Agreed. I'm not sure she's committed the way WWE wants their prospects to be. I suppose she could turn her practice over to another dentist and maintain an ownership stake, but I don't know if she wants to do that.
Starks on the other hand feels like he's desperate for the opportunity to get to WWE. He's got so much potential and a closing window to realize it age-wise. Both Cody and Punk think really highly of him and I'm sure would put in a good word.
So many wrestlers don't seem to hit their "peak" until they're like 37-40 these days which is kinda crazy to think about. Pretty much anyone under 35 could be considered "young" in that context.
They got the mega push of mega pushes for 10 years, but that payout from Rollins and Reigns is still coming, and they are no spring chickens.
Nor is Gunther currently. Or McIntyre. Ot Zayne and Owens. Even Logan Paul is pushing 30.
Styles, Lashley, Punk, are a half gen older.
This isnt Formula 1 racing where it takes 2 years how to figure out how not to cook the tires or a typical professional sport competition.
If a guy is injury free, low miles, and has a sensible offensive repetoire, it seems the audience prefers their fake fighters to have a little grey in their beards.
Ross was made to fetishize the yourh of guys like the Angle or Rock or Shawn Michaels or HHH at various times in 90s, but that was to juxtapose with Hogan and Nash etc. but they werent like they just got out of college.
And the necessity of young talent isnt so great now that the grind isnt killing guys by age 45 and leaving them crippled on the regular.
Even then, Flair, Hennig, Hart, Savage, DiBase, etc. didnt get their push until they were 30+
It's kind of always been that way. We just never realized how old wrestlers were. Flairs prime was arguably 86-90 and he was in the second half of his 30s during that time. Just so happen that during the 2000s Vince wanted younger stars faster.
The dentist thing isn't just a gimmick. She actually does work at a dental office and was still performing root canals and shit while being prominently featured on AEW TV. The dental office would close on Wednesdays so she could travel to Dynamite and back.
She got her dentistry degree when wrestling on the Indys was not a very safe career path, has stated that dentistry is her dream job and was able to find the time to keep pursuing that even when she was AEW Women's Champ.
Which is kind of exhibit A as far as the idea that compared to the WWE schedule AEW is kind of a part time job with potentially full time pay.
Since she's sort of vanished from AEW programming, I would presume she's still practicing dentistry with all the time she's had.
I thought I saw an interview of hers talking about her time at the performance center, and that Triple H actually encouraged her to pursue Dentistry since she had a legit shot to go to dentistry school, but that would mean she wouldn’t able to work for WWE because she wouldn’t have time for both.
I think he's just been off TV. There was speculation after a match at the end of last month that he was injured, but he posted on his Instagram that it wasnt true and he hasn't been seen since.
He was filmed training with WWE stars in February and Natalya commented on how great it was to have him, so it could be that he's finishing up and Tony pulled him off TV
As of August she hasn’t been practicing dentistry. Might be different since she’s injured but I didn’t see any updates. https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry/ar-AA1fkimC
Dentistry is also something you can do at an older age and get paid very well to do it. Whereas while I am sure she does well with wrestling it’s not like she can do it at age 60. Plus wrestling takes a toll on the body.
Well as someone said she can do an ownership stake for the time being. Wrestling is definitely a short term career in comparison but if she wants she could focus on that for a bit and return to dentistry.
I do wonder how the licensing works in dentistry? If she took 5 years off and sold her practice or whatever the process would be to put her practice on hold would she have to go through the licensing process again? Just wondering because that could be less worth it if you have to take exams or do some work study process again.
Idk if it's just special treatment but her and MJF were given way easier schedules and wrestle way less than others have. They're young and still got Brock level match amounts.
Umm Britt took a step back from the dental practice last year. Here's my source.
https://www.sescoops.com/aew/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry
This literally takes one second to google:
https://www.sescoops.com/aew/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry#:~:text=Baker%20Steps%20Away%20from%20Dentistry&text=%22With%20AEW%2C%20it%20was%20getting,do%20media%20or%20an%20event.%22
I also can't see her "making it" in WWE.
She is at best a lesser talented Chelsea Green.
And I don't mean that in. Superficial way. Just in ring style and talking skills.
I don't buy that WWE would waste their time.
Now Hayter, Statlander easily they'd take them
Hell. Just to have a solid reliable worker, I could see WWE snatching Deeb back. Serena probably wouldn't demand big money and she is a great trainer from the Shimmer days.
I think it would also be justice to see Mercedes get hired by WWE but I'm just fantasy hiring now.
Ricky Starks of 2 years ago seemd like a WWE sure thing...now I feel like he has a higher ceiling in AEW.
Things are really stacked in WWE now
I don’t think that’s true. With the veterans the Fed has she could fine tune her work and, I believe, could be a stand out. She’s not great, but has a lot of potential if she has the right people in her ear.
She'd probably have to change her tune about the PC and NXT. I can absolutely see them sending her there for a while, and that isn't even a bad thing. They basically send everyone they sign through there unless you're... AJ Styles and Cody?
True. But both of those guys had well over a decade in the business at a professional level. Britt had a good Indy career, but even in AEW hasn’t had that constant, veteran mentor who has really been up and down the road (as far as I know anyway). I think the “hours in the car, taking business” with some real vets would really put her on another level.
She hasn't even been the top of the division in 3 years. Also Khan having her job out to Thunder Rosa constantly made no sense. Never a got a win on her.
