Ricky Starks Believes He Is Equal To CM Punk
Ricky Starks is not a man lacking in confidence even as he prepares for a huge match against CM Punk.
The Men’s Finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament will take place this Saturday, July 15th in Calgary, which is the city where Owen grew up and lived.
After each man won two matches in the tournament including big wins last week on Collision, it will be Ricky Starks facing CM Punk.
Even though Ricky Starks and CM Punk were recently teammates in an eight-man tag team match and they are both two of the most popular wrestlers in AEW, they have to put their friendship for the sake of wanting to put on a great match in the tournament finals.
While appearing on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose on Sportsnet, Ricky Starks spoke about what it means to be wrestling a former two-time AEW World Champion and former WWE Champion like CM Punk.
“I’m pretty stoked. I’m no stranger to having these types of big opportunities, especially in AEW, and I feel like every time I’ve gotten each opportunity, I’ve knocked it out of the park. So, I don’t think this will be any different. And of course, you know, it’s CM Punk, the biggest name in professional wrestling right now. And what better way to show what I have against that guy, you know?”
Earlier this year, Ricky Starks had high-profile rivalries with the current AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman and the first AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. While Starks wasn’t able to take the World Title off MJF, he did pick up multiple victories over Jericho. That experience will come in handy against a big name like CM Punk and Starks knows it too.
“There are people who look at certain figures in wrestling as, ‘Oh, this guy.’ They put them on a pedestal, basically. To me, I am shoulder-to-shoulder with CM Punk in my head. We are equals. One thing that I do want to get across to Punk and everyone else, regardless of what has been done in someone’s career and what has been done in AEW, the fact will remain that I am a person that can stand on my own.”
“I can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone, and I can go toe-to-toe with any single person, microphone, or in the ring, and I feel I’ve proven that with MJF and with Chris Jericho. So, I don’t see this being any different with Punk.”
In addition to CM Punk facing Ricky Starks on Collision, FTR will defend the AEW Tag Team Titles against Jay White & Juice Robinson in a 2/3 Falls Match. The Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals will also take place on Collision as well.