Ricky Starks is his own man. The talented performer has been making a name for himself in pro wrestling for quite a while now. He may have come up short against MJF at AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming, but he remains a fan favorite due to his in-ring talent and natural charisma. It’s that charisma that helps him stand out, and has drawn comparisons to one of wrestling’s greats, The Rock.

Starks doesn’t mind the comparisons, but he does draw the line at it going too far. Speaking recently with Comicbook.com, the Absolute One spoke about the parallels people draw between him and Dwayne Johnson. Highlights are below:

Being compared to The Rock: “I always tell this: I don’t hate the comparisons. What I do hate though, is being discredited for my natural creativity in lieu of someone saying, ‘Well, you’re just literally copying The Rock,’ which isn’t true at all.”

The influences on his promo style: “My inspiration and who I am and how I talk and all that, cadence-wise, comes from people in New Orleans. I can see how there’s a similarity there, but I’m being 100 percent forthcoming and honest when I say I don’t really look to The Rock for my inspiration. I do look to The Rock in terms of what a businessman he is, and what he’s contributed, and how he holds himself. If by some chance, somebody thinks that I’m Rock-lite, then that’s cool.”