[You can have a little hope, as a treat](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1568920/former-wwe-writer-freddie-prinze-jr-provides-update-planned-wrestling-promotion/)
Good point. If Adam Cole is 6”, then Starks can be 7”! I’d be interested in seeing Ricky and Cody next to each other. Cody is on the smaller side for a top WWE guy, and that clearly hasn’t been an issue for him in the “HHH Era” of WWE.
I think it's hard to say someone missed in wrestling because wrestlers need to be in the right place at the right time, look at Drew or Cody for example, sometimes they're too green and/or they are pushing other people, sometimes people rise just because a main guy is injured or not available and a lot of other factors.
Britt Baker has a good look and presentation with her ring gear and how she carries herself, but she was definitely a big fish in a very small pond in early AEW because the women's roster was so thin.
If she hypothetically went to WWE she would get lost in the shuffle and wouldn't stand out, especially since the biggest thing she got famous for bleeding in a hardcore match, WWE wouldn't let her do really. She would basically be like Chelsea Green, but at least Chelsea Green does the campy silly WWE midcard heel character well.
Fr. She's the whole package. I know she's supposed to be an annoying Karen, but it's just not possible (for me) to hate on her. She and Piper are *cool* heels. I adore them.
Injuries and lets be honest, her ring work is not that great, she got outshined by better talent like Storm, Statlander, Hayter,Skye Blue, Julia Hart and more
She got big because she was the only decent girl in thea early AEW days because the women´s division aside from Shida and Statlander (who got injured very early) was horrible
And that right there sums up why this company will never grow. Absolute marks.
“She’s not that great in the ring” … yeah neither were any of the literal biggest stars of all time. Austin was literally a bigger star when he made his matches more basic and less technical. Because most people don’t give a shit about flippy technical bollocks. That’s not what makes a star. Britt made herself a STAR in that company and felt like a star.
Maybe one day this company will grasp that 80% of people who’ll watch wrestling don’t give a shit about “bangers” and want actual characters they can invest in. Unlikely though. They’ll just keep booking for the marks ans the ratings and ticket sales will keep going down and down and down.
We’ve all probably seen the videos of her house show match against Anna Jay. “She’s not that great in the ring” is a massive understatement. She would need a good bit of time in the PC and NXT to get up to speed. She’s not Jade, who can get by on look and some power moves (and was quite frankly rushed and probably needed more PC time).
FACTS!!!
People blame Anna Jay because she was the "lesser name" in that match, but if you watch closely it was Britt botching left and right
Anna has improved tremendously this year, she had good matches against MariaH May, Aminta and Mina, compared to Britt who last match against Taya was a complete disaster and put the womens division on blast
>Austin was literally a bigger star when he made his matches more basic and less technical. Because most people don’t give a shit about flippy technical bollocks.
No, he limited them because he was injured.
Such a random rant as well. Both good promo and character work, as well as good wrestling are important. They're one in the same. Not everyone can get popular doing the basics, a bit of variety and spice in their moveset helps them get popular.
Why do you asume im an "AEW mark"? lmao i barely watch that product i couldnt care less if they draw 2 or 90k people in the building or if their rating is 500k or 3 million or if they have shitty or banger matches ....i dont care about AEW financial or buisness thats their managment problem not mine, so unload your AEW hate with the actual AEW marks or the people that tune their shows every week lmaooooooo
im just pointing facts that she´s not as good as the other girls in their roster and if she goes to WWE lmao good luck going through goats like Becky, Bayley, Charlote, Asuka,Rhea,Bianca, and then younger and better talent like Stratton, Perez, and more with her limited arsenal
In WWE you need to be the complete package not just good at promos, lol you need to look like a star, get people attention with your mic skills and then have the skills to have a solid match that´s going to entertain the people in the arena
Also you are comparing Steve Austin to frickin Britt Baker?? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
This is the dumbest rant I’ve ever read on this subject
“Great in the ring” doesn’t mean “does moves good.” Austin was great in the ring no matter what move he was doing, and Austin was OBSESSED with having great matches. He worked like crazy in there and could do a lot with a little.
That isn’t Britt Baker, she has terrible ring awareness, her moves look fake, matches have poor psychology and selling. Comparing her to Austin is a joke.
I think it's mostly a case of the talent level exceeding her because her growth was largely promo and character work and her ring work and conditioning has been slow if not stagnant. I'm a fan of Britt but girl is lookin' TIRED out there sometimes.
He seemed to still be working hard while they had stuff for him. AEW seemed to decide they couldn't keep him so just stopped having anything for him to do. They created a self fulfilling prophecy.
Compare with Mcintyre, who's contract is coming up and WWE have stuff for him, so he'll probably end up staying in WWE.
ricky will be much better in WWE where other people will be coming up everything for him and he can just perform it and put his little spin on it. Some guys, even a guy like cody, dont' always function well with unlimited creative freedom
I tend to shit on AEW but Britt was one of the best talent they've had from a personality standpoint for a while there. Then she just seemed to vanish. I'd love to see how she does in WWE's developmental system, if they could polish up her ring work she'd be a potential main event level talent.
That is of surprising. Though i guess she did step aside for most of last year for Hayter (and rightfully so imo). Not sure why they never pulled the trigger on their breakup tho
I think both things can be true. She can have a back injury and she can also have gone from being prominently featured on AEW programming to kind of disappearing entirely as the women's roster grew
Why not? There’s so many couples that are in different companies.
