Why AEW Pulled Ricky Starks From GCW Dates

Ricky Starks’ recent appearance in GCW set tongues wagging, with the long absent AEW star taking aim at his employer on the mic before setting up a match with Matt Cardona. However it seems future appearances in GCW for Starks have been cancelled, with AEW pulling ‘Absolute’ from any future appearances.

The news was broken by GCW themselves, who announced that Starks' announced match with Cardona on December 14 had been cancelled, as well as unannounced matches at a Seattle show on December 28, and an unannounced bout at the upcoming People vs GCW show at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on January 19.

A report from Fightful Select reveals that AEW pulled Starks from the planned appearances, with the decision made on November 26 and relayed to Starks. The decisions appears to stem from comments made by GCW star Effy about Tony and Shad Khan, with Effy talking about AEW’s upcoming shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom and insinuating that Shad pays Tony to ‘stay away’.

It’s believed that Starks is still able to work independent shows outside of GCW, but GCW is seemingly off the table. It’s unknown if this applies to all AEW/ROH stars and all GCW shows, with the likes of Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir, and MVP working GCW offshoot Bloodsport this past weekend.

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