WWE: 3 Reasons Why Ricochet Has The Most Potential Of Recent Call-Ups

We Haven’t Gotten To Truly Know Ricochet Yet

Many NXT stars end up in an awkward spot on the main roster, because there’s a disconnect between how their character is portrayed in NXT and how they are portrayed on the main roster. This has happened to several superstars, but the most obvious recent example is Bobby Roode, who has been a babyface on the main roster after being an arrogant heel in NXT, where he was a successful champion.

The problem is that while plenty of fans are familiar with both the NXT and main roster products, there are still plenty of main roster fans who know extremely little about debuting superstars. This leads to WWE trying to re-introduce a character to the audience, potentially confusing or alienating fans who were already used to that character in NXT. Superstars like Nikki Cross haven’t dealt with major shifts in character, but, for example, we’ve already seen a quieter, more bodybuilder-oriented EC3 character in recent weeks.

Ricochet’s character in NXT wasn’t as developed, beyond him being a likeable, kid-living-his-dreams babyface with elite athleticism and a HUGE chip on his shoulder. That was the gist of his first promo on Raw, and his character is easy to understand.

That gives WWE more room to flesh out Ricochet’s character going forward, adding new wrinkles and traits that weren’t there in NXT. When Ricochet first came into WWE, promos were pointed out as a huge weakness in his game, and his first promos were encouraging but uneven, with The One and Only lacking in confidence (he’d speak quietly and didn’t really know how to use his hands or eye contact to add to his promo or show the audience emotional depth).

But, as expected, he’s improved, partaking in fiery segments on NXT TV such as this one. Ricochet, of course, still has room to grow, but that goes hand-in-hand with him still having a chance to add depth to his character on the main roster. He’s only been in WWE as an on-screen character for less than one year, making him the most recent addition to the promotion of these four main roster call-ups.

I see this as a blessing for Ricochet, because we’ve only scratched the surface with his character work. As long as he keeps improving and WWE continues to put the focus on a wrestler who always catches the audience’s eye in the ring, the easy-to-read babyface should be headed for a big role with the company as 2019 continues.