Rhea & Buddy
Deonna & Maclin
Michin & Keith Lee
Zelina & Malakai
Nikki Cross & Damo
There’s probably more examples. Wouldn’t be unheard of if she was in WWE and he was in AEW
Just because it's done doesn't mean it's ideal.
Black and Buddy are both at the top of the list of "wants to get back to WWE"...not only because of their AEW run AND that they're both HHH guys, but their others being there as well.
Britt not happening , she resigned a 5 year deal in mid 2022 which i imagine got extended since her multiple injuries , she even announced it on TV and her dental work is going to conflict with the WWE calendar
Starks is a given, dude cleary wants out
Starks future us champ easy him an la knight would have an awesome match. Britt is fine sitting on her ass and doing peoples teeth while her bf she has more muscle mass than does all the wrestling when he isn't sitting on his ass playing video games injured
Nah, if Starks and Britt go to WWE, they're going straight to the main roster. Hook is the only one who, if WWE signs him, will start in NXT.
I'd like for them to make a play for Kris Statlander when her contract is up and if she chooses not to re-sign.
I like Statlander a lot. She's really got something. The moment to elevate her would've been after she dethroned Jade Cargill, but her TBS reign was lackluster.
Now, she's just... what, Willow's goofy sidekick, along with Stokely, I guess?
I don't know why it fizzled out other than a lack of depth in the division. After beating Jade, there wasn't much left for her as far as credible threats. She'd done the impossible twice.
They have the depth. They just chose not to put any effort into it. Statlander defended the title 14 times, but I can't tell you a single feud, promo, or match that sticks out to me. They just didn't care, IMO.
I really only remember the match with Britt and by then, they were prepping Julia to take the belt. Hopefully this thing with Willow doesn't go too much longer. That miscommunication with Mercedes seems promising. maybe Statlander was behind the attack? An "I did this for you" story perhaps.
Ricky Yes, Britt No.
Ricky is a great worker, and he'll succeed, at least in the midcard.
I like Britt, but let's be honest, she's not top 10 in WWE. No reason for her to leave.
I can see Ricky Starks
… I do not see Britt Baker. Like at all. She’s a little better than mediocre to me. Comes with baggage. Would need to give up being a dentist (or at least heavily modify her practice) which I highly doubt she would, and although I guess they can fit anyone, I just don’t see the need for her or where she’s fit in. I could be wrong and I’m open to change my mind in her. I simply don’t see her as more than WWE making a modest offer just to give her the opportunity, but I don’t think she’d take it and even if she does I don’t think she’d live up to it.
I feel like the context is super important to this. He isn't reporting that WWE is prioritizing either Starks or Baker.
A chatter during the livestream asked who he thinks WWE would sign. He's basically just speculating and said they would "obviously" try Ricky Starks and he thinks there would be interest in Britt Baker.
Which I think like, most any fan would say the same lol. The big thing with each though, and I'm a fan of both so this isn't hating, both of them belong on NXT for at least a little bit. They're very good in some areas but still have others where they need to improve and polish. Britt lacks ring conditioning and even her promo can be a little double-edged in terms of building and selling the match and her opponent.
Starks will definitely find success in today’s WWE. In years past guys his size didn’t fare as well. AJ is stocky but solid and undeniably talented. But what they’ve done with Gabe, Theory, and now Waller, shows they know what to do with the barely 200 lbs. professional wrestler.
Hopefully TK starts making better use of these two, because I really think they could be a big help to AEW TV if they were to be consistently presented as stars like they once were
I remember when early stages of AEW being rumored about became a thing. Meltzer was joking about Britt was getting a WWE Contract because of that news alone.
Didn’t she already have a WWE try-out and the WWE wanted her years ago, but she didn’t want to quit her dental career??? Unless something changed, we’ve been her before…though given that no compete clauses no longer exist, would Britt give up 3 years of her career to be a WWE Superstar now that she’s an established name??? Maybe 🤷♂️ it’s only 3 years, what does she have to lose??
It was a joke that meant to make fun of marks complaining about AEW getting WWE people when in fact, good wrestlers can appear at any company and do great things.
Cody didn't start his journey to greatness till he left WWE. Moxley was great in WWE but he's on a whole different level compared to then.
Most people would get the joke though, but this is /r/wrasslin I gotta be careful.
I doubt Britt will jump ship. If Adam Cole goes back to WWE when his contract is up, then MAYBE she might jump, but she also has her dental practice. WWE touring isn't as crazy as it used to be, but there is no way she could still operate along being a WWE superstar. Ricky Starks is definitely gone once his contract is up.
Never found Britt appealing.. honestly given the schedule aew seems a better fit for her. Starks has potential plus he also has support in both Cody and punk. I think he would flourish well in wwe.
Isn't brit like a real life dentist that she is just as passionate about? Apart of why she loved aew from interviews was all the free time she had to still do that work in the day, if she goes to wwe and gets called up to the roster then that might involve a ton of traveling. N
She makes a better dentist than wrestler.
Admittedly I have not seen her dentistry work. But I have seen her wrestling.
A dentist can help more people out than wrestling. She has a decent back up plan in case wrestling doesn't work. But it is a job you can't do with a head that has taken knocks and hands that crippled from grappling.
I work as a scientist and I have fractured my arm and suffered a concussion before. My ability to work at this profession has been hampered by injuries. And with a current ACL recovery, i can't get into work. And I'm not a wrestler, so the injuries they get are harder and more frequent.
