It looks like the WWE career of The One and Only Ricochet has ended. Rumours had been circulating, for weeks, that the fan favourite would not renew his contract when it finished.
This thought was further compounded when Bron Breakker laid Ricochet out this past Monday. Watching Ricochet being carted away into an ambulance made it look like he had made his last appearance with WWE.
Now that Ricochet has finished with the company, it seems the perfect time to look at his tenure. Did Ricochet leave a lasting impression on the company?
Did his time with WWE set him apart from other talents? Let’s look at his WWE career highlights and figure it out.
Ricochet Wins The Intercontinental Championship
Ricochet was always one of the more popular men on the roster. His high-flying move set was awe-inspiring, but he would never become a world champion. Still, he was able to get a great run with multiple mid-card championships, the Intercontinental strap being one of his biggest accomplishments.
The One and Only got a shot at the strap against Sami Zayn. After some well-timed interference from Jackass alumni, Johnny Knoxville, Ricochet was able to roll Zayn up and take the title home.
It was a great win for the man but one that fell slightly short when his reign wasn’t taken very seriously. A reign that will go down in history as the one that ended when Gunther’s record-breaking reign began.
Ricochet Introduces Himself To The Black And Gold
Ricochet had already built a huge following before he stepped foot into WWE. He had been successful with companies like Dragongate, Lucha Underground, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling but now the time had come to amaze the WWE Universe. An impression he didn’t waste time making when he competed in his first match.
The ladder match to crown the inaugural North American Champion was one of the best in NXT history, and Ricochet was the main reason for it. While there were other big names involved in the contest, it was clear that Ricochet was the MVP.
He pulled off some amazing spots flawlessly and wowed the audience every time he did. It may have been Adam Cole walking away the winner, but it was Ricochet who was the star.
Ricochet Wins His First Championship
Once he announced himself to the WWE Universe, it didn’t take long for Ricochet to get a taste of his first championship.
Cole has a good summer run with the mid-card title but, when the end of the season hit, it was time for Ricochet to have his run. The fan support was so much that denying him of that would be criminal.
The match for the championship was as expected. Both men worked very well together to tell a great story. Cole trying to ground Ricochet was the driving point but the One and Only was too good.
He pulled off some impressive high-flying moves to one-up Cole and wrestle away the championship. The victory got a great reaction and proved that Ricochet was a man with unlimited potential.
Ricochet and Logan Paul Steal the Show
The 2023 Royal Rumble was one of the better ones in history. It had great wrestling, told a great story, and was home to one of the best spots in Royal Rumble history.
Ricochet and Logan Paul were two of the biggest risk-takers in the company and were always the ones to try and steal the show. When standing on opposite aprons, Paul and Ricochet launched themselves with a springboard meeting in the middle of the ring, feet above the mat.
They hit with such a sickening thud that every person in the stadium cringed. It was the highlight of a match that included many of them.
Ricochet Adds Another Mid-Card Championship To His Cabinet
Ricochet was great in NXT. He was a champion and a classic match machine. His popularity was through the roof, and he carried this with him to the main roster.
When he was initially called up, Ricochet was treated like a star. He was featured prominently on television long before he was rewarded with a championship win. His victory over Samoa Joe was a huge deal for Ricochet.
Joe was a formidable opponent and a big deal on the roster. Going over him was not something that everyone was afforded, and it showed the faith that the office had in him.
It is a shame that Ricochet wasn’t given a great run with the belt. He dropped the title a mere 21 days later to AJ Styles, and the hot potato that was the U.S. Championship claimed another victim.
Ricochet & Aleister Black Take Home Tag Team Glory
The Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament was always going to be one of the best parts of NXT. The tournament contained some fantastic matches and interesting pairings that one would not otherwise see. The most intriguing of those pairings is Ricochet and Aleister Black.
Black and Ricochet possessed a fabulous entertaining move set and were incredibly popular. It was a great idea to match the two up for the tournament, but there weren’t many who thought they would win.
With teams like DIY, The Undisputed Era and The Forgotten Sons being the favourites not many gave the thrown-together tandem a chance. Ricochet and Black worked some fantastic tag matches on their way to winning the whole darn thing.
It was a win that they translated into a tag title opportunity and a win that showed the viability of putting the two men together in the future. It was a big win and one that should have meant more.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
