GCW (Game Changer Wrestling) took to their official Twitter (X) account to announce that AEW star Ricky Starks has been pulled from his three upcoming appearances for the company.
GCW wrote, “We have just been informed that Ricky Starks has been pulled from all upcoming GCW appearances including his announced match on 12/14 in Los Angeles, his unannounced match on 12/28 in Seattle and his unannounced match on 1/19 at The Hammerstein Ballroom.”
According to Fightful Select, GCW sources have told them that AEW pulled Starks from his appearances last Tuesday because Starks is still under contract with the company. It was also mentioned that he was pulled from the shows because of comments made by EFFY towards Shahid Khan, the father of AEW CEO and President Tony Khan. EFFY believes that Shahid Khan had paid the AEW President to keep GCW out of the Hammerstein Ballroom, which upset the AEW higher-ups.
AEW reportedly did not want to pay Starks to work for GCW, even though he could work with other independent promotions. Some within AEW had speculated that Starks’ appearance at the GCW event could be part of an angle or work, but Fightful Select noted that was not the case. AEW’s decision to distance themselves from Starks’ involvement with GCW appears to be due to EFFY’s comments.
We have just been informed that Ricky Starks has been pulled from all upcoming GCW appearances including his announced match on 12/14 in Los Angeles, his unannounced match on 12/28 in Seattle and his unannounced match on 1/19 at The Hammerstein Ballroom. pic.twitter.com/MygHHgmWAI
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) November 27, 2024