Ricochet further speaks about his run in WWE.
After six years with WWE, Ricochet opted to leave the company and he made the move to All Elite Wrestling. He further dove into his WWE run when he joined Chris Jericho for a recording of Talk Is Jericho.
He shared that the year he won the Intercontinental Championship (2022), he expressed to former WWE executive John Laurinaitis that he ‘kind of’ wanted to quit. Laurinaitis informed Ricochet of an idea for him on television, but said he could still relay Ricochet’s message.
Ricochet was still in line with the latter taking place, but ended being booked for an Intercontinental Title match the following week and he won. He decided from that point on, he’d just do what was asked of him.
And who really knows what they were thinking at the time? Maybe they thought that I was gonna just stay and maybe they did think that. I don’t know. But, it was funny because I forgot what year it was. I forgot what year I won the Intercontinental Championship. But that year, I had actually went to (John) Laurinaitis and was like, ‘Hey guys, I kind of wanna quit.’ I said, ‘I would go back to the indies and make, you know, a quarter of the money I’m making now, than to come back in here next week. It sucks.’ I was like, ‘But everybody kind of feels that way.’ I was like, ‘If you just ask the guys, none of them like it right now.’ This was obviously, like, years ago, and we were just talking and I was just venting my frustrations about everything and it was funny, he had asked me, he was like, ‘Well we’ve been thinking about doing some things. We’re thinking about putting you in an Intercontinental Championship match.’ Blah, blah, blah. He’s like, ‘How do you feel about that?’ He’s like, ‘Is that something you’re interested in?’ He goes, ‘Or do you still just want me to let them know you wanna go?’ I was like, ‘You could still just let them know I wanna go.’ I said, ‘Thank you though, but you could still just let ‘em know.’ But then later that night, literally, I’m watching, there’s like, ‘Next week, Intercontinental Championship match.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, well they got me.’
Well it was funny because they’re like, ‘Intercontinental Championship match’ and then, like next week, I did win, thanks to Johnny Knoxville. Thank you Johnny Knoxville for helping me, and I did win. I just said, from here, I’m just gonna do everything they ask of me. Whatever they need me to do, I’m just gonna do it. Fight my little battles, voice my opinion but, for the most part, I’m just gonna do everything they ask of me so when contract season comes around, if I just don’t feel valued or feel how I wanna feel, then I know it’s okay to just walk and that’s kind of basically — again, that was two years ago, two and a half years ago. From that point, I had made a decision, when the contract comes back around, if I don’t feel good, then I’m just gonna leave, and again, that’s not to the highest bidder. It’s who makes me feel the best.
He feels he got stuck in the role of making other people look good. Ricochet mentioned that his presentation was strong under Paul Heyman on the main roster, but then the regime changed.
From NXT to when I got on the main roster and Paul Heyman at the time was like the head of creative at the time, and at that time, I was in there with Samoa Joe and I was in there with Randy (Orton) and I was in there with Seth (Rollins) and I was in there with (Bobby) Lashley and I was in there with all these guys and winning. I was U.S. Champ. Then, the regime kind of changed a little bit and I feel like I got stuck in a role, and I say WWE is a huge production. It’s a huge production. It travels the world being a production show so I feel like everyone has their roles that they have to play, and I just got stuck in this role of kind of making people look good. I feel like I can go in a class of people who make other people look better than they are and that’s not to tear anybody down… It’s a gift and a curse at the same time so, which is honestly fine. There’s nothing wrong with that either. There’s nothing wrong with each side. It’s not the role I wanted to play. There’s nobody to blame but myself. Everything that has happened is my choice, it’s my fault or — not my fault. I can’t blame anybody but myself (for) where I’m at but I know the decisions I made where I’m at now, I’ve made all the right decisions.
On the topic of his exit from WWE, he was asked if his fiancée Samantha Irvin being at the company made his choice harder. He expressed that they have a great relationship, so it did not weigh on him too much.
It definitely was like a thought (leaving WWE would be difficult because Samantha Irvin is there). But, I was saying, I did a radio station interview yesterday, promotion, and it’s funny. Not to sound, again, a specific way but, we just had a really good relationship. We have a really good relationship, and whether it’s her or me or vice versa, we see, what really is gonna make you the happiest? And then we help that partner get there. So that’s kind of how it was and she understands the type of artist that I am, the wrestler that I am. She understands — not being stifled but just, not being pushed to your full potential so she’s like, ‘What’s gonna make you the happiest will make all of us the happiest because as a group, we’re all gonna be happy.’ So, again, it sounds funny saying it but we just have a really awesome relationship so, as big as of decision that was, she really helped that part of it.
She’s for it and she’s carving her own path right now and I’m for that. We’re doing it right now and just really happy. I can’t even complain, I can’t even complain.
Ricochet will have an opportunity to become champion in AEW come the 5 Year Anniversary edition of Dynamite on 10/2. He’ll be challenging Will Ospreay for the International Championship.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
