Cody Rhodes reacts to former AEW star getting teary-eyed after making his NXT in-ring debut

The Undisputed WWE Champion is confident about his friend, Ricky Saints, breaking out as a major star in WWE.

Cody Rhodes reacts to former AEW star getting teary-eyed after making his NXT in-ring debut

Cody Rhodes [via- Cageside Seats]

Cody Rhodes‘ switch to WWE in 2022 continues to have its ripple effects. Since he quit AEW and joined the so-called big league, a number of examples have followed suit. The most recent one is of Ricky Saints, who was known as Ricky Starks in All Elite Wrestling. He made his NXT in-ring debut this Tuesday.

Saints, teaming up with high-flying prodigy Je’Von Evans, ousted the duo of Wes Lee and Ethan Page. After making a triumphant arrival on the WWE scene, Ricky was interviewed by Sarah Schreiber. The former AEW star wore his heart on his sleeve and eventually shed some tears of joy. His good friend, Cody, quoted a reply to it.

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The American Nightmare posted a GIF basically screaming that he’s backing the 35-year-old star to make a name for himself. During his heartfelt conversation with Schreiber, Saints asserted that he overcame a lot of things just to be in that moment. Although he’s a well-established trash-talker, The Absolute One couldn’t hold himself back from his eyes getting wet.

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The past 10 months or so were not less than tragic from a professional standpoint for Saints. His former boss, Tony Khan, allegedly ghosted the Crescent City Charmer for the better part of 2024 without any specified reason. Earlier this month, Ricky was let go from his AEW contract.

Saints called his first match on NXT a fever dream that he wished to never wake up from. Ricky is already looking forward to what he plans to achieve in 2025. His prime goal includes headlining every NXT PLE he’s competing on. Before wrapping up his aforementioned chat, Saints thanked everyone who stood by his side in tough times and said that his NXT outing was a love letter to them.

Ricky Saints linked up with CM Punk recently

Before he stepped into an NXT ring this week, Ricky Saints caught up with someone he always looks up to—CM Punk. The latter posted their picture on Instagram Stories, captioning it as “Couple of Saints.”

CM Punk and Ricky Saints AEW
CM Punk and Ricky Saints in AEW [via- Wrestling Inc]

Punk and Ricky have crossed paths in AEW and fought for the right to be called the Owen Hart Cup winner in 2023. Back then, The Stroke Daddy came out on top. It was a career-defining victory for the Louisiana native.

Saints actually realized how much Punk’s presence meant to him after Tony Khan fired The Best in the World from AEW. Saints’ recent admission on the Busted Open Radio podcast was Punk’s exit affecting him in a way that he started growing apart from the company.

Related: Legendary WWE tag team reportedly set for main roster run following their NXT return