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'Absolute' Ricky Starks picked up arguably the biggest win of his career on the July 15, 2023, edition of AEW Collision against CM Punk. But a major wrestling figure is displeased about what Starks did after the match.
Starks defeated Punk to win the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament. In the process, he became only the third man in AEW history after MJF and Jon Moxley to have pinned The Straight Edge Superstar.
After the match, NJPW legend Jushin 'Thunder' Liger came out to present the trophy to Starks. However, the 33-year-old snatched the prize from Liger's hands, leaving the Japanese icon shocked and confused.
Liger traveled from Japan to Canada specifically for this moment and was seemingly disrespected by the former FTW Champion. This caught the eye of NJPW President Takami Ohbari, who expressed disgust at the incident via Twitter.
"Where is your respect?" tweeted @TAKAMIOHBARI.
Ricky Starks has never competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling so far in his career. But after the incident, he could be confronted by an NJPW star aiming to teach the former FTW Champion a lesson.
Did Ricky Starks cheat to win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament?
Disrespecting Jushin 'Thunder' Liger wasn't the only thing that caught people's attention about Ricky Starks' attitude on AEW Collision. The way he beat CM Punk was also controversial.
To stop Punk from kicking out of a roll-up, Starks grabbed the ropes for leverage, leading to the latter's win. Referee Bryce Remsburg looked slightly confused after the match as he saw Starks' hand on the rope but couldn't determine whether that influenced the bout's outcome.
The full line-up for this week's AEW Collision has yet to be unveiled. But it's safe to say that Punk and Starks will have two different opinions on what happened in the final of the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament.
Do you think CM Punk and Ricky Starks should face each other again? Let us know in the comments section below.
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