Ricky Starks says a match against CM Punk fell through the cracks, but he’s confident that they’ll have a great bout when they do face off.
Last fall, Starks and his Team Taz stablemates briefly feuded with Punk, and “The Second City Saint” defeated Powerhouse Hobbs on the “Grand Slam” edition of Rampage. Before Starks could step into the ring with Punk, the fan-favorite star moved on and eventually entered feuds with Eddie Kingston and MJF.
When asked the lack of a match with Punk during an interview with Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc., “The Stoke Daddy” noted that the opportunity passed him by, and it was simply a matter of timing. He then stated that, when they do face off, they’ll deliver a remarkable contest.
“You know, I’m not sure,” said Starks. “That seems to be the pattern of my career, just fall through the cracks with certain opportunities. Obviously Punk had the match against Hobbs and then went right into having issues with MJF, I believe. So it was a matter of timing, and that’s no fault of him or me or anyone, really. It’s just a matter of timing. But I do think that the day that happens, that the day, once he comes back and he’s fully recovered, I think the day that me and Punk actually have a match, we’ll set the world on fire.”
The reigning FTW Champion also emphasized that he has learned a lot from Punk, and he praised the veteran’s leadership.
“Man, Punk is leadership in the truest form,” said Starks. “I’ve asked him countless times about advice and things like that backstage. And he’s always willing and open to it. And so I do miss him. I feel his absence for sure in the locker room. And I’m counting the days until he makes a return.
“But yeah Punk is the man. And it’s really great to have somebody who, I don’t know if anyone realizes, but Punk has gone through multiple phases. He was around for that indie bit, but then he was around when WWE was bringing in the indie guys and he was in that system. And now he is on the other side of what wrestling is, past that. So it’s kind of cool that he’s going through these different generations of wrestling, so to speak, and has all of that.”
Punk, the reigning AEW World Champion, is currently sidelined with an injury, and it’s unclear how long he’ll be out of action.
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