Ricky Saints has opened up about the mental and professional challenges he faced during his lengthy absence from AEW television, saying the lack of regular wrestling created a sense of restlessness that was genuinely difficult to navigate.
Speaking on Getting Over Wrestling Podcast, Saints, formerly known as Ricky Starks in AEW, reflected on the period following his last AEW match in March 2024 and the difficulty of remaining inactive while still under contract.
“Yeah, no real discussion or anything like that from my side of it in terms of what was discussed and all that, but there was some restlessness just because I’m so used to wrestling all the time,” Saints said. “I think that’s the type of person I am. I’m used to creating. I’m used to using my body for these things. And to not have that was a very odd place to be at mentally. And so you’re having to figure out these other things.”
Saints said getting independent bookings cleared during his AEW absence presented its own complications, though he was careful not to direct blame at the company.
“Especially when it goes to the independences, it was not as easy to get some of these independent dates cleared,” Saints said. “That’s not a knock on the company itself. It’s just a conflict of interest for AEW and whatever independent that I wanted to do. But at the end of the day, it all worked out. Truthfully, it all worked out. And I’m thankful for both sides. I’m thankful for AEW. I’m thankful for the independents as well.”
Saints made his WWE NXT in-ring debut on the February 25 episode of NXT following his last independent appearance, a DEFY World title win at the DEFY Hundredth 8 Year Anniversary show on February 7, 2025. He has since become a one-time NXT Champion and one-time NXT North American Champion.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Getting Over Wrestling Podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
