Ricky Starks On When He Was Cleared From Neck Injury, Being Grateful He Got Time Off

Ricky Starks has clarified when he was cleared to return to the ring after his neck injury, and discussed he was off AEW TV for so long after that point. As you may recall, Starks suffered a slight neck fracture back in April during a match with Hangman Page on AEW Dynamite. He returned in July and defeated Brian Cage to win the FTW Title in July, but was kept out of action after that until his return on AEW Dark last month.

Speaking with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture, Starks discussed the injury and why he was out of action for so long. You can see the full interview below, plus highlights per Fightful:

On the status of his neck: “No, the situation is that I’ve been cleared since July, I had a match in Austin, and that was my first match after the neck injury, and I’ve been cleared there after. For whatever reason people just put together ‘Well he isn’t on TV because of that.’ That was never stated, that was never confirmed or anything like that.

“I do appreciate having the time off though, to further heal up my neck.When you have a broken neck, when you have a fractured neck, whatever type of bone that is broken, you have 3/4 months that it’s healed, but to fully heal it takes like 2 years. That’s just from a doctor’s point, a bone doesn’t fully heal until 2 years after. So I am always gonna have that, but to have the time off, and to have the time where I am still on TV and commentating and things like that, I am very appreciative of it, especially AEW giving me that time to slow it down and take my time with it. Anyone else could have rushed me back into the ring.”

On facing Cage in a rematch on last week’s AEW Rampage: “I honestly was happy to finally have this match. I know we had went through some injuries, Brian had some knee issues and things like that but I was happy to just get it over with and be done with it. Everyone thinks my neck, like if I still have a broken neck. No. I had a match in July, that I was actually cleared for and I’d been clear since July. Just things haven’t happened to where I was having matches. So to have a match especially in Philadelphia, of all places especially with wrestling history and to have it as a street fight, it was insane. I am still feeling some stiffness and what not just because I hadn’t been wrestling too much. But I am glad that it’s over with. I definitely got my ass kicked for sure and hopefully it paid off. ”