Ricky Starks To Challenge Ricky Steamboat

Written by Conor Renshaw • Published 31st August 2023
Ricky Starks To Challenge Ricky Steamboat

Ricky Starks will issue a challenge to wrestling legend Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat for a strap match at AEW All Out.

AEW president Tony Khan made the exciting announcement for Collision on Wednesday night on X. This highly anticipated segment is set to take place on the September 2nd Collision episode.

The rivalry between Starks and Steamboat began when Steamboat served as the special outside enforcer for a match between Starks and CM Punk on the August 5th Collision episode. Punk emerged victorious in the match, but the real drama unfolded afterwards. Seizing the opportunity, Starks viciously attacked Steamboat, utilising Steamboat’s own belt to deliver a brutal assault.

As a consequence of his actions, Starks was initially handed a storyline suspension of 30 days. However, this was later reduced to 28 days, paving the way for his return to the ring. The upcoming challenge for a strap match at All Out against Steamboat will undoubtedly serve as a pivotal moment in their ongoing feud.

In recent news, Eric Bischoff has labelled Tony Khan “weak” over ambiguity regarding CM Punk’s All Out status.

When Did Ricky Steamboat Last Wrestle?

Ricky Steamboat, now 70 years old, had previously wrestled what was billed as his retirement match in November 2022 at a Big Time Wrestling event. Teaming up with FTR against Jay Lethal, Nick Aldis, and Brock Anderson, Steamboat showcased his legendary skills and left fans in awe.

Prior to his retirement match, Ricky Steamboat hadn’t wrestled since 2010 when he teamed with his son at an FCW show. Steamboat had made a brief return to action in 2009 following his initial retirement from in-ring action in 1994.

In recent news, Dave Meltzer labelled a recent AEW Collision segment as “a bad NXT or IMPACT segment.”