Why Ricky Saints Had To Drop 'Starks' From His Name In WWE

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Why Ricky Saints Had To Drop 'Starks' From His Name In WWE

Originally posted on The Takedown on SI | By Ryan Droste | Last updated Mar 8, 2025 4:02 PM ET

When Ricky Saints, formerly known as Ricky Starks, arrived in NXT, it was to the surprise of nobody.

After being held out of action by AEW for months, most within the industry were under the impression that he would end up with WWE eventually.

However, something that did surprise fans and industry insiders alike was his name change. Saints had been using the name "Ricky Starks" long before he entered into a contract with AEW, so many were under the impression that he would continue using that name once he arrived in WWE (NXT).

Instead, Saints' debut featured no name referenced at all, though the NXT faithful in attendance at the show did chant "Ricky Starks" almost immediately.

The following week, NXT officially named him Ricky Saints. So why did the name change happen?

In a new update for Fightful Select, Sean Ross Sapp reports that the reason for the change was simply a belief within WWE (among several people) that they were not going to be able to get the rights to the name Ricky Starks.

It's unknown how far these efforts went in trying to obtain Saints' former name. Given his past use of the name prior to AEW, this is a bit surprising. At the same time, it's not unusual for WWE to give performers entirely new names when they sign with the company.

Saints has wrestled one match since debuting with NXT. He teamed with Je'Von Evans to defeat Ethan Page & Wes Lee on the February 25th edition of NXT television.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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