Booker T is hoping that one member of the AEW roster will follow in the footsteps of Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, CM Punk and others by making the jump to WWE.
During the early years of AEW in 2020 and 2021, many talents were either released from their contracts or chose not to re-sign and made the decision to become All Elite. Feeling that AEW was the hotter promotion, stars such as Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Malakai Black all looked for a fresh start in the new promotion.
However, many are in agreement that the tide has turned in 2024. WWE is now the more popular product and fans are speculating who will be next to depart AEW for the competition. Absent from the ring since March and recently pulled from independent appearances, many feel that it is only a matter of time before Ricky Starks makes his exit and seeks new opportunities.
Speaking about Starks on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T stated that NXT would be a perfect fit for the former FTW Champion, comparing his trajectory to the success Ethan Page has seen in NXT:
“Do I think he can fit in NXT right now? Of course. I mean, just like Ethan Page, he can make a huge difference as far as the roster goes. He is very charismatic. He is a guy with upside. As far as Ricky Starks’ work, I haven’t really gotten a chance to really see him go out there and do a lot in the ring. But just like Ethan Page when he came to NXT, I didn’t see a lot of him either. He showed me what he was worth very quickly, almost immediately… A guy like Starks, if he came over, he’ll do the same thing,”
Booker T Looks To The Future
Along with his work as an NXT announcer, the 6-time World Champion also runs the Reality of Wrestling promotion in Texas, which was recently named as part of the new WWE ID program. At a Reality of Wrestling show, Booker T personally presented one wrestler with a WWE contract.
In recent news, a former AEW Champion has left the company and is now a free agent.
H/t to Sportskeeda.