“If they got a problem with me,” New WWE signing reveals reason behind his tumultuous departure from AEW

WWE's latest signing reveals why he left AEW after spending nearly nine months off of AEW's weekly programming.

“If they got a problem with me,” New WWE signing reveals reason behind his tumultuous departure from AEW

Ricky Saints reveals why he left AEW (via WWE)

Ricky Saints had quite a controversial exit from AEW. He was last seen wrestling for the company in March 2024 and spent the past nine months off of TV for seemingly no good reason. Now that he is no longer associated with the Jacksonville-based promotion, he finally shed some light on his AEW departure.

During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio following the latest episode of NXT, Saints revealed that some veterans interfered with his creative plans. He believes that this should never have happened. This situation eventually played a role in his departure from the company.

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Ricky Saints further said that if any of these “veterans” still had a problem with him, they should talk to him about it personally. He did not reveal any names during this interview. However, social media users immediately began speculating about who this name could be.

And if they got a problem with me, they got my number. And text me about it. I think what it was is if it didn’t work for their creative, then someone had to get the boot. That’s how I see it.

Ricky Saints on Busted Open Radio

While the name CM Punk was thrown around quite a bit, it is unlikely that the Best in the World was being talked about in this interview. The two seemingly had a good working relationship. Saints had even beaten him to win the 2023 Owen Hart Cup. Furthermore, the Straight Edge Superstar was long gone before the 34-year-old seemingly faced these creative issues. He is likely talking about someone who is still involved with the company and has a huge backstage role.

Ricky Saints explains his name change after debuting in WWE NXT

Ricky Saints shocked the world when he made his WWE debut in NXT, not even a few days after he was officially released from AEW. The Stamford-based promotion purposefully did not use his name for a week. They kept referring to him with pronouns or as “The Absolute One.” Finally, during the latest episode of NXT, it was revealed that his name had been changed from Ricky Starks.

Ricky Saints
Ricky Saints (via WWE)

During the same appearance on Busted Open Radio, Saint revealed that this new name was simply a throwback to his hometown of New Orleans. He said that he liked the new name. Also, he acknowledged that it may take some time to get used to the change. However, he wanted to pay his respects to his roots. It is worth mentioning that the 34-year-old owns the trademark to “Ricky Starks.” Thus, this decision was likely made according to his own will.

It’s just a throwback, it’s not really a throwback because the New Orleans Saints are still around, but Saints in itself is pretty indicative of New Orleans, regardless if you think of the football team or the French influence and things of that nature.

Ricky Saints on Busted Open Radio

In fact, Saints is so passionate about his hometown that he even revealed an optimistic goal for 2026. He mentioned how WrestleMania 42 is currently rumored to be taking place in New Orleans. Thus, he wanted to debut on the main roster by next year and have a match at the Showcase of the Immortals.

Related: Backstage update on why WWE fast-tracked Ricky Starks’ debut following his tumultuous AEW release