WWE: Getting To Know The Talented Ricochet

After months of speculation, the WWE finally announced the addition of Ricochet to the promotion.

News broke on Tuesday that the WWE signed a well-known indie star to their roster. Trevor Mann, better known as Ricochet, is one of the big signings (the others being Candice LeRae and the tag team War Machine), to head to the organization.

While the Internet Wrestling Community speculated about this move for months and are ecstatic now that it’s official, there’s a wide swath of wrestling fans that may not be familiar with Ricochet’s work. To sum up his abilities, if Vince Carter was known as “Half Man, Half Amazing,” in the NBA, then Ricochet deserves that nickname in professional wrestling.

With nearly 15 years of professional experience, it’s hard to describe Ricochet as a “new face.” Ricochet is a multiple-time champion that has captured titles in nearly every promotion where he’s performed.

He is a two-time Lucha Underground champion (where he was known as Prince Puma), a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champion, three-time NEVER Openweight 6-man tag champion and he won the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament ; to name a small sliver of his accolades.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer frequently praises Ricochet’s work as he’s been awarded a 5-star match for his 2016 tag match where he teamed with Matt Sydal (formerly Evan Bourne) and Will Osprey against Adam Cole and the Young Bucks. He was also tagged the top high-flyer in the sport in 2011, 2014 and 2015 as well as earned the award for best wrestling move in 2010 and 2011 for his double rotation moonsault.

But enough about what Ricochet has done in the past; a simple YouTube search will bring up a number of clips for your enjoyment. The excitement comes with the WWE signing a talented competitor to continue building their roster in a time where “stars” are few and far in between. Ricochet has the look and the abilities to get over in the ring in more ways than one.

While he may be considered “small” as he’s 5’10 and just less than 200 pounds, the WWE must not saddle him to the failing 205 Live brand, or they will lose him just like they did Austin Aries and Neville. Instead he has the abilities to break through to a level akin to someone that shares a very similar stature in Finn Balor.

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It is expected that Ricochet will head to NXT first, which can be the correct step to start his WWE climb. NXT has a number of talented competitors within the brand and pairing him against the likes of the Undisputed Era, Roderick Strong, Velveteen Dream or Andrade “Cien” Almas immediately creates an interesting dynamic. This is best served as an opportunity for him to meld his style with that of the WWE and build the excitement to see him on the main shows.

Ricochet wasn’t the only talent announced as a part of the WWE family on Tuesday as War Machine is also making the leap from the indies. The anticipation for their debut is going to quickly rise and it’s up to the WWE to use these athletes to the best of their abilities. Hopefully, their track record improves as they’ve shown they can be hit or miss in the past.