Ricochet greeting the crowd before an AEW match |Image Credits: IMAGO/Icon Sportswire
Trevor Mann, more popularly known as Ricochet, shed light on his move from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The former WWE superstar feels more at ease at AEW and also thinks that the professional wrestling fans will benefit from having multiple avenues to watch their favorite form of entertainment.
Ricochet moved from WWE to AEW more than a year ago, and the wrestler has adapted to AEW like a duck to a pond. The 36-year old appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and also backed AEW for being more family-friendly, as his now wife and then girlfriend, Samantha Irvin, also quit WWE last year.
Mann talked about his reasons for switching from WWE to AEW and how being at his new workplace gives him more confidence. He said, “I feel like I was always on TV a lot and fighting the top stars, but it was never backed by (WWE), which is fine. A lot of people can get stuck in that spot and it's up to them to figure out how they want to move forward, whether they want to try something new creatively or they want to leave. And I was just one of those guys. Now, I also have the backing of the company that I work for, letting me know that what I'm saying, what I'm doing, the reactions that I'm getting aren't bad. So, it's actually helping everything that we're trying to do, the stories we're trying to tell. Having that extra, I don't know the word I'm looking for, help or whatever from the company just really gives you that extra boost of confidence.”
While many people believe that Ricochet signed with AEW in August 2024, he actually put pen to paper in July 2024 and then had to wait more than a month for his AEW debut. Since then, the 36-year old wrestler has enjoyed his time with his new professional wrestling promotion AEW.
Mann remarked, “Honestly, it's been awesome. It's been so much fun and it kind of went exactly like I foresaw it going. Even before I made any decisions or anything, like when I got here. I actually signed in July, but I didn't debut until late August. I was always saying that the goal isn't to come in, be champion immediately, and dominate. It was to come in, have some good matches, show people that Ricochet can still have good matches, then shift character-wise, and find something.”
He continued, “I was always supposed to turn heel. We had other plans with another group before I even debuted. There was a trajectory where I was going to go. But then, it was so good the way it was going that we stuck with Ricochet just being a solo thing. But the plan was always to shift character and always turn. But things just kind of worked out the way they did, and some things you can plan, while some things you kind of have to run with, and it was just one of those things. Everything just happened to fall in line, and things just happen to be going so good.”
It has been more than 20 years now since Mann started wrestling professionally, and it’s very rare that Ricochet’s fans get to see their favorite superstar getting injured in the ring or missing in action for a few weeks.
Talking about staying away from injuries, Mann said, “I think the most painful is when I wake up in the morning, I'm a little stiff getting out of bed, but other than that, I feel pretty good. I see a personal trainer at least three times a week, including at AEW. They have their medical staff, and they have a slot where you can sign up for a massage. And so I sign up for that every week that I'm there. So, they work on me every Wednesday and then probably every Monday or Friday, I'm seeing a guy despite the other stretching that I'm doing myself. I would say I'm very blessed. I try to stick to things that I know I can do. If there's something that I don't know that I can do, I literally just stay away from it. I understand that everybody's bodies are different, I know what is out there, and I know friends who have been hurt very badly.”
Tony Khan, the founder and head booker of All Elite Wrestling, is perceived as a guy who is very involved with the day-to-day running of AEW.
Mann was very appreciative of Khan while reminiscing his first meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner and said, “The first moment I met Tony in Chicago, we were going to meet and talk business. Instead, we sat and we talked for like three hours about wrestling, movies, pop culture, and stuff. We didn't even talk about business. At that moment, I knew this was going to be a great environment.”
Mann went on to appreciate AEW and how Khan and his team are trying to create an economically viable alternative to WWE and other professional wrestling promotions which is ultimately going to benefit the whole industry in the long term.
The former Intercontinental Champion said, “I think AEW is in a great spot and is focused on us. I think now more than ever, they're trying to figure out ways to create new stories and drama and suspense, and while keeping it still sports-based, still creating an alternative to what people have known for years. My dad and my brother and my family back then, when we wanted to go to the shows, we were all broke as a joke and couldn't even afford to go.”
He continued, “So like in how the world is today, I feel like having a place like AEW helps all those families and people who may not be able to afford to go to WWE can afford to come to our show and have a good time and experience some new action, new character, and some new drama. They can experience just an alternative to what has been going on for a long time. So whether they're going to counter-program or not, I'm glad that AEW is around because the backstage is getting better and better.”
Discussing the Monday Night Wars and how the phenomenon of WWF vs WCW got millions of people glued to their TV sets back in the day, Ricochet feels that AEW and WWE can create a healthy rivalry that would allow fans to choose which one they fancy more.
He remarked, “Since the beginning of wrestling history, we've been kind of programmed to despise the other territories. Even back in the territory days, the fans who went to one territory, they didn't want to go to another one. And then, even when they came together, it was like WWF versus WCW, where one had to win and one had to lose like they couldn't co-exist. So we were kind of taught to despise the other wrestling companies. So now when another one pops up, what's going to happen? It's going to be, 'Oh, we don't like them!' You know what I mean? And not every fan's that way. In history, it's never been really acceptable to have multiple wrestling companies on television.”
Stressing the need for competition, he continued, “So, I think competition is absolutely great. I guess people really want this company to stop being a company just because it's not the company that they grew up with their whole life. So, I think people like me, when I grew up, I watched WWF and WCW, and then when I found out about ECW, I watched that. When I found out about New Japan, I watched that.”
Giving the example of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Ricochet concluded his point, “I remember The Rock when he first started doing movies, and leaving, everyone was so mad at him. I remember being like, 'I'm just going to go watch Walking Tall because I'm not mad at him!' So I've just never been that kind of person. So it's hard for me to kind of understand those feelings, but competition is always welcome. I'm glad AEW's here to compete.”
You can watch the full interview on Youtube here. While using any quotes from the article, please credit the Ariel Helwani Show and give an H/T to Sportshadow.com for the transcription.
