Ricky Saints Ready For NXT Championship Pressure: I’m Forced To Rise To The Occasion

Ricky Saints is prepared to handle the pressure of becoming WWE NXT Champion. He also believes that he needs that level of pressure to rise to the occasion.

Ricky Saints, previously AEW’s Ricky Starks, is gearing up for his first WWE NXT PLE main event. On September 27, he is scheduled to compete against Oba Femi for the WWE NXT Championship at WWE NXT No Mercy. Saints says he’s ready to rise to the occasion and take on the pressures of becoming WWE NXT Champion.

During an appearance on Good Karma Wrestling, Ricky Saints compared being the NXT Champion to being the quarterback of the brand. He also reflected on the pressures he felt while holding the WWE NXT North American Championship.

“I haven’t asked Oba, but I can see the pressure has worn on him, for sure. I can tell you, as a former North American champion, there’s a pressure that I add to myself on top of the pressure that comes with being the flag bearer. I think with the NXT Championship, it is no different, if not more responsibility, because you are the QB, you are the leader of the pack, and people are looking to you to help guide them to the end zone. So, I don’t ever want to say, like, ‘That’s so much pressure. I can’t do it,’ right? Because it sets a bad precedent. But I do think that having some pressure is good for me personally, because I have to rise to the occasion. I’m forced to rise to the occasion every time.”

Cody Rhodes regularly calls himself QB1 of WWE. Learn about Ricky’s relationship with Cody here.

Fightful will have full coverage of WWE NXT No Mercy on Saturday, September 27.

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