Ricky Starks’ Instagram account was hacked.
During his final months in AEW, CM Punk had been involved in a rivalry with Starks and it was believed the pair would meet at All Out on September 3rd. However, those plans were thrown into disarray when Punk got into an altercation with Jack Perry and reportedly Tony Khan at All In a week earlier.
The clash ended with Punk being fired in the hours leading up to the company’s latest tapings in his hometown of Chicago.
With Punk gone, a post appeared on Starks’ Instagram Stories on September 11th praising the star. The post featured a picture of the pair together and the caption:
“public flowers for you man @cmpunk Thank you”
However, Starks later noted that his account had been hacked, writing:
“Ok I got it all cleared up. Thanks for letting me know something was fishy about the acct lol.
I hope no one clicked the link. Account was hacked/spam but we back.”
What Happened To Ricky Starks After CM Punk Got Fired?
In the days after their confrontation at All In, both CM Punk and Jack Perry were suspended. These suspensions meant that no matter what happened, Punk would have missed All Out, even before being fired.
This sparked a creative reshuffle, with the planned Punk vs. Starks match now off.
The end result saw Starks clash with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat on Collision, before being set up to face a returning Bryan Danielson at All Out. The incredibly physical Strap Match was hailed as one of the highlights of the show by fans and saw Danielson pick up the victory.
In the hours after the match, the American Dragon praised Ricky Starks for carrying him through the contest.