Ricky Starks Names Top Star He Would Wrestle If WWE Opened The Forbidden Door

Ricky Starks is riding a wave of momentum in All Elite Wrestling following a split from his Team Taz partner, Powerhouse Hobbs. Each week, the former FTW Champion has been delivering some of his best promo work yet, with passionate speeches about how his time to be elevated to a more prominent spotlight has arrived. And though he has arguably this biggest match of his career coming up this Sunday at AEW All Out against Hobbs, Starks told Bleacher Report which top stars he will focus on to prove his growth in the ring.

"I'm going to go straight for Kenny Omega," Starks said. "If not him, then definitely Punk."

But it's not just the AEW roster that Starks has his eye on.

AEW is a big fan of the term "Forbidden Door" when describing stars from promotions like Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling arriving on "Dynamite" or "Rampage" to compete. It became so popular that they used it as the name for their crossover pay-per-view with NJPW back in June. But if we were to imagine a real-life, magical forbidden door that could bring any pro wrestler into any promotion for crossover matches, who would Starks want to face?

"I'm not one to shy from a big matchup," he said. "I would do Roman Reigns, or even Cody again."

Starks and current WWE Cody Rhodes competed on opposite sides of the ring in one AEW singles match in 2020, and several important AEW tag team matches at the end of that year. They also have a positive working and personal relationship in real life, made apparent by the reality show "Rhodes to the Top" in which Cody starred alongside his wife, Brandi.