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He’s Coming! WWE Officially Announces Ex-AEW Star’s SmackDown Debut

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Apr 25, 2026 13:27 EDT
WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown Logo - Source: WWE.com

WWE has announced that a former AEW Champion will make their SmackDown debut next week.

In the Jacksonville promotion, Ricky Saints competed under the name Ricky Starks, winning the AEW Tag Team Championship once with Big Bill. He is also known for his feuds against the likes of MJF, Cody Rhodes, and Chris Jericho in the company.

Real name Richard Starks, the former AEW star was repackaged as Ricky Saints, who made his NXT debut in February 2025.

As a babyface, he also won the NXT Championship by defeating Oba Femi at No Mercy, but lost it again to the same opponent at Deadline in December. He turned heel a couple of days later by costing Je’Von Evans a title match against Femi.

Starks unsuccessfully challenged for the title a handful of times before forming an alliance with Ethan Page. Both superstars created watchable segments for viewers, even betraying each other before reuniting.

While Page joined WWE Raw on April 20, Saints will make his SmackDown debut on May 1.

NXT Faction Debuts On WWE SmackDown After WrestleMania

After suffering the adverse effects of poor booking leading up to WrestleMania 42, WWE SmackDown appeared to revive itself on Friday.

Not only did the show in Fort Worth, Texas, see Rhea Ripley return to the blue brand as its Women’s Champion, but it also witnessed a former NXT faction destroy her.

Before attacking Ripley, the Fatal Influence trio of Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid took out legends Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Paige, and WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella during their tag match.

Later in the evening, they confronted Ripley, who had issued an open challenge to the women’s locker room.

A non-title match was made official by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, who intended to punish Jayne, Henley, and Reid for their interference earlier in the night.

Both Ripley and Jayne put on an entertaining back-and-forth bout before Jayne’s stablemates interfered and caused a disqualification.

With the numbers advantage, Fatal Influence took out Ripley after Jayne hit her with her Rolling Encore finisher.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, Jacy Jayne claimed to be ready for the main roster after spending nearly five years in NXT. She also admitted that she would not have been ready had she been asked to debut on the main roster a couple of years ago.

I’ve been in NXT for about five years now. I feel like if I got called up two or three years ago, it wouldn’t have ended well. I would have been gone by now. Everybody always loves to say that they’re ready, and in reality, you’re not ready. It takes time to develop. It takes time to get confident and know your craft.

I feel now I’m ready. I know I can stand in the ring with anybody. I’m not intimidated. I can go with the best. So, I’m ready. Whenever they decide I’m ready, I’m going to be there, and I’m gonna take a spot. And all of them should be ready.