Starks suffers neck issue during match live on Collision, match ended earlier than planned, update on his condition

Ricky Starks suffered an apparent stinger during his match on AEW Collision tonight. He was teaming with Big Bill against Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin). Starks was checked out after the match and told friends afterward that he was feeling better and not to be concerned. Starks has a history of neck issues.

During the match, Darius landed a back elbow to his neck and then a flip Pelé kick to his vack. Starks went down slowly and gingerly, favoring his left shoulder area. He rolled to the ring apron. The ref checked on him.

The match continued. Starks got back in the ring and was rolled up jackknife style. Although he didn’t lift his shoulder, the ref stopped his count before three. Fans booed. Starks staggered a bit before Darius landed a DDT and scored a three count. It didn’t seem like the planned finish since Tony Schiavone reacted with surprise in a way that indicated he didn’t expect that to be the finish.

Top Flight advance in the AEW Tag Team Title tournament. It’s not clear if Starks & Bill were supposed to win or not, but Starks called for at least an earlier finish than planned due to his concern with his neck. It seems he might’ve tagged out to Bill and sat out the rest of the match if he and Bill were the planned winners, though.

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