Ricky Saints recently opened up about the difficult stretch he endured between his final AEW appearance and his eventual NXT debut, admitting he was “going crazy” from the lack of in-ring action.

Saints' last AEW match was on the March 30 episode of AEW Collision, but he would not appear in NXT until February of the following year. While he wrestled sporadically on the independent scene during that time, the long break from consistent competition left him deeply frustrated.

In a conversation with The Ringer’s Cameron Hawkins, Saints compared the experience to his time recovering from a neck fracture in 2021, saying, “I have to do things... My fulfillment is stalled out when I cannot create. It reminded me [of] when I had my neck injury... I was going crazy because I could not do the one thing that I love to do.”

One of Saints’ most emotional moments during that gap came at DEFY Wrestling’s eighth anniversary event, where he defeated KENTA for the promotion’s top championship in Seattle. Reflecting on the crowd's reaction, he shared, “I remember just really crying because I was so moved by these people, and they didn’t understand at the time why it meant so much.”

Since arriving in NXT, Saints has already made a major impact, capturing the North American Championship and setting his sights even higher. “My aspirations in AEW were to just be given a chance and given the ball fully. I want that in WWE, obviously,” he stated. “I want the WWE Championship, but along the way, the Intercontinental title would be great.”

Good morning.

New name, new locale, new title, same fire.

Ricky Saints, back like he never left. https://t.co/EyOuhhBKCE

, Northwest Cee (@CeeHawk) April 8, 2025