Popular AEW Star Reveals Their Biggest Wrestling Influences

AEW

AEW star Ricky Starks has opened up about his biggest wrestling influences, and the extent to which he tries to emulate them in the ring.

Starks has become one of AEW’s breakout stars, facing MJF at the company’s annual Winter Is Coming event in December for the AEW World Title.

Since then he has mostly feuded with Chris Jericho and the Jericho Appreciation Society alongside Action Andretti, though remains extremely over with fans.

Speaking in an interview with Bleacher Report, Starks spoke about which wrestlers got him in to wrestling when he was younger, and addressed the comparisons that are frequently made between him and one WWE legend in particular:

“The Undertaker definitely got me into pro wrestling. He’s one of my favorite wrestlers. But there isn’t anyone in particular that I had tried to emulate myself out there. Really, what you see is what you get. I’m a very lively and sarcastic and charismatic person outside of the ring.

“And if I had to give any type of credit, this is what I say in almost all my interviews, is that it’s the people of New Orleans that you really see come to life when I’m on screen, not necessarily a wrestler, so to speak.

“So I pull my inspirations outside of the wrestling world because that’s what I’m most familiar with. And that’s what I grew up with. And that’s the most authentic version I can provide.

“Being genuine and authentic is a big thing to me. So that’s really where I pulled those things from. But Undertaker was the first guy to really draw me into wrestling. And that was when I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is what I want to do.’ And then, of course, my second-favorite wrestler was Mankind. And third, The Rock.

“It’s a flattering thing to read and hear people say, ‘Oh, he’s like a young Rock.’ Or things of that nature. But I can’t change someone’s opinion on if they think I’m trying to emulate somebody or not. That is what it is. People are always gonna make comparisons to something in life. And one day, those comparisons stop.”

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