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After a significant absence from All Elite Wrestling, "The Revolution" is back on television following Ricky Saints' (formerly known as Ricky Starks)surprise appearance on "WWE NXT" on February 11.For nearly a year, many were left wondering what caused Saints' disappearance after hisquarter-final tournament match on AEW "Collision" on March 30, 2024.With a microphone in hand, Saints expressed his thoughts and confusion for the first time since his exit about the trajectory that led to his rise in prominence in AEW and his unexpected downfall. When asked by Bully Ray on"Busted Open After Dark"whether his release was due to personal or professional reasons, the former FTW and AEW Tag Team Champion suggested his exit stemmed from a personal place.
"It was probably personal," Saints responded. "Because if it was professional, it wouldn't have happened this way. That's how I believe it. That's not to disparage anyone there, just so we're clear...There's nothing disparaging for me to say. What I am saying is the truth that I don't know exactly what it was, and if you point to those two times that I was caught on footage at WWE, I can tell you that you're wrong.
"Some people will say, 'We could tell he was phoning it in.' Bulls***. There's never a match of mine in my entire career that I gave less than 1,000 percent. You can jump off a cliff with that opinion because it's not even real. Don't disrespect me and say I gave something less than a 1,000 percent.That is not in my bones. There is no part of my body that I am capable of doing that."
In his final reflections of his unceremonious exit, Saints admits that observers might have a point when they suggest he could have navigated the backstage politics more effectively. While he acknowledges this perspective, he also believes that some individuals involved in the politicking should have stayed out of his creative ventures.
"There are situations that will probably pop up again when it comes to, let's say, politicking and guys putting their nose in businesses that doesn't belong," Saints added. "I will say this: There are some people who stuck their nose in my creative business that shouldn't have happened...veterans, and that's it. I'm gonna leave it at that.
"I think what it was...if it didn't work for their creative, then someone had to get the boot. That's how I see it. I'm not trying to be negative in my thought process about it, but I do think that, for sure. That's okay. That's fine. If you want to step on me to get ahead in your illustrious career, everyone should have an illustrious career, but at the same time, I'm not wet behind my ears."
After putting pen to paper this past Tuesday,Saints will compete for the first time as part of the "NXT" roster when he teams up with Je'Von Evans to face off against Ethan Page and Wes Lee next week.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
