve watched him.’ And this is my thing with a lot of people that I’ve seen and watched, ‘This guy is good. Let me see how good he is.’ And also, certain wrestlers don’t like some of the intensity I bring. [laughs] And when you’re in a situation like that, some people wilt and some people fire up. He fired up. And the end of that match is his representation of him being a gutsy performer. Let’s change him from just — I’m hoping fans see him in a way now that, ‘Okay, he’s very entertaining he’s good at that. But he’s also gutsy.’”
