The Real Drama Behind the Scenes

Wrestling thrives on misdirection. It is Monday, May 18, 2026. While PWInsider reports today that several AEW stars are slated to appear on a TBS prank show tonight, the real drama involving Tony Khan's roster isn't happening on cable television. It is happening quietly behind closed doors.

Warner Bros. Discovery cross-promotion is great for corporate slide decks. Executives always love a good television crossover. But while some talent are busy filming hidden-camera bits, the actual business of professional wrestling is seeing a major shift. The focus right now should entirely be on Double or Nothing.

The May 24 card in Las Vegas is packed with familiar faces. The match order is being finalized. Yet, the loudest chatter in the industry surrounds a man who hasn't been factored into a pay-per-view build in ages. Ricky Starks is completely missing from the picture, and the silence regarding his status is deafening.

Fans are naturally suspicious of prolonged absences. When a healthy, charismatic, and previously featured talent vanishes from weekly television, contract disputes are usually the culprit. The rumor mill has been spinning for nearly two years. Now, as we push into late May, the smoke is finally turning into a fire. Starks appears heavily tipped to be WWE-bound.

A Frustrating Career Trajectory

To understand why this move feels inevitable, you have to look at how Starks was handled in Jacksonville. He initially caught fire on NWA Powerrr back before the pandemic. He showcased a swagger that felt completely out of place in a dusty studio setting. He was simply too ambitious for a niche YouTube show.

That ambition led him to answer Cody Rhodes' open challenge for the TNT Championship on Dynamite. Starks lost that match, but he won a job. Tony Khan signed him immediately after he stepped through the curtain. He was paired with Taz to form the foundational core of Team Taz.

It was a brilliant pairing from the start. Taz acted as the mouthpiece. It hid Starks' lack of national television experience while amplifying his natural promo ability. He captured the FTW Championship. He ground his way through a brutal neck injury sustained in a terrifying spot.

Starks returned from surgery, rehabbed quietly, and eventually turned babyface. He defeated his former tag team partner Powerhouse Hobbs. He seemed completely poised for a massive main event run. The crowds were chanting his name in every single arena.

Then, the booking completely failed him. He won the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal, only to be fed to MJF in a shockingly brief mini-feud. He was red hot. The crowd loved him. AEW immediately moved him down the card into a grueling, momentum-killing program with Chris Jericho.

That Jericho feud is a prime example of AEW's biggest recurring flaw. They drag out programs long past their expiration date. Starks lost months of television time to a story that did absolutely nothing to elevate his stock.

The Collision Era and Disappearance

Starks finally got a lifeline when CM Punk returned for the launch of Collision. Punk clearly saw value in the young star. He handpicked Starks for the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Their subsequent bout at All Out was incredible.

That strap match felt incredibly dangerous. It was violent and visceral. It was arguably the absolute best performance of Starks' entire career. He proved without a doubt that he could hang in a high-pressure main event setting.

But Punk was fired days later following a backstage incident at Wembley Stadium. Starks was suddenly left without his primary dance partner. He lost his biggest creative advocate. He was awkwardly shuffled into a makeshift pairing with Big Bill.

They won the tag team titles, held them for a modest run, and dropped them to Sting and Darby Allin. After that title loss, Starks practically disappeared. He was rarely booked on Dynamite. He vanished entirely from pay-per-view cards. A talent who was main-eventing shows a year prior was suddenly struggling to get booked on Rampage.

Why WWE Suits Him Perfectly

Ricky Starks is not an indie workrate darling. He does not need to trade stiff forearms for 45 minutes to get a crowd invested. He is a character worker. He relies on precise timing, subtle facial expressions, and elite microphone skills.

Those traits are exactly what WWE values most heavily. Under Triple H and Shawn Michaels, WWE has completely revamped how they integrate outside talent. Look at how they handled Ethan Page in NXT. Look at how they presented Jade Cargill on the main roster.

WWE identifies what a wrestler does best. They hide the obvious weaknesses. They package them as major stars from day one. Starks would not be thrown into random six-man tags on Monday Night Raw without a clear story. He would receive a focused, deliberate introductory program.

WWE television is built around the promo segment. You need to be able to hold a microphone in the center of the ring. You have to look directly into the hard camera. You must confidently sell a match to millions of viewers. Starks can do that in his sleep. His cadence and delivery are tailor-made for sports entertainment.

Creative Direction Potential

The immediate question is where Starks lands. Does he bypass developmental completely? Or does he start his journey in Orlando? NXT is frankly the smarter bet for a smooth transition.

The WWE production style requires a massive adjustment. Learning how to hit commercial cues is tough. Finding the red light on the correct camera takes reps. Putting Starks in NXT for six months allows him to refine his presentation without the pressure of live national television.

A feud with someone like Trick Williams would immediately establish him near the top of the brand. He could comfortably challenge for the NXT Championship by the end of the year. He absolutely has the presence to carry that brand.

However, the main roster temptation is enormous. Cody Rhodes is currently holding the WWE Championship. Rhodes just had a massive title defense at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas last month. The history between Rhodes and Starks is entirely real.

Rhodes brought him into AEW. Starks stood by Rhodes during the dark days. A reunion, or a bitter betrayal, writes itself instantly on SmackDown. WWE loves drawing on real-life history to fuel their biggest angles.

Probability Assessment

So, how real is this rumor? Speculation about Starks jumping ship has existed for years. He was famously spotted walking into the Royal Rumble with Cody Rhodes a while back. He has never hidden his close friendships with top WWE stars.

What makes May 2026 the breaking point? Tony Khan has spent the last two years signing massive free agents. The additions of Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Mercedes Moné have completely gridlocked the top of the AEW card. There is simply no available airtime for Starks to get the push he wants.

I would rate the probability of this signing as extremely high. While AEW talent are doing TBS prank shows to fulfill network obligations, the wrestling industry is quietly shifting. The lines of communication between Starks' camp and WWE are reportedly wide open.

He knows his value. WWE knows they need fresh challengers to feed into the upper midcard. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Starks wants a platform, and WWE wants a ready-made star.

Expected Timeline and Impact

WWE rarely debuts major free agents in the dead zone of May and June. The post-WrestleMania shuffle is mostly over. The creative team is currently laying the groundwork for the summer. Bringing Starks in right now would mean fighting for television time against already established storylines.

The premium window opens during the build to SummerSlam. Expect the first rumblings of a debut to happen around the Money in the Bank premium live event in July. Vignettes could start airing then. A physical debut in early August makes the most logical sense.

If this deal goes through, the impact is significant for both sides. For AEW, it represents another failure to retain a young star who was supposed to be a foundational piece of their future. Starks was built on TNT and TBS. Losing him to a direct rival stings deeply.

For WWE, they acquire a motivated, aggressive talker with a massive chip on his shoulder. Starks is exactly the kind of talent who thrives when given a rigid structure to push against. It is a perfect match. Wrestling fans should be watching his status very closely.