AEW star, Ricky Starks, talks recovering from neck injury

Ricky Starks says that recovering from the neck injury he suffered in 2021 was more mental than physical. In an interview with GVWire, Starks discussed the neck injury and the success he’s had since returning from it.

“Certain people’s bodies are more durable than others,” Starks said. “And I like to think that I’m one of those people. So, yeah, I say I’m blessed. “Even when I first came back, there were some things where I don’t know if I have the strength in my neck back 100% to do these things. That was all just a mental game of trying to get over, you know, especially for being out for so long.

“I know sometimes it can get disheartening to do these types of physical therapy and going through it and not feeling like you’re actually improving on things. But it’s well worth it in my head just to stick to it. I used to work at a physical therapy clinic, so I kind of know like the mindset that some of these people go through when they’re coming back from bad injuries.”

Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager on this week’s AEW Dynamite

“To me it is pretty important just because it gets more eyes on who I am as a competitor and also … it’s kind of been an up-and-down battle, so to speak, in the past few years,” Starks said of working with Chris Jericho’s faction, the Jericho Appreciation Society. “So I think it’s great to finally test my challenge against somebody like Chris Jericho in that regard. Going through this whole bout with Jericho coming out at the end of it, a lot better rested than I was, you know, going into it is what I’m aiming for here,” Starks said.”

Let’s take the big man down https://t.co/QhQJ7F3Oop

— Ricky Starks (@starkmanjones) January 17, 2023

Ricky Starks wrestled MJF for the AEW World Championship at Winter is Coming in December, but lost the match after MJF cheated to win. Starks also won the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal, but failed to secure the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Starks defeated Jericho two weeks ago on AEW Dynamite.

CATCH-UP: KROL: A month-by-month walk through AEW’s tribulations in 2022 and analysis of how Tony Khan handled them