Adam Copeland Reflects on Heated Promo Exchange with Ricky Starks on AEW Collision, Calls It ‘Like 1000 Promos in the Attitude Era’

Adam Copeland has opened up about his memorable verbal clash with Ricky Starks — now known as Ricky Saints in WWE — that played out on the October 14, 2023 episode of AEW Collision, and the Hall of Famer clearly left the encounter impressed by what unfolded.

During the segment, Copeland went after Starks in a way that turned heads, accusing the charismatic star of modeling his entire style after The Rock before delivering a pointed barb — calling Starks a “vanilla midget version” of the great one. It was the kind of verbal strike designed to provoke, and by all accounts it worked. Starks fired back, and what resulted was the sort of charged, unscripted-feeling exchange that Copeland later likened to experiencing “1000 promos in the Attitude Era” — high praise from a man who lived through that period at the top of the industry.

Copeland, of course, was one of the defining characters of the Attitude Era and its immediate aftermath, spending the better part of two decades as one of WWE’s premier performers before eventually signing with AEW in 2023. His reference point carries genuine weight — he knows firsthand what a great promo feels like from inside the ring.

For Starks, who had long been praised for his mic work during his AEW run, the exchange was both a test and a showcase. The fact that a veteran of Copeland’s caliber came away so impressed speaks to the level Starks was operating at before his WWE departure.

It’s the kind of moment that reminds fans why live, in-the-moment promos can still be among pro wrestling’s most electric elements — when two performers are locked in, even veterans stop and take notice.