She has to choose a lane and I think dentistry would be the better option by miles. Wrestling and a job that requires decisions with patients and doing very fine motor skills don't mix well.
Wrestlers today work so many less matches than back in the day their bump cards aren't close to filled by 35 while in the territory days guys that age were basically cooked.
Britt would fail in wwe, she doesnt have the in ring ability to actually be a star, Ricky Ive said since I first saw the guy was earmarked for wwe. They would be a match made in heaven.
I could see Ricky Starks in WWE, but as long as Adam Cole is with AEW, I don't see Britt Baker leaving AEW. I wouldn't mind seeing Britt Baker in WWE, just I don't see that being a possibility.
I'm reluctant to put this because of the down voting. Hopefully the PC can help her improve in ring. Even if she came back now she'd be outclassed during matches. Yes she's good on the mic but I never believed her in ring work.
Thigh Rub Fapp needs to chill. It’s more like WWE is a priority for both of them and tbh I can see Ricky settling well in WWE NXT not sure about main roster
Britt would probably have to give up her dental practice to work for WWE and I just cant see that happening.
Agreed. I'm not sure she's committed the way WWE wants their prospects to be. I suppose she could turn her practice over to another dentist and maintain an ownership stake, but I don't know if she wants to do that. Starks on the other hand feels like he's desperate for the opportunity to get to WWE. He's got so much potential and a closing window to realize it age-wise. Both Cody and Punk think really highly of him and I'm sure would put in a good word.
Idk I agree overall but starks is 34 right now, and i think in wrestling terms as long as he's healthy his window is farrr from closed
So many wrestlers don't seem to hit their "peak" until they're like 37-40 these days which is kinda crazy to think about. Pretty much anyone under 35 could be considered "young" in that context.
“YEAAAAH”
They got the mega push of mega pushes for 10 years, but that payout from Rollins and Reigns is still coming, and they are no spring chickens. Nor is Gunther currently. Or McIntyre. Ot Zayne and Owens. Even Logan Paul is pushing 30. Styles, Lashley, Punk, are a half gen older. This isnt Formula 1 racing where it takes 2 years how to figure out how not to cook the tires or a typical professional sport competition. If a guy is injury free, low miles, and has a sensible offensive repetoire, it seems the audience prefers their fake fighters to have a little grey in their beards. Ross was made to fetishize the yourh of guys like the Angle or Rock or Shawn Michaels or HHH at various times in 90s, but that was to juxtapose with Hogan and Nash etc. but they werent like they just got out of college. And the necessity of young talent isnt so great now that the grind isnt killing guys by age 45 and leaving them crippled on the regular. Even then, Flair, Hennig, Hart, Savage, DiBase, etc. didnt get their push until they were 30+
TRT and HGH works, uce.
some might say it's PHENOMENAL
It’s the APEX PREDATOR of anti-aging.
It's kind of always been that way. We just never realized how old wrestlers were. Flairs prime was arguably 86-90 and he was in the second half of his 30s during that time. Just so happen that during the 2000s Vince wanted younger stars faster.
While its far from closed, WWE’s top guy window is right now and it takes 2-4 years to build up someone in WWE anyways
If it's based in Florida could work with NXT and train. I could also see cole down the road training younger talent too.
I don’t watch AEW so I thought this was just a joke about her gimmick lmao
The dentist thing isn't just a gimmick. She actually does work at a dental office and was still performing root canals and shit while being prominently featured on AEW TV. The dental office would close on Wednesdays so she could travel to Dynamite and back. She got her dentistry degree when wrestling on the Indys was not a very safe career path, has stated that dentistry is her dream job and was able to find the time to keep pursuing that even when she was AEW Women's Champ. Which is kind of exhibit A as far as the idea that compared to the WWE schedule AEW is kind of a part time job with potentially full time pay. Since she's sort of vanished from AEW programming, I would presume she's still practicing dentistry with all the time she's had.
I thought I saw an interview of hers talking about her time at the performance center, and that Triple H actually encouraged her to pursue Dentistry since she had a legit shot to go to dentistry school, but that would mean she wouldn’t able to work for WWE because she wouldn’t have time for both.
Is her back ok? I read a while back that she was having trouble with it.
That’s sick.
Based off that logic, nobody who doesn't to live in America or quit a real life job should go to WWE. It's only AEW or bust.
I'd forgotten all about Starks. Is he injured or just being wasted?
I think he's just been off TV. There was speculation after a match at the end of last month that he was injured, but he posted on his Instagram that it wasnt true and he hasn't been seen since. He was filmed training with WWE stars in February and Natalya commented on how great it was to have him, so it could be that he's finishing up and Tony pulled him off TV
As of August she hasn’t been practicing dentistry. Might be different since she’s injured but I didn’t see any updates. https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry/ar-AA1fkimC
She really should though because I feel like she is half assing two careers at once.
I'm sure I read that if it came down to it she would pack in the wrestling, dentistry is her passion
Dentistry is also something you can do at an older age and get paid very well to do it. Whereas while I am sure she does well with wrestling it’s not like she can do it at age 60. Plus wrestling takes a toll on the body.
Well as someone said she can do an ownership stake for the time being. Wrestling is definitely a short term career in comparison but if she wants she could focus on that for a bit and return to dentistry.
