Ricochet is spreading his literal and figurative wings in All Elite Wrestling. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion made his long-awaited AEW debut this past August at AEW ALL IN: London, competing in the Casino Gauntlet Match. Ricochet has since been a regular on AEW Dynamite, stacking up victories over former titleholders like Kyle Fletcher and Sammy Guevara en route to earning an AEW International Championship match against longtime rival Will Ospreay. Ospreay himself had been clamoring for Ricochet to make the leap to AEW, taking issue with WWE “only [valuing] his time for under five minutes” and believing that the former Battle of Los Angeles winner could remind fans that he is “the greatest high-flyer ever” if he was in AEW.
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Vince McMahon Held Back Ricochet in WWE
While Ricochet was a one-of-one competitor in WWE, he still was never given the full freedom to compete to his absolute highest level.
Speaking to Talk is Jericho, Ricochet recalled a conversation with Vince McMahon where the former WWE Chairman told him to hold back some of his move-set.
“I did one spot in the match where you know, one guy got a drop kick, ducked one, then one guy got something. Anyways, I still lost the match, but it was like my one spot in the match,” Ricochet recalled, referencing a 2020 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw where he was up against three wrestlers. “I just remember coming to the back and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s great.’
“I remember Vince being like, ‘That was too spectacular. John Cena couldn’t even do that.’ In my head I’m thinking, ‘No, he literally can’t do that, I understand. I agree with you. I’m just so confused and I want to… but I’m the type of person, if I start to say something, I’m going to say too much. Okay, what am I going to do? I’m gonna start an argument with Vince? No.”
Upon joining AEW, there had been some concern amongst fans that Ricochet’s style in 2024 wouldn’t stand out. Today, AEW has competitors like Will Ospreay, Sammy Guevara, Pac, Hologram, Kommander, and more that all emulate the innovative high-flying style that Ricochet made famous in the mid-2010s. Regardless of how many Ricochet-esque competitors there are on the AEW roster, his comments about his WWE tenure allude to the fact that he would never be able to fully showcase his ability within that company’s confines.
Ricochet challenges Ospreay for the AEW International Championship on AEW Dynamite 250 next Wednesday, October 2nd at 8 PM ET on TBS.
