I recently came across a video clip of Ricochet’s time on the independent wrestling scene and really started to think about how underutilized he is by WWE. Ricochet signed with the company in 2018 but hasn’t been given a push worthy of the talent he has been proven to have.
Ricochet made his wrestling debut in 2006 and has been shocking the wrestling world with his amazing athleticism ever since. He has competed all over the world in companies like Dragon Gate, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also a major star on Lucha Underground preforming under the name Prince Puma.
When he eventually appeared on NXT in 2018, many of his fans were excited for all the possibilities that came with his signing. He went on to win the North American Championship and had feuds with the likes of Velveteen Dream and Johnny Gargano. He completed in a War Games match and even joined forces with Aleister Black to go on and win the Dusty Cup.
The two continued to team up; debuting on the main roster soon after. Eventually, they were separated and Ricochet was set for a singles run. He went on to compete in some high caliber matches.
Ricochet participated in a Money in The Bank match as well as the King of The Ring Tournament. He was even United States Champion for a short period. Last February, he was placed into a storyline that lead him to a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar. He lost the match within a few minutes and it has all been downhill from there.
Ricochet teamed with Cedric Alexander in a feud with The Hurt Business. He was quickly forgotten about once Alexander turned on him and joined them. He has been sitting in limbo for the last few months with only a few matches here and there.
I do not feel that it is too late for Ricochet though, here are a few ways that I believe WWE could spark a fire under his character and put him in some memorable storylines.
A Move Over To SmackDown
Ricochet joined the RAW roster during the first “Superstar Shakeup”. It might be time to take Ricochet and move him over to the blue brand. The spotlight of FOX and a brand new roster of opponents could spark the possibilities of a fresh push for him.
SmackDown has appeared to be the better brand as of late; at least from the creative aspect. Stars like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins being on the show helps bring in viewers, and the competition just leaves open a range of opportunities.
How could this work?
Many blue brand superstars could prove to set up some awesome matches with him. Sami Zayn is the first one that comes to mind. Zayn has been an outspoken heel for quite some time and is starting to be a huge draw on the show.
His style as a heel is very different from what we saw in his early days as a glorified babyface. Ricochet’s high flying techniques and wrestling abilities could bring out the best in Zayn and prove to be beneficial for both stars.
Zayn isn’t the only star that could be a great match for Ricochet on SmackDown. Another great feud would see Ricochet and Buddy Murphy battling it out in pure highflying action.
The two have very similar wrestling styles and a match between them on a large scale could be an instant classic. The FOX stage would be the best place for them to highlight all they can bring to the table. A fast paced back and forth match between the two would be sure to draw a lot of attention.
WWE could pull a complete shift and turn him heel during his transition. Imagine something very similar to Apollo Crews’s heel turn (but not with a new gimmick). This would open up the opportunity for him to go up against some of SmackDown’s top babyfaces.
Ricochet would match up perfectly with the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura or Rey Mysterio. They would provide that fast paced action and chemistry that he would share with Murphy.
Another possibility would be a match with Cesaro. Now that he is a face also looking to prove his worth, Ricochet trying to use him as a stepping stone could boost him.
Cesaro is currently in the main event picture on SmackDown but even if he stays there, Ricochet also has the talent to carry the main event.
Locking in on The Hurt Lock.
As stated before, Ricochet’s last storyline worth mentioning is his battles against The Hurt Business. Once his former tag team partner Cedric Alexander left him in the dark, everything started to change.
Even though Alexander is no longer part of The Hurt Business and his story with them appears to be over, that doesn’t mean Ricochet’s needs to end quite yet.
Champion or not, Bobby Lashley is a dominating force on the RAW brand and would be perfect for someone like Ricochet to dethrone. They have a history together now and that could be the starting point of their story. Lashley and The Hurt Business originally wanted Ricochet to join them, but then they made quick work of taking him out.
It would be a classic David vs Goliath type of story leading to a rise of glory for Ricochet. A win over Lashley would prove that Ricochet has what it takes to defeat a major star that is twice his size.
Like I said, he does not have to win a championship but this could get him back on the right track to be a major star later down the line.
What else could staying on RAW do for Ricochet?
It might take some time but another situation like this could involve Brock Lesnar. Ricochet lost to Lesnar in the main event of Super Showdown last February.
Now, this would require Lesnar to come back and for WWE to put a lot of faith in Ricochet. With that being said, a win against The Beast would redeem the loss that caused his downward spiral.
The only other way I could see Ricochet becoming a top contender on Raw again would be to have him win the Money in the Bank Match. That is coming up quick so they would need to start building him now. He has been in a few matches as of late with Mustafa Ali. Personally, I don’t think that is enough to put him on the radar for a major match like the Money in the Bank.
What’s NXT for Ricochet?
Finally, another way to shine the spotlight on Ricochet would be a move back to NXT. As stated before, his debut on the brand made shockwave’s throughout the wrestling world. Maybe it might be time for the former North American Champion to go back to his WWE roots.
Finn Balor is an example of why this would be a good idea. Even though, Balor was the first Universal Champion, he was getting lost in the shuffle on RAW. This reset his career and could do the same for Ricochet.
It has been awhile now since Ricochet has been NXT and their roster has changed quite a bit. His style of wrestling would match up tremendously with a lot of the stars of NXT.
It could also be a way for him to relive some of his old feuds and settle some unfinished business that he left there. He never won the NXT championship while he was there. Doing that would really show he has what it takes to carry a brand.
This could be the restart he needs to come back to RAW or SmackDown in the future and be a top star on a larger scale. Ricochet has the potential to be a face for the company, and he is not one they should sleep on.
With the amount of competition there is lately between wrestling companies, Ricochet is a star that anyone would want should WWE not work out.
I am a huge Ricochet fan and really hope to see a change in his current direction. I hope that it is sooner rather than later! What do you think of Ricochet? How do you think WWE should book him?
