WWE Veteran Says Ricochet “Became More Relatable” After SummerSlam Defeat
Even though Ricochet lost to Logan Paul at WWE SummerSlam, one WWE veteran thinks the rivalry was big in terms of the high-flier’s growth as a superstar.
The opening match at SummerSlam was a thrilling encounter between two great athletes as Logan Paul defeated Riccohet. It wasn’t a clean win because Logan had a friend appear at ringside and put brass knuckles on his right hand when the referee wasn’t looking. Paul did a KO punch to Ricochet, who sold it like he was knocked out after getting hit by brass knuckles and Logan got the pinfall win.
After the match, Logan Paul loved the fact that Ricochet’s fiancee Samantha Irvin had to announce that Logan was the winner of the match. It was a story that was brought up in the build to the feud to make it more personal.
On WWE’s After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves & Kevin Patrick, Graves focused on the work that Ricochet did in the rivalry with Paul.
“It’s actually Ricochet that I want to talk about from that matchup, because while Ricochet was defeated, in my opinion, and I think a lot of the WWE Universe would agree with me. Ricochet was a case of a guy who came away better in defeat because we got to learn more about Ricochet. We talk all the time, and I’ve probably been guilty of using him as an example on a semi-regular basis of a guy who is physically an anomaly, a mind-blowing athlete, supernatural. You’re right. And I am a fan.”
“I had been a fan of Ricochet since the independents I knew him back then. And I was like, wow, this guy is unbelievable. But we talk all the time here about how just the moves will get you to the dance but won’t make you the prom king or the prom queen. Ricochet now has layers, a layer more depth to Ricochet because we now know what the match meant to him. We now know he has a fiancee whom he loves and holds very near and dear.”
“Now we’re on this ride with Ricochet against one of the most polarising figures in all of sports Logan Paul, where if you’re rooting for Ricochet you wanted nothing more than for Ricochet to humiliate the maverick the social media megastar and go viral for all those reasons.”
“But instead, I felt for Ricochet. Because believe it or not, I’m not a totally miserable cyborg. 24 hours a day only 23. How do you not feel for Ricochet? Here’s a guy who has arguably the most high-profile match of his entire career. This is despite being an Intercontinental Champion, being United States Champion, holding titles all over the world.”
“It’s SummerSlam, it’s one of the biggest events of the year for WWE. You are opening the show with Logan Paul, who is one of the biggest celebrities on Earth right now the pressure was on Ricochet. He made a great showing and had a strong accounting for himself. But he came up short just a few feet in front of his beautiful talented fiancee, Samantha, whom I had plenty of fun with on the broadcast and Twitter got all up in arms, as they tend to do.”
“Did you not feel a little something for Ricochet? Did you not go ‘God Man, that guy was right there.’ He was almost there. He almost had the greatest victory of his life, but in defeat, he became more relatable.
What Championships Has Ricochet Won In WWE?
Ricochet signed with WWE in early 2018 after spending over a decade in the independents where he earned a reputation as one of the greatest high-fliers in pro wrestling has ever seen.
During his run in NXT, he was second-ever North American Champion in the history of the brand.
In 2019 after WrestleMania, Richochet was moved to the main roster. In his four years on the main roster, he is a former United States & Intercontinental Champion. His IC Title reign ended in June 2022 when GUNTHER beat him and GUNTHER has gone on to have a near-record run as the champion.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit the original source and then h/t with a link back to TJRWrestling for the transcription.