Summary

Ricky Saints said there was real restlessness during the stretch when he was off AEW television, describing it as a difficult mental adjustment after spending so much of his career constantly wrestling.

Saints last wrestled for AEW in March 2024 and stayed off the company's programming until his surprise NXT arrival in February 2025. During that gap, he worked a limited number of independent matches and also had some planned GCW appearances canceled. Since landing in NXT, he has remained a notable part of the brand's title picture, and Wrestling Remembers recently covered how Saints said a backstage photo with CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Jade Cargill had no agenda.

Quote from Ricky Saints

"No real discussion or anything like that from my side of it in terms of what was discussed. There was some restlessness just because I'm so used to wrestling all the time. I think that's the type of person I am. I'm used to creating and using my body for these things. To not have that was a very odd place to be at mentally. You're having to figure out these other things, especially when it comes to the independents. It was not as easy to get some of these independent dates cleared. That's not a knock on the company itself, it's just a conflict of interest for AEW and whatever independent I wanted to do. At the end of the day it all worked. I'm thankful for both sides. I'm thankful for AEW and the independents."

What Ricky Saints' comments mean before NXT Stand & Deliver

Ricky Saints acknowledging that period of inactivity adds more weight to his current push in NXT, because it underlines how long he went without a steady in-ring platform before re-emerging in WWE.

It also makes his upcoming NXT Championship four-way at Stand & Deliver feel more important. After spending months unable to wrestle regularly, Saints is now back in a featured title match, which says plenty about where he stands on the brand heading into one of its biggest shows of the year.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.