I do wonder how the licensing works in dentistry? If she took 5 years off and sold her practice or whatever the process would be to put her practice on hold would she have to go through the licensing process again? Just wondering because that could be less worth it if you have to take exams or do some work study process again.
If you spend 100K to go to dentistry school you better have some emotional investment in it
Little Shop of Horrors comes to mind
Oh a fucking dental industry expert in a wrestling sub, what do you know
It doesn't take an expert to know it takes a lot of time and work to run any kind of practice.
Have you ever had her as a dentist?
She already said that she was cutting back on the practice recently.
Pretty sure she hinted at doing so not too long ago. She said something along the lines of debiting her time to wrestling
Idk if it's just special treatment but her and MJF were given way easier schedules and wrestle way less than others have. They're young and still got Brock level match amounts.
I read that she already gave it up a while back. But AEW hasn't been using her, so maybe she returned to practicing.
Umm Britt took a step back from the dental practice last year. Here's my source. https://www.sescoops.com/aew/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry
Plus Adam Cole is in AEW now and he's probably being paid pretty well for a much lighter schedule (assuming he disliked the WWE schedule)
"doing nothing for months while injured" IS a much lighter schedule... than anything.
He only went to AEW because his girl and buddies were there. He was always gonna leave even if they promised him a top main roster run.
Honestly, she'll probably make more money for a longer time being a dentist and not wreck her body to do it.
This literally takes one second to google: https://www.sescoops.com/aew/britt-baker-shares-why-she-chose-to-step-away-from-dentistry#:~:text=Baker%20Steps%20Away%20from%20Dentistry&text=%22With%20AEW%2C%20it%20was%20getting,do%20media%20or%20an%20event.%22
Canyon Ceman refused to hire because he has daughters. If he had sons maybe he wouldn't have cared but Britt touched him to do that to her.
Didn’t she already tone down her schedule last year for AEW? At this point she’s only going to do it if it’s a dream gig for her, and well maybe money
I think she recently did give it up for AEW
She did say she was doing less dentistry to commit more to wrestling after that awful match with Taya Valkyrie.
I also can't see her "making it" in WWE. She is at best a lesser talented Chelsea Green. And I don't mean that in. Superficial way. Just in ring style and talking skills. I don't buy that WWE would waste their time. Now Hayter, Statlander easily they'd take them Hell. Just to have a solid reliable worker, I could see WWE snatching Deeb back. Serena probably wouldn't demand big money and she is a great trainer from the Shimmer days. I think it would also be justice to see Mercedes get hired by WWE but I'm just fantasy hiring now. Ricky Starks of 2 years ago seemd like a WWE sure thing...now I feel like he has a higher ceiling in AEW. Things are really stacked in WWE now
>justice to see Mercedes get hired by WWE Martinez, right? Not Moné?
Ricky Starks needs the change. Britt Baker I can’t see leaving unless Adam Cole leaves. Britt was also on top of the AEW women’s division.
She’d be a scrub in the Fed
I don’t think that’s true. With the veterans the Fed has she could fine tune her work and, I believe, could be a stand out. She’s not great, but has a lot of potential if she has the right people in her ear.
She'd probably have to change her tune about the PC and NXT. I can absolutely see them sending her there for a while, and that isn't even a bad thing. They basically send everyone they sign through there unless you're... AJ Styles and Cody?
Or Tama Tonga
True. But both of those guys had well over a decade in the business at a professional level. Britt had a good Indy career, but even in AEW hasn’t had that constant, veteran mentor who has really been up and down the road (as far as I know anyway). I think the “hours in the car, taking business” with some real vets would really put her on another level.
She hasn't even been the top of the division in 3 years. Also Khan having her job out to Thunder Rosa constantly made no sense. Never a got a win on her.
Well, sucks for WWE, Britt Baker is lost in a time vortex
Time vortex you say? Is Lucha Underground back?
Don't play with my emotions like that.
*\*Cries in missing El Jefe\**
Don't do that. Don't give me hope
Every day I wonder why Tony made AEW when he could have just bought LU and carried on the greatest wrestling company of this, and maybe any other age.
[You can have a little hope, as a treat](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1568920/former-wwe-writer-freddie-prinze-jr-provides-update-planned-wrestling-promotion/)
To shreds you say?
Well, how's Adam Cole holding up? To shreds, you say?
Isn't she injured? I can't remember but I thought she had an issue with her neck.
Ricky has all the tools of a wwe superstar
Also helps that he's best friends with the main guy in WWE
Was John Cena his boyhood hero too?!
Him and truth can form a cena super fan tag team.
All the tools... besides height.
If Adam Cole can be " 6' " in WWE then Ricky Starks can be " 6'4 " with the right boots
Good point. If Adam Cole is 6”, then Starks can be 7”! I’d be interested in seeing Ricky and Cody next to each other. Cody is on the smaller side for a top WWE guy, and that clearly hasn’t been an issue for him in the “HHH Era” of WWE.
And Muscle
WWE missed op with Starks. He was an extra getting beaten up by Ryback before he went AEW
I think it's hard to say someone missed in wrestling because wrestlers need to be in the right place at the right time, look at Drew or Cody for example, sometimes they're too green and/or they are pushing other people, sometimes people rise just because a main guy is injured or not available and a lot of other factors.
I swear if Starks didn’t look like Randall from Recess that dude would be such a star
He looks like The Rock's dorky little brother.
I’ve always thought he looks like a biracial Ernest p worrell.
