"Cody told me to avoid it" - AEW star on following Cody Rhodes' advice

AEW star Ricky Starks has revealed that the secret to his recent success against former ROH Champion Jay Lethal lies with advice from Cody Rhodes.

Ricky Starks recently faced Jay Lethal in an excellent match for the FTW Championship. The former NWA star retained his title after delivering a Roshambo to the former Ring of Honor star. The finish saw Lethal go for a Lethal Injection, but Ricky Starks held his position to catch Black Machismo for his finisher.

On Twitter, Ricky Starks explained his thought process right before countering the Lethal Injection, claiming that he had a plan based on "INDAPENDENT" wrestlers' love of flipping and cutters. He then declared that former TNT Champion and current WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes had told him to avoid it:

"Also Cody told me to avoid it at all costs" - Ricky Starks tweeted.

While it hasn't been revealed whether Rhodes passed this advice on directly, it can be assumed that Starks is referencing The American Nightmare's infamous work-shoot promo on the January 19, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite. That night, a passionate Cody Rhodes mentioned the danger of the Lethal Injection:

"And then my friend, my Trelawney-like friend in Ricky Starks, my real-life friend, gets into a tiff with Jay Lethal? Word to the wise: the Lethal Injection is the one cutter in the business that people don't kick out of. Avoid, avoid, avoid," said Rhodes. (04:07)

You can check out Cody's full promo below:

Cody Rhodes took a stunning cutter on AEW Dynamite

Cody Rhodes' last feud in AEW before leaving for WWE came against Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship. The American Nightmare dethroned the Spanish God with a Tiger Driver '98 on Rampage in a surprising result.

Sammy Guevara became the interim TNT Champion after defeating Dustin Rhodes at AEW Battle of the Belts 1. When Guevara and Rhodes faced off in a ladder match on Dynamite to crown a unified champion, the former Inner Circle member delivered a stunning cutter off the top of the ladder.

It is one of the most iconic spots in All Elite Wrestling history and one that will be remembered for a long time.