When news broke that Ricochet was leaving WWE after a, shall we say, up-and-down tenure on the main roster with the express intention of signing with AEW, it rubbed some fans of RAW and SmackDown the wrong way.
Sure, they weren't too worried about Ricochet leaving a massive hole on future WWE cards, as his booking has been incredibly inconsistent over the years- going from programs with Logan Paul and Gunther to the WWE Speed Championship – but the concern more fell with how Tony Khan and company would use the “Highlight of the Night,” as even the most cynical, anti-AEW fans know that the promotion can book the heck out of a high flyer.
That high flyer booking was on full display at All In as, in the Casino Gauntlet match midway through the show, Ricochet made his triumphant return to the UK in his first-ever match as a member of AEW and absolutely dazzled with some high-flying, hard-hitting, dare-I-say star-making moments the likes of which really needed to be seen to be believed.
What? You didn't watch the show? Well, you are in luck, as clips from his Gauntlet immediately went rival online, and needless to say, fans are incredibly excited about what they saw and what they could potentially see heading into the future.
Entering the match as one of the final entrants, just a few spots before eventual winner Christian Cage and his “Right Hand of Destruction,” Luchasaurus, Ricochet ran through the field while spamming the sort of moves that landed him in AEW in the first place, laying out his fellow wrestlers with a Springboard Shooting Star and bouncing around the ring as his foes tried and largely failed to make contact save a perfectly placed Buckshot Lariat from “Hangman” Adam Page.
Now granted, would it have been cool to see Ricochet secure the win? Yes. Would it have been cool to see him establish some sort of long-term feud with another performer that he could extend into the future? You bet, but hey, considering Ricochet already has a feud with Will Ospreay waiting in the wings for whenever TK wants to pull the trigger, giving him a massive babyface debut felt like a perfect way to pop a massive reaction from fans in Wembley and establish the “Highlight of the Night” as one of AEW's new stars.
RICOCHET IS HERE IN #AEW!
Order #AEWAllInLondon on PPV right now!
🔗 https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@KingRicochet pic.twitter.com/MhY5p5R3lH— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 25, 2024
Will Ospreay wants Ricochet to bring it in AEW
Speaking of Ricochet's relationship with Ospreay, the “Billy Goat” sat down with talkSPORT to discuss their relationship in the lead-up to All In and let it be known that while he does want to see the “Highlight of the Night” come to Tony Khan and retake his spot as the best high flyer in the game, he only wants to see it happen if he commits to going all in, as AEW is “Where the best wrestle,” after all.
“That whole match kind of changed my perspective on wrestling, it changed my output and how people viewed me. But I feel like him coming in now, it’s one of those things where we [did] that match, and we went off on our separate journeys, and now we’re coming back together again. For me now, it’s like, this is your chance now. This is your chance to show people. Because look around. Look at this generation of wrestlers, look what everybody is doing when it comes to that athletic style of pro wrestling, right? It’s him,” Ospreay told talkSPORT ahead of All In.
“He is the guy that did it, and he’s just got to find that fire within himself because he knows he can do it. I honestly feel like he’s just been downplayed for so bloody long that people have forgotten the freak athlete that he is. So if it is true, and if he is coming to AEW, I’m calling out to remind everybody who the f**k you are, bruv. Because you, without a shadow of a doubt, were the man. Dragon Gate, PWG, the indies, around the world, no one could f**king touch you. So I am calling you out, bruv. I am saying, remind the world that you are one of the best to have ever done this s**t, man. Because I believe it, and if I believe it, you’ve gotta believe in yourself now, boss.”
Fortunately, Ospreay was probably smiling as he watched the Casino Gauntlet from the monitors in Gorilla, as Ricochet came, saw, and kicked everyone's behind he was in the ring with, watching as Cage secured the win from outside the ring without being involved in the match's finish. Needless to say, when they get in the ring together, it's going to be grand.