Ricky Starks is just days away from facing CM Punk in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament Finals on AEW Collision this Saturday night. The young AEW star appeared on Sportsnet’s The Big Show with Rusic and Rose to promote it. Here are some of the highlights:
Facing CM Punk:
“I’m pretty stoked. I’m no stranger to having these types of big opportunities, especially in AEW, and I feel like every time I’ve gotten each opportunity, I’ve knocked it out of the park. So, I don’t think this will be any different. And of course, you know, it’s CM Punk, the biggest name in professional wrestling right now. And what better way to show what I have against that guy, you know?
Who inspired him to get into wrestling:
“Dude, it was actually, I saw The Undertaker on a random Monday Night Raw where he did his entrance, where he stood at the ring post and he threw his hands up and the power went off. I was seven [years old]. And I remember watching that being like, that is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. That is what I want to do. And so from that moment, the bug had bit me, and I was, that was it. I was hooked. So I think about those types of moments, especially when I’m wrestling live. Especially for people who’ve never been to a live event. So I keep that in mind first and foremost, every single time.”
Being equal with CM Punk:
“There are people who look at certain figures in wrestling as, ‘Oh, this guy.’ They put them on a pedestal, basically. To me, I am shoulder-to-shoulder with CM Punk in my head. We are equals. One thing that I do want to get across to Punk and everyone else, regardless of what has been done in someone’s career and what has been done in AEW, the fact will remain that I am a person that can stand on my own. I can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone, and I can go toe-to-toe with any single person, microphone, or in the ring, and I feel I’ve proven that with MJF and with Chris Jericho. So, I don’t see this being any different with Punk.”
You can check out the complete podcast below:
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
