Ricky Saints Talks Name Change; WWE Rumors on Fatu vs. Sikoa, AJ Styles' Contract

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Ricky Saints Talks Meaning Behind New Name in WWE

After officially signing his WWE NXT contract on Tuesday night, Ricky Saints discussed his new ring name.

The former Ricky Starks appeared Tuesday night on Busted Open Radio (h/t F4WOnline.com's Bryan Rose), to talk about why he chose the name Ricky Saints and what it means to him:

"It's as close as you're going to get to Starks. I like the name. I know a lot of people are going to be … it's going to take time for them to get used to it. I respect that they care so deeply about me that they rebel against the name change. But at the same time, I am a product of New Orleans, first and foremost, and I want to pay respect to that as well. I think this is the best of both worlds and that means a lot to me. Obviously I think it's cool to have a piece of home with me. And the person doesn't change. I'm still that guy, so it is what it is."

Under the Ricky Starks name, Saints made a name for himself in various pro wrestling companies before joining WWE with the most glaring examples being NWA and AEW.

After holding the NWA World Television Championship, Saints signed with AEW in 2020 and went on to become a one-time AEW world tag team champion and one-time FTW champion.

Although he got over with the crowd and had memorable matches with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, Saints was removed from AEW programming for nearly a year before his departure.

While it is unclear what went wrong in AEW, he received a massive reaction during his WWE debut on NXT last week, and his contract segment signing on Tuesday was well received.

Given that Saints is from New Orleans, the Ricky Saints name is a logical nod to his hometown football team in the New Orleans Saints.

Regardless of his name, Saints has a ton of charisma and already seems to have formed a connection with the fanbase, and he will have a chance to continue building it next week when he makes his NXT in-ring debut, teaming with Je'Von Evans against Ethan Page and Wes Lee.

Fatu vs. Sikoa Reportedly in the Works for WrestleMania 41

From a storyline perspective, Solo Sikoa brought Jacob Fatu into WWE as part of his version of The Bloodline, but their time as allies may soon come to an end.

According to WrestleVotes on SportsKeeda's Backstage Pass Patreon (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is "gearing up" for a match between Sikoa and Fatu, likely at WrestleMania 41.

While Fatu often pledged his allegiance to Sikoa by shouting, "I love you Solo," things changed once Roman Reigns beat Solo on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix.

Reigns took the Ula Fala and leadership of The Bloodline, leaving Sikoa and his version of The Bloodline in flux.

Solo took some time off after the loss, and while he was gone, Fatu and Tama Tonga continued to run rampant on SmackDown. Sikoa returned at one point, but he couldn't muster any words on the mic and disappeared once again.

That seemed to be the last straw for Fatu, as he became more vocal and made it clear that he and Tonga would be looking out for themselves moving forward.

Sikoa returned once again and broke his silence, but his relationship with Fatu was undoubtedly fractured, as The Samoan Werewolf appeared annoyed and frustrated with the former Tribal Chief.

Fatu and Sikoa haven't yet come to blows, but assuming that happens in the coming weeks, it will be the perfect catalyst for a huge WrestleMania match.

Styles Reportedly Had 'Months' Left on Contract Before Injury

AJ Styles returned as a surprise entrant in the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match earlier this month after missing four months due to injury, but his WWE contract reportedly may not be active for much longer.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), Styles' contract was set to expire "in a matter of months" at the time he got injured in October.

It is typical for major pro wrestling companies to have injury time built into contracts, meaning the deals can be extended for the amount of time missed due to injury.

The exact amount of time left on Styles' deal isn't known, and it remains to be seen if he and WWE have mutual interest in agreeing to a new contract.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp expressed his belief that it is a "pretty solid possibility" The Phenomenal One will re-sign with WWE, but it is far from a sure thing.

Sapp also noted that people on the "convention scene" and "merchandising scene" had inquired recently about when or if Styles will be available to make appearances outside WWE.

The 47-year-old Styles was once a huge star in TNA, ROH and Japan, and he reached the top of the mountain in WWE as well after joining the company in 2016.

Styles is a two-time WWE champion, three-time United States champion, one-time intercontinental champion and one-time WWE tag team champion, giving him a strong case for a WWE Hall of Fame induction once he retires.

AJ's long-term future in WWE is to be determined, but WWE does seem to have major short-term plans for him, as he has entered into a rivalry with IC champion Bron Breakker, which could lead to a match between them at WrestleMania 41.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.