Ricky Saints Debuts On SmackDown, Calls Himself “Everything Your Baby Mama Wishes You Were”
Ricky Saints made his official WWE SmackDown debut on May 1, 2026 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He interrupted Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes during the show-opening promo, cut the most-discussed introductory promo of the night, and got a non-title match with Rhodes for later in the show.
The Interruption
Rhodes opened SmackDown by telling the crowd he had met with WWE medical staff and Nick Aldis earlier in the day and had been cleared to compete after the orbital injury he suffered against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42. As Rhodes asked what was next for him on SmackDown, Saints’ music hit and he came to the ring as the latest NXT call-up.
Saints grabbed a mic and went straight at the audience.
“They boo what they don’t understand. I’m the hottest, newest, flyest free agent in the business. If you don’t know about me, you better ask about me. I’m young, successful, and rich. I’m everything your baby mama wishes you were.”
Saints then leaned into a “revolution” angle and gave the night its first running joke.
“Cody and I are no strangers to each other so it’s no surprise I’m out here. There’s a change in the air, and that change is the revolution led by one man — Ricky Saints. Welcome to Friday Night Saints.”
Saints told Rhodes he was there to relieve him of his duties as champion. Rhodes responded, “On SmackDown, in WWE, I’m easy to find and hard to beat.” The two shook hands and the match was set for later in the night.
Before leaving, Saints stopped on the ropes and turned around. “I didn’t come out here to make a statement. I came out here to change who the show is about.”
The Match
The match went on as the second-to-last advertised segment of the night and was non-title, despite some confusion in early spoiler accounts that listed it as a championship match. Saints opened hot with shoulder tackles, a hurricanrana, arm drags, and a smiling stare-down with Rhodes on the mat. Saints sent Rhodes to the floor multiple times during the picture-in-picture break.
Rhodes connected with the Disaster Kick and the Cody Cutter, but Saints kicked out. Saints hit the springboard tornado DDT for a near fall and went for the Roshambo. Rhodes countered into an inverted facelock and spiked Saints with the Cross Rhodes for the clean win.
Multiple recaps singled out the Cross Rhodes for being unusually stiff. Wrestling Inc. wrote that the match showed “Saints looked good without needing the upset in that moment.” Yahoo Sports gave the match 3.75 out of 5, the highest grade of any match on the show.
The Pre-Match Backstage Story
Sami Zayn cut a promo on Rhodes backstage about Rhodes’ “golden boy” comments from the previous week. Zayn said being the golden boy isn’t an insult, that they’re the last of a dying breed, and that he and Rhodes were essentially the same person. Rhodes told Zayn they aren’t the same and walked off. The exchange set up Zayn’s later meltdown with the Gingerbread Man.
The AEW History (Without Saying AEW)
Commentary leaned into Saints and Rhodes having “history” without naming where it came from. Saints, who wrestled as Ricky Starks in AEW, made his AEW debut in August 2020 by answering Rhodes’ TNT Championship open challenge — a near-mirror of the way Saints debuted on SmackDown. WrestleTalk called it “a somewhat poetic WWE main roster debut.”
Saints joined a SmackDown roster that already includes two of his AEW contemporaries: Cody Rhodes and Royce Keys, the latter of whom won the 2026 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 42. Royce Keys himself had a backstage scene with Jacob Fatu later in the night, and the two also have pre-WWE history dating back roughly 15 years.
How The Crowd And Media Took It
Saints’ opening promo was singled out as the highlight of the segment by virtually every outlet. WrestleTalk: “His opening promo was an excellent start.” Yahoo Sports: “Saints did his thing on the mic. He’s confident, cocky, and leaned into the ‘change is coming’ angle.” Cageside Seats wrote that Saints “established his intentions clearly. His debut was not just an introduction, but a direct move toward the top of the SmackDown roster.”
The “Friday Night Saints” tagline drew mixed reactions, with Yahoo Sports writing “even if the whole ‘Friday Night Saints’ branding landed with a bit of a thud, it was refreshing.” The crowd was hot for him going in and stayed engaged through the match itself.
Context
Ricky Saints’ real name is Richard Starks. He previously wrestled as Ricky Starks in AEW from 2020 through 2024, where he was a two-time FTW Champion and won the AEW World Tag Team Championship with Big Bill. He signed with WWE in late 2024 and was assigned to NXT, where he won the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship before this main roster call-up. His SmackDown debut on May 1, 2026 came roughly one week after the May 9, 2026 Backlash card was being assembled. Cody Rhodes’ AEW open challenge in August 2020 — the night Starks debuted in AEW — saw Rhodes retain the TNT Championship via pinfall in what was one of Starks’ breakout matches. The May 1 SmackDown was held at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Saints’ segment opening the show.