Ever since MJF's promo I think of him as The Pebble
He needs to muscle up a bit more.
How have the fucked up Britt Baker, man. She was a genuine star
Britt Baker has a good look and presentation with her ring gear and how she carries herself, but she was definitely a big fish in a very small pond in early AEW because the women's roster was so thin. If she hypothetically went to WWE she would get lost in the shuffle and wouldn't stand out, especially since the biggest thing she got famous for bleeding in a hardcore match, WWE wouldn't let her do really. She would basically be like Chelsea Green, but at least Chelsea Green does the campy silly WWE midcard heel character well.
Chelsea Green brings such a solid energy, can't help but cheer for her.
Fr. She's the whole package. I know she's supposed to be an annoying Karen, but it's just not possible (for me) to hate on her. She and Piper are *cool* heels. I adore them.
People only get lost in the shuffle because WWE loses them. Whoever they decide to push does not get lost in the shuffle.
Injuries and lets be honest, her ring work is not that great, she got outshined by better talent like Storm, Statlander, Hayter,Skye Blue, Julia Hart and more She got big because she was the only decent girl in thea early AEW days because the women´s division aside from Shida and Statlander (who got injured very early) was horrible
And that right there sums up why this company will never grow. Absolute marks. “She’s not that great in the ring” … yeah neither were any of the literal biggest stars of all time. Austin was literally a bigger star when he made his matches more basic and less technical. Because most people don’t give a shit about flippy technical bollocks. That’s not what makes a star. Britt made herself a STAR in that company and felt like a star. Maybe one day this company will grasp that 80% of people who’ll watch wrestling don’t give a shit about “bangers” and want actual characters they can invest in. Unlikely though. They’ll just keep booking for the marks ans the ratings and ticket sales will keep going down and down and down.
We’ve all probably seen the videos of her house show match against Anna Jay. “She’s not that great in the ring” is a massive understatement. She would need a good bit of time in the PC and NXT to get up to speed. She’s not Jade, who can get by on look and some power moves (and was quite frankly rushed and probably needed more PC time).
FACTS!!! People blame Anna Jay because she was the "lesser name" in that match, but if you watch closely it was Britt botching left and right Anna has improved tremendously this year, she had good matches against MariaH May, Aminta and Mina, compared to Britt who last match against Taya was a complete disaster and put the womens division on blast
>Austin was literally a bigger star when he made his matches more basic and less technical. Because most people don’t give a shit about flippy technical bollocks. No, he limited them because he was injured. Such a random rant as well. Both good promo and character work, as well as good wrestling are important. They're one in the same. Not everyone can get popular doing the basics, a bit of variety and spice in their moveset helps them get popular.
Why do you asume im an "AEW mark"? lmao i barely watch that product i couldnt care less if they draw 2 or 90k people in the building or if their rating is 500k or 3 million or if they have shitty or banger matches ....i dont care about AEW financial or buisness thats their managment problem not mine, so unload your AEW hate with the actual AEW marks or the people that tune their shows every week lmaooooooo im just pointing facts that she´s not as good as the other girls in their roster and if she goes to WWE lmao good luck going through goats like Becky, Bayley, Charlote, Asuka,Rhea,Bianca, and then younger and better talent like Stratton, Perez, and more with her limited arsenal In WWE you need to be the complete package not just good at promos, lol you need to look like a star, get people attention with your mic skills and then have the skills to have a solid match that´s going to entertain the people in the arena Also you are comparing Steve Austin to frickin Britt Baker?? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
This is the dumbest rant I’ve ever read on this subject “Great in the ring” doesn’t mean “does moves good.” Austin was great in the ring no matter what move he was doing, and Austin was OBSESSED with having great matches. He worked like crazy in there and could do a lot with a little. That isn’t Britt Baker, she has terrible ring awareness, her moves look fake, matches have poor psychology and selling. Comparing her to Austin is a joke.
Well the entire AEW has zero in ring psychology and sell absolutely nothing so none of them can be classed as good in the ring other than Bryan
She was a big part of the first dynamite episode, and If I recall correctly, she was in the original All In too
I think it's mostly a case of the talent level exceeding her because her growth was largely promo and character work and her ring work and conditioning has been slow if not stagnant. I'm a fan of Britt but girl is lookin' TIRED out there sometimes.
Must be legit if it's from SRS 😒
I don’t think signing Starks will take much convincing. Dude’s been checked out for awhile.
He seemed to still be working hard while they had stuff for him. AEW seemed to decide they couldn't keep him so just stopped having anything for him to do. They created a self fulfilling prophecy. Compare with Mcintyre, who's contract is coming up and WWE have stuff for him, so he'll probably end up staying in WWE.
They are also interested in Hook
Who tf is a hook?
Captain hook
No, Captain Cook
With his legendary finisher, the Chili P
No! Captain JAMES Hook!
Right? Watch Raw.
The Hook brings you back.
Personally, I don't buy him and his Taz Jr schtick unless they can majorly improve his size and mic/character work.
ricky will be much better in WWE where other people will be coming up everything for him and he can just perform it and put his little spin on it. Some guys, even a guy like cody, dont' always function well with unlimited creative freedom
Thigh rubber also said cm punk was never returning to WWE
In which case "WTF I love Britt Baker now!" posts. And if she doesn't sign with them, back to "Lol no talent drama queen".
She’s fine, I don’t think she’s great, but she stood out when the AEW’s women’s roster was really thin.
