WWE Star Discusses Facing Cody Rhodes In Main Roster Debut Following Matches In AEW

WWE

A WWE star has revealed what was going through his head when he debuted on SmackDown, facing Cody Rhodes, earlier this year.

Not for the first time, the May 1 episode of WWE SmackDown saw Ricky Saints step into the ring against Cody Rhodes.

Prior engagements had seen the then-Ricky Starks face Cody Rhodes over AEW, with their first encounter being a loss to the then-TNT Champion on the June 17 2020 episode of Dynamite.

History would repeat itself this year, with Rhodes once against besting the star who made his SmackDown debut on that very show.

Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, Saints was asked what he was thinking as he stood in the ring at BOK Center in Tulsa, with the star responding:

“‘Wow, here we are again, history repeats itself.’ I remember standing there and looking at him, I really wanted to laugh and grin because I just thought how funny life is. Just the whole setup to that, I couldn’t even have predicted. I couldn’t even have envisioned that in my life.

“I’m so thankful to have those opportunities where it couldn’t have been any better. It couldn’t have been any better than what that was, and that’s where I land on that.

“I feel like twice now, I’ve held my own with him, and have proven that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with these people. That’s the crazy thing, I’ve done that so many times, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Cody, just to name a few. To me, I’ve already proven it to myself, there’s a good feeling in that.”

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The aforementioned June 2020 match would mark the debut of the star in AEW, who would go on to be an FTW Champion and hold the World Tag Team Championship with Big Bill.

Starks would depart AEW in February of last year, heading to NXT later that month and being renamed Ricky Saints shortly thereafter.

AEW To WWE

Ricky Saints wasn’t the first AEW star to make the jump to WWE and certainly won’t be the last.

While Jade Cargill made her in-ring debut on the main roster in 2023, with Royce Keys (previously Powerhouse Hobbs) following suit earlier this year, others have found their way to WWE television through NXT.

Saints, Ethan Page and Mariah May (now Blake Monroe) all signed with the company following successful runs in AEW, landing in NXT before being called up to the main roster. Penta and Rey Fenix would also follow suit with their respective signings.

Monroe has previously stated that joining NXT allowed her to “continue to build (her) brand” and introduce herself to fans who may not know her. It no doubt allows the stars to do this, along with being able to polish their talents for WWE television, with a view to reaching Raw and SmackDown somewhere down the line.

This isn’t to say that stars from AEW or other televised companies are not prepared for television already, it’s more that WWE operates in a specific way that has got them and their talent to the position that they are in today. Upon leaving the WWE, any number of stars have taken what they’ve learned about television and can feed it into any number of companies.

It’s easy to believe that just because they have been seen on Dynamite, Collision or Ring of Honor, all fans will be aware of a former AEW star’s work when they sign with WWE. This may not always be the case, however, and allowing them to gain a foothold with the “WWE Universe” before appearing on Raw and SmackDown is a worthwhile pursuit, with that star likely having been given a new name to chart their own path to stardom.

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• ricky saints
• AEW
• wwe
• Cody Rhodes

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