Real reason revealed why Cody Rhodes brought AEW star with him at Royal Rumble 2023

Cody Rhodes has been the name on everyone's lips since his return from injury at the 2023 Royal Rumble. However, one AEW star also made headlines following the show for simply being in Rhodes' corner.

The star in question is former FTW Champion Ricky Starks. He was spotted arriving at the Royal Rumble with Rhodes on CCTV at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Rhodes and Ricky Starks developed a close friendship in AEW, with Starks being one of The American Nightmare's biggest supporters on social media whenever he's wrestling on RAW or at a premium live event.

Speaking to Alex McCarthy for Inside the Ropes, Cody Rhodes discussed Ricky Starks being with him at the Royal Rumble. While Rhodes was happy to have Starks in his corner, he did admit that it might be best for him to keep his locker room private from now on.

"Yeah, what an idiot though right? Listen, it’s one of those things where the locker rooms have crossover. People are married to other people from other locker-rooms, people have friends. This is a kid who I started on his journey at my former home, and obviously I want to follow and see his journey, but I will say it’s probably best that none of my friends come and visit me at the shows anymore.”

Rhodes noted that Ricky Starks played a big part in his recovery from the pectoral injury he suffered last year. However, The American Nightmare admitted that he doesn't want to cause any drama between WWE and AEW by bringing some of his former colleagues to his shows.

"Poor [Ricky Starks], I hope he didn’t get in any trouble, I don’t think he did, he was there to support a friend who had been absolutely down and out with a [torn pectoral muscle] injury. Ricky was one of the guys who nursed me through it to a degree and helped remind me of who I can be. So I was happy to have him, and I had some other friends there. The other friends stayed on the bus because they’re not crazy yayhoos. I don’t want to cause any strife between any places, we all love the same thing." (H/T WrestleTalk)

---

Ricky Starks will be in action this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite

Despite beating Chris Jericho on the January 4th edition of Dynamite, Ricky Starks wants to prove to himself and the AEW fans that the victory wasn't a fluke. However, Jericho wants Starks to earn another match, resulting in the "Garcia-Guevara Gauntlet."

The gauntlet was set up by Jericho so that Starks would have to face and beat both Angelo Parker and Matt Menard before defeating either Daniel Garcia or Sammy Guevara.

If he is able to complete the gauntlet, he will earn another match against Chris Jericho, which will most likely take place at the Revolution pay-per-view on March 5th, 2023.

Are you looking forward to AEW Dynamite this week? Let us know in the comments section down below.