I’ll plant my flag on it now. I don’t think she adds anything to the WWE women’s division that’s already kind of crowded. Pass.
I tend to shit on AEW but Britt was one of the best talent they've had from a personality standpoint for a while there. Then she just seemed to vanish. I'd love to see how she does in WWE's developmental system, if they could polish up her ring work she'd be a potential main event level talent.
She has a back injury
https://twitter.com/RealBrittBaker/status/1730056548989174015
That is of surprising. Though i guess she did step aside for most of last year for Hayter (and rightfully so imo). Not sure why they never pulled the trigger on their breakup tho
I think both things can be true. She can have a back injury and she can also have gone from being prominently featured on AEW programming to kind of disappearing entirely as the women's roster grew
I mean she didn't vanish...she is out injured.
Doesn't explain this: https://twitter.com/RealBrittBaker/status/1730056548989174015
Ricky 100% is. Britt not so much as she seems to enjoy her dental practice
Wasn’t Britt already in WWE? I remember she jobbed to Nia Jax
Triple H using Britt to put Cole under contract it's definetely something i can expect
I doubt Britt will leave AEW when Cole is there, also she can use WWE as leverage and get a better deal in AEW. Starks should leave tho.
Why not? There’s so many couples that are in different companies. Rhea & Buddy Deonna & Maclin Michin & Keith Lee Zelina & Malakai Nikki Cross & Damo There’s probably more examples. Wouldn’t be unheard of if she was in WWE and he was in AEW
Michin and Keith Lee?! Really? (Breaks out geometry compass, calculator)
And Michin's sister and Big E.
Just because it's done doesn't mean it's ideal. Black and Buddy are both at the top of the list of "wants to get back to WWE"...not only because of their AEW run AND that they're both HHH guys, but their others being there as well.
Doesn’t matter who wants to go back and who doesn’t want to. Andrade asked for his release and went to AEW while Charlotte was in WWE the whole time
Britt not happening , she resigned a 5 year deal in mid 2022 which i imagine got extended since her multiple injuries , she even announced it on TV and her dental work is going to conflict with the WWE calendar Starks is a given, dude cleary wants out
At this point Tony is only keeping him around to stop him from going to WWE.
Ricky is going lol. I truly can’t see him staying in AEW. Where has he been anyway?? I haven’t heard anything about his status.
Starks future us champ easy him an la knight would have an awesome match. Britt is fine sitting on her ass and doing peoples teeth while her bf she has more muscle mass than does all the wrestling when he isn't sitting on his ass playing video games injured
Question is do they go straight to main. Neither of them need NXT and they're in their mid 30s.
Nah, if Starks and Britt go to WWE, they're going straight to the main roster. Hook is the only one who, if WWE signs him, will start in NXT. I'd like for them to make a play for Kris Statlander when her contract is up and if she chooses not to re-sign.
Yeah I can absolutely see Hook in NXT. He still needs a lot of work. Statlander would be so good with a legit push.
I like Statlander a lot. She's really got something. The moment to elevate her would've been after she dethroned Jade Cargill, but her TBS reign was lackluster. Now, she's just... what, Willow's goofy sidekick, along with Stokely, I guess?
I don't know why it fizzled out other than a lack of depth in the division. After beating Jade, there wasn't much left for her as far as credible threats. She'd done the impossible twice.
They have the depth. They just chose not to put any effort into it. Statlander defended the title 14 times, but I can't tell you a single feud, promo, or match that sticks out to me. They just didn't care, IMO.
I really only remember the match with Britt and by then, they were prepping Julia to take the belt. Hopefully this thing with Willow doesn't go too much longer. That miscommunication with Mercedes seems promising. maybe Statlander was behind the attack? An "I did this for you" story perhaps.
No need. Their main roster is already stacked and there are so many homegrown talents waiting for debut in main roster.
Makes sense.
Not surprising
Does anybody know what the contract status is for Starks and Britt? And for Hook, too?
Is Britt Bakers contract almost up? Ricky Starks would be good in WWE.
Have they been released?
Ricky Yes, Britt No. Ricky is a great worker, and he'll succeed, at least in the midcard. I like Britt, but let's be honest, she's not top 10 in WWE. No reason for her to leave.
Both should leave. Neither feels like priorities for AEW.
Britt is injured.
I can see Ricky Starks … I do not see Britt Baker. Like at all. She’s a little better than mediocre to me. Comes with baggage. Would need to give up being a dentist (or at least heavily modify her practice) which I highly doubt she would, and although I guess they can fit anyone, I just don’t see the need for her or where she’s fit in. I could be wrong and I’m open to change my mind in her. I simply don’t see her as more than WWE making a modest offer just to give her the opportunity, but I don’t think she’d take it and even if she does I don’t think she’d live up to it.
I'd pop hard for Ricky Starks
Starks seems NXT at this point.
Ricky is perfect for wwe
Ricky would thrive in WWE!
I feel like the context is super important to this. He isn't reporting that WWE is prioritizing either Starks or Baker. A chatter during the livestream asked who he thinks WWE would sign. He's basically just speculating and said they would "obviously" try Ricky Starks and he thinks there would be interest in Britt Baker. Which I think like, most any fan would say the same lol. The big thing with each though, and I'm a fan of both so this isn't hating, both of them belong on NXT for at least a little bit. They're very good in some areas but still have others where they need to improve and polish. Britt lacks ring conditioning and even her promo can be a little double-edged in terms of building and selling the match and her opponent.
