Ricky Starks is “absolutely” going to Winter is Coming.
On the November 23 episode of AEW Dynamite, Ethan Page and Starks clashed in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. “The Stroke Daddy” battled injured ribs, but he persevered and scored the win. With the victory, he earned a shot at the AEW World Championship, which is currently held by MJF, on AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming.
Here’s how the match broke down, courtesy of our play-by-play coverage:
Starks’ ribs are taped up, and he’s clearly not 100%. The two competitors feel each other out, and Page targets the injured ribs. Starks takes the fight to Page and unloads on him in the corner. Page gains the upper hand as he continues to hone in on the ribs. He stomps on the ribs in the corner, but Starks floors him with a Spear out of nowhere. Starks leaves the ring, and Page slams him rib-first into the barricade. Page brings Starks back to the ring and continues to control the action. He squashes a brief surge of offense from Starks and drops him with a suplex. Starks keeps fighting, and he goes for a dive, but Hathaway pulls Page out of the way, so Starks lands hard on the floor. Starks hits a superplex, and both men down. Page counters the Roshambo and gets a two count with a powerslam.
Starks hits a Spear and follows that up with another before he pins Page for the win.
And @starkmanjones wins the #AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament to earn himself an #AEW World Championship shot against @The_MJF at #WinterIsComing LIVE on December 14!#AEWDynamite Thanksgiving Eve is LIVE on TBS right now! pic.twitter.com/MYq02M0FaK
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 24, 2022
Page advanced to the finals by beating Eddie Kingston and Bandido in the previous rounds. Starks defeated Lance Archer on the November 18 episode of AEW Dynamite before he scored a hard-fought win over Brian Cage in the semifinal at AEW Full Gear.
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