Ricky Saints Discusses 'Old-School Surprise' Of WWE NXT Debut

Former AEW World Tag Team Champion Ricky Saints, fka Ricky Starks, officially signed with "WWE NXT" on Tuesday, revealing his new name. The former FTW Champion had initially shocked the world, appearing in the crowd on "WWE NXT" and putting an end to speculation about his chances in the free agency following his departure from AEW. In a new interview with "Busted Open After Dark," Saints said that he appreciated having an unspoiled surprise for his debut, as it reminds him of how wrestling used to be.

"I keep to myself," Saints said. "I was worried about other people...Not a lot of people knew. My family didn't know. That's a lie, my mom knew...I thought that it was good to have an old-school type of surprise, especially in this day of age."

Saints was removed from the AEW roster page, just days before his "NXT" debut, putting an end to a lengthy spell of issues between Saints and the promotion. Saints had aired his animosity at an appearance in GCW and was quickly removed from independent dates by AEW President Tony Khan. Saints won the Defy Wrestling World Championship on February 7, and while Saints has been pulled from independent events in the wake of his "NXT" debut, Defy has yet to announce what will happen to the title now that Saints is in WWE. Saints's first "NXT" match has already been scheduled, as he'll team with Je'Von Evans to take on Wes Lee and fellow former AEW star Ethan Page.