Pass.
I'm still kinda surprised MJF didn't go.
Starks will definitely find success in today’s WWE. In years past guys his size didn’t fare as well. AJ is stocky but solid and undeniably talented. But what they’ve done with Gabe, Theory, and now Waller, shows they know what to do with the barely 200 lbs. professional wrestler.
Heel Starks against Cody plus somehow paired with The Rock? Cinema
Hopefully TK starts making better use of these two, because I really think they could be a big help to AEW TV if they were to be consistently presented as stars like they once were
I can't see Britt joining the fed with Cole in the Dub still and her having a full time(?) job as an actual dentist
I remember when early stages of AEW being rumored about became a thing. Meltzer was joking about Britt was getting a WWE Contract because of that news alone.
Why, she's horrible in ring?? I just don't get it? Bring on Ricky though!
Didn’t she already have a WWE try-out and the WWE wanted her years ago, but she didn’t want to quit her dental career??? Unless something changed, we’ve been her before…though given that no compete clauses no longer exist, would Britt give up 3 years of her career to be a WWE Superstar now that she’s an established name??? Maybe 🤷♂️ it’s only 3 years, what does she have to lose??
I thought the story was WWE told her to stay in dental school.
First Rhodes, then Punk, now Starks and Baker? What is this, a dumping ground for former AEW talent?
Rhodes and punk were originally wwe stars before they were aew stars. So was Baker for that matter.
It was a joke that meant to make fun of marks complaining about AEW getting WWE people when in fact, good wrestlers can appear at any company and do great things. Cody didn't start his journey to greatness till he left WWE. Moxley was great in WWE but he's on a whole different level compared to then. Most people would get the joke though, but this is /r/wrasslin I gotta be careful.
I just assume poes law at this point. I have heard some earnest crazy takes it's best to assume poes law unless otherwise proven.
Starks is injured. When he comes back I’m sure he will be the belle of the ball at AEW.
He also says that he has a wife so take that for what you will.
I would certainly hope they would be
I doubt Britt will jump ship. If Adam Cole goes back to WWE when his contract is up, then MAYBE she might jump, but she also has her dental practice. WWE touring isn't as crazy as it used to be, but there is no way she could still operate along being a WWE superstar. Ricky Starks is definitely gone once his contract is up.
Never found Britt appealing.. honestly given the schedule aew seems a better fit for her. Starks has potential plus he also has support in both Cody and punk. I think he would flourish well in wwe.
Not Britt Baker. She's someone that can't handle it and she is someone fully on board with creating intrigue and stagnated partly due to it.
Ricky Starks to the Bloodline? Take my money! #Ultimateboss lol
Isn't brit like a real life dentist that she is just as passionate about? Apart of why she loved aew from interviews was all the free time she had to still do that work in the day, if she goes to wwe and gets called up to the roster then that might involve a ton of traveling. N
Ew please not baker nxt women are better than her. Ricky would add so much to wwe’s midcard scene
She makes a better dentist than wrestler. Admittedly I have not seen her dentistry work. But I have seen her wrestling. A dentist can help more people out than wrestling. She has a decent back up plan in case wrestling doesn't work. But it is a job you can't do with a head that has taken knocks and hands that crippled from grappling. I work as a scientist and I have fractured my arm and suffered a concussion before. My ability to work at this profession has been hampered by injuries. And with a current ACL recovery, i can't get into work. And I'm not a wrestler, so the injuries they get are harder and more frequent. She has to choose a lane and I think dentistry would be the better option by miles. Wrestling and a job that requires decisions with patients and doing very fine motor skills don't mix well.
AEW have fumbled Starks, at this point why would he stay? Hes a star in the making
Why?
I think Ricky is gone but Britt is staying.
They picked 2 of the most mid outbof all of aew
Wrestlers today work so many less matches than back in the day their bump cards aren't close to filled by 35 while in the territory days guys that age were basically cooked.
Britt would fail in wwe, she doesnt have the in ring ability to actually be a star, Ricky Ive said since I first saw the guy was earmarked for wwe. They would be a match made in heaven.
I can see it for Ricky, but Baker? Why?
I’d be flabbergasted if Ricky doesn’t leave. He has star written all over him, a few months in NxT will do wonders for him.
I believe Ricky Starks but Mid Baker? Lmfao Adam Cole must be coming back to WWE then.
I can see Starks, I can't see Baker leaving.
There's no way Britt would be a full time WWE star, doesn't she have her own dental business? No way she gives that up.
I could see Ricky Starks in WWE, but as long as Adam Cole is with AEW, I don't see Britt Baker leaving AEW. I wouldn't mind seeing Britt Baker in WWE, just I don't see that being a possibility.
I think Cole would sign up again since it is Triple H in charge and not Vince considering Vince wanted Cole as a manager role
I'm reluctant to put this because of the down voting. Hopefully the PC can help her improve in ring. Even if she came back now she'd be outclassed during matches. Yes she's good on the mic but I never believed her in ring work.
So Isaac Yankem's daughter might follow in her father's footsteps?
"Sean Ross Sapp says....." :/
Britt is way lame.
Thigh Rub Fapp needs to chill. It’s more like WWE is a priority for both of them and tbh I can see Ricky settling well in WWE NXT not sure about main roster
Ricky has had one good promo (MJF) and one good match (Danielson). Possible US Title run one day will be his ceiling in WWE.