-- Ricky Starks has been noticeably missing from AEW TV for a few months now, having last competed in March where it appeared an injury (angle) took him out of action. In a now deleted Reddit post that didn't cite any sources, it was rumored that Starks also ran into legal trouble in Calgary last year in a bar incident. While he has denied it, that post also suggested that AEW has been pitching ideas for him to return but that he has been rejecting them all. Fightfulselect.com released a report yesterday addressing some of these rumors.
-- According to their report, there is some truth to Starks turning down pitches to return on screen with one source saying that one idea that he rejected was breaking up with Big Bill and engaging in a feud with him. Starks argued that it would not be beneficial to Bill to lose in a feud with him and proposed an "amicable split" instead.
-- As Starks himself has publicly gone on record to state, he is healthy and fully cleared from a medical perspective to return. However, it's unclear if he has even been in contact recently with AEW CEO Tony Khan and there appears to be conflicting information on a potential return depending on who you speak to within AEW. It doesn't appear though that there are any imminent creative plans for him at this point, but that could always change on a whim.
-- The Calgary bar incident is another topic of uncertainty as AEW sources deny anything happened and the Starks also claims he was never in any legal trouble in Canada. What is known is that nothing was ever filed or used again him as Starks has entered Canada and competed there since this alleged incident.
-- Finally, there are some within AEW who believe the widely speculated rumor that Starks is simply biding his time and wants to go to WWE. It is not known what his contractual situation with AEW or when he would become a free agent.
