Aubrey Edwards Says AEW Pillars Can Change, Reveals Who Is 'Making Some Construction'

In September 2021, Maxwell Jacob Friedman touted himself, Jungle Boy (aka Jack Perry), Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara as the "four pillars" of All Elite Wrestling – a statement that eventually laid the path for a high-stakes four-way matchup at AEW's 2023 Double or Nothing event. While MJF's assessment has been accepted by several wrestling pundits, some have argued that other talents, such as Britt Baker, Chris Jericho, and Jon Moxley, are also worthy of being involved in the conversation regarding AEW's "pillars." Coming out of 2023, a new name has been entered into the discussion, courtesy of AEW referee Aubrey Edwards.

"I feel like we're just seeing the start of Ricky Starks at AEW," Edwards said on "AEW Unrestricted." "He's one of our future stars. There's been so much talk about 'the pillars' forever, but I think you can kind of change them out. And I think Ricky Starks might be coming in making some construction and putting himself in there."

Edwards' sentiments were further supported by AEW Wrestling Administration Coordinator Will Washington, who labeled Starks as one of the "tentpole AEW names," referencing Starks' standout Texas Death Match against Bryan Danielson as an illustrator of his star power.

"[Starks] is just one of those guys that when he comes out, people just know that he's a big deal, and because he is," Edwards said. "He's put in the work and he's gotten there. Doing a Texas death match on TV is hard. Doing it after a phenomenal pay-per-view match is even harder, and the dude excels."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.