Ricky Starks Explains Why He Doesn't Want To Be One Of The Four Pillars Of AEW

AEW has provided a platform for promising professional wrestling stars to shine in the spotlight on a national stage. Deep into 2021, about two years after AEW's weekly television show "Dynamite" began, now-AEW World Champion MJF established who the four pillars of AEW: Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin, and himself, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The idea of young, homegrown stars carrying the company to success for years to come originated back in All Japan Pro Wrestling. AJPW's Pillars of Heaven included Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Akira Taue, who were all featured regularly from the 90s into the 2000s as key figures in the promotion.

Not everyone was thrilled about the concept making its way to AEW in 2021. Former FTW Champion Ricky Starks admitted to "The Wrestling Classic" podcast that he "hates it." A big reason for that is that his current rival, MJF, was the man to introduce the idea in their promotion. "I promise you, Max has never seen any type of All Japan. He probably doesn't know who Misawa is or Jun Akiyama," Starks said.

AEW proudly displayed the four pillars concept through t-shirts and other merchandise, emphasizing the idea that Guevara, Jungle Boy, Allin, and Friedman are four specific men to keep an eye on in the coming years. It again became a buzz-worthy topic during the heated feud between CM Punk and MJF, as Punk argued that Britt Baker DMD deserved to be called a four pillar more than MJF did.

For someone who prides himself on individuality, Starks believes that being named as one of the "four pillars" is limiting the talent brought up in the discussion. "I don't want to be involved in it. I like most of the people in that conversation, and it's a cool gimmick. It's a cool shirt; it's a cool tagline to run with. But to me, heartfelt, I don't like it because [I don't want to be] put in such a pigeon-holed thing, you know what I'm saying?"

It's clear that despite not being in the "four pillars" mix, Starks is finding his path to success. He recently challenged MJF for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship on the December 14, "Winter is Coming" episode of "Dynamite," and though he didn't emerge the new Champion, his positioning on the card is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was at just one year prior. "I stand above all of that [four pillar talk] in my head," Starks said.

One reason he may not have been considered one of the four pillars, according to Starks, is because of his age. "Absolute" Starks thinks that's a poor excuse because he's still got plenty of gas in the tank to have a promotion profit off of his talent. "First off, what's old? That's what I want to know. I'm literally 32, so give me a break. I'm just saying, I put it online that I don't want to be included in talks of pillars."