Ricky Starks Argued With Taz Over How Hook Should Be Presented

Hook has quickly become one of the hottest young stars in AEW. His fellow Team Taz members Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs recently spoke with ComicBook.com and say what fans see on-screen is basically the same Hook they see when cameras aren't rolling.

Starks recalled it was difficult early on to convince some in AEW to embrace Hook's unique charisma.

"I remember when he first started with us back in Jacksonville," Starks said. "A lot of people didn't get him. A lot of people did not understand him or couldn't figure out what [he] was about. And I'll never forget being like, 'Hey if you wanna wear a hood on TV, you should do it. Just try it, just do it.' And his dad [Taz] was like, 'No, he's gotta show his face.' [I said] 'No, just let him do it. Let's see what happens.' So it's cool to see it take off the way it has.

"And obviously, we are very proud to see how far he's come," Starks continued. "Especially from when he first started to where it is now. The Team Taz group has been through a lot, quite a bit. And where we're at right now is not where we want to be, but it's way better than where we were. So I'm glad and I'm proud to see where he's at, and he's awesome."

The members of Team Taz do not receive as much attention as other young stars in AEW. MJF, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Jungle Boy have been labeled the "Four Pillars of AEW". Powerhouse Hobbs thinks it's a matter of time before he, Starks, and Hook are included in that conversation.

"We rewrite things," Hobbs said. "So I personally feel, when (Starks) and I came into AEW, it was during the pandemic era. We got signed about a month apart from each other. I feel that there are doubters out there and I feel every time he steps in the ring and I step in the ring, we change things up, we open everyone's eyes. Things will change."

"To me, the whole pillar talk is hilarious in a sense, because it's so self-indulgent," Starks added. "It's nothing that was bestowed upon them. That was just something that came from them. So I usually don't think about it in that regard. Like, 'I'm not included in this.' Who cares? Because to me, I'm gonna be much bigger than whatever the pillar is.

"I'm gonna be much bigger than wrestling, in a sense. And so, I find it so funny. The conversation is so hilarious because nine times out of 10, 'Well, don't forget this, and this, and this.' And yeah, don't forget, y'all, don't forget. So I don't mind it too much. I don't really try to keep it as a chip on my shoulder, but it is hilarious."