Ricky Starks Talks About Issues Backstage At AEW—The Morale In AEW Goes From Bad To Worse

It’s no secret that things are going from bad to worse in the AEW locker room, or so it seems to most. Backstage in the company, many problems have erupted as of late. If it isn’t the issues between Eddie Kingston and Sammy Guevara that led to a real-life physical altercation, or the heat in the women’s division centered around Thunder Rosa and the accidental breaking of Jamie Hayter’s nose during a match and all that fallout…or even the unhappiness expressed on social media by the likes of Miro and even Andrade El Idolo.

Not to mention the confusion surrounding the AEW World title match between Moxley and CM Punk and the reasons behind its disgusting ending which are also adding to the drama.

Things aren’t in the greatest shape and if you ask Ricky Starks, who is involved in his greatest storyline in a while right now with Powerhouse Hobbs, all the drama is taking away from all of the hard work stars like him are putting in. He had this to say recently on the Battleground podcast:

“The locker room has definitely changed. I mean, where we were once really, really close, we’ve expanded that and we’re still close, but we just have more people in the family now, more people that sit at the table…

I definitely think that the drama of the backstage stuff, while it does pique the interest of people online and whatnot, I fu**ing hate it. The reason I hate it is because it kind of overshadows some of the stuff that happens on TV…

I’d rather not be involved with it. But we have people backstage who have loose lips, and that’s what happens. Now we have created the scenario where we just have all the rumors and speculation because that’s all it is. I promise you what you read is not necessarily true.”

via wrestlingnews.co (Transcription)

The points he makes are more than valid if you ask this writer, and in the end it’s sad that his efforts and the efforts of so many other wrestlers are being overshadowed by all this drama. However if you ask the likes of Christopher Daniels – a legendary pro wrestler – everything is A-ok.

He made the following statements a few days back while speaking to Headlock:

“Upwards and onwards…They just see what they see from the outside…but everything’s going fine in AEW…We’ve got a great successful television show…Dynamite is doing very well for TBS, Rampage is doing very well for TNT, and hopefully the international fans are enjoying it as well.”

via Wrestling Inc. (Transcription)

I can understand Daniels’ viewpoint and stance…he’s just trying to keep the calm, which is professional. He isn’t feeding the fire at all, which is smart, but for anyone studying the business and looking at AEW in particular, there are some serious issues there that need rectifying and fast.

These issues have affected the overall product and perception of that product and may further affect the future.

Already many fans were upset because of the misuse or underutilization of recently acquired wrestlers, and now this. Also, there is the Canadian contingent (or a portion of it) that is still upset over the lack of a proper way to watch Rampage on Canadian national television…. (Yes there are those that still care about watching pro wrestling or anything else for that matter on the good old TV…sorry to be so antiquated Generation Alpha!)

Also a lack of a Ring Of Honor weekly episodic television series is also hurting some of the wrestlers associated with that brand of AEW (AEW acquired ROH in recent history).

Regardless, these issues and the aforementioned backstage real life issues need to be addressed and perhaps Starks’ words can help. We can only hope dear readers. In the end we care about the company, its wrestlers and we all want to see it succeed into the future, but these issues need to be regulated and hopefully soon. Fingers crossed, dear readers.

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