Ricky Saints Gets Real About Racial Identity Struggles Growing Up and Feeling Misunderstood in Wrestling

Ricky Saints didn’t hold back during his revealing sit-down with Cody Rhodes on What Do You Wanna Talk About? The NXT standout peeled back the layers on how racial identity shaped him growing up in New Orleans—and how those same feelings of being misunderstood still haunt him in the wrestling world today.

Saints explained how being light-skinned in a predominantly Black school left him feeling like he didn’t belong anywhere, even as he fought to find his place.

“In New Orleans, there’s a lot of fair-skinned people that look like this, that are Black — it’s just based off the Creole history. So I went to a predominantly all-Black school in New Orleans East. Even then, I was a lot lighter than I am now, and I was constantly… I’m not gonna say picked on, because I did my fair share of causing that stuff — I would just talk my sht. But I had a lot of issues because people thought I was white.”*

The tension often turned physical. Saints said he got into fights “like every week,” sometimes instigated, but usually as a way to stand up for himself in a place where race always seemed to be at the center of conflict.

“This was an all-Black school, so even if I did something they didn’t like, it was always a race thing. I was always in fights, like every week. It was something my mom had to take off work to come handle. It really was me defending myself. And yeah, sometimes I instigated it. But I had to figure out — is this a pride thing or is it principle?”

Eventually, Saints found peace by accepting who he was, but the struggle left a lasting impact.

“I got over that by accepting myself — who I am, how I look. I know who I am, and I can’t change someone else’s perception. But I won’t let anyone walk over me either. I had to work through how to let things roll off my back. I wasn’t the best at it. I lashed out a lot, but I got to a point where I was confident enough to just keep it moving.”

He even opened up about a heartfelt conversation with Brandi Rhodes where he reflected on how his own daughter might face similar struggles with identity.

“I told Brandi this — whatever situation she’s going to have to deal with, I’ve already lived it. Because it sucks to grow up and not feel like you’re on either side. My family’s darker than me. My mom is very light. But I don’t feel like I fit in on the Black side — and I don’t feel like I fit in on the white side. So I’m just on this island by myself.”

That isolation hasn’t gone away, even with success in wrestling. Saints said being misunderstood still eats at him—especially when people criticize him for being “too emotional.”

“And when you get older, people expect you to be confident, but you still don’t feel understood. The anger has to go somewhere. And yeah, even now as an adult, I feel misunderstood. People say I’m ‘too emotional.’ I used to think that was my superpower — being in tune with my emotions. But now I feel weird when I express it.”

“People misinterpret my passion. They misinterpret how I say things or how I react. And that leaves me feeling alone. But when I do feel seen, heard, and understood — I’m loyal to those people forever. Not everybody gets access to me. Only the people who make me feel those three things: seen, heard, and understood.”

In a business full of characters and performances, Ricky Saints is showing that real-life vulnerability still has a place. His words struck a chord far beyond wrestling fans—reminding everyone that identity, belonging, and the desire to be understood are battles many face behind the curtain.

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