Ricochet Reveals Why He Left WWE For AEW

Ricochet parted ways with WWE earlier this year, leaving the company after a six year spell which saw him win the United States, Intercontinental, and NXT North American Championships. At AEW All In: London 2024, Ricochet made his debut in the Casino Gauntlet match after it had been reported that he’d signed with the company. 

Ricochet spoke to Sports Illustrated and explained why he made the decision to leave WWE and head to AEW, with much of this coming down to the fact that the most fun he had in his career came years ago when he was working with many of those who are now in AEW. 

“Honestly, the biggest reason [he signed with AEW] is that I’ve been doing this for a long time, 21 years this year. And for me, the time when I was like, having the most fun in my career was when I was, like, traveling the world with those crazy lunatics in the back there.

“It’s literally the time when I was having the most fun. Despite what people may think, it’s not always been bad for Ricochet. I’ve had fun my entire career, no matter where I went. I’ve always had fun. That’s not going to change. But when I was having the most fun was when I was hanging out with these guys and traveling the world with these guys and having matches with these guys and creating the art that I really like to make for I feel like the Ricochet fans out there who’s been, you know, I guess just missing the opportunity to shine. But for me, it’s to have fun again and to create that art again.”

Ricochet noted that the decision was difficult given all the good memories and relationships he’s made in WWE, but it was the right time to leave after seeing what AEW has been doing. 

“I saw the guys and girls over there and what they were doing, and it just seemed so fun. You want to be a part of it. Now that I’m able to be a part of it and hopefully help move it forward into the next, generation is going to be awesome. So, as hard of a decision as it was, I knew it was the right decision.”

Ricochet made his Dynamite debut on the August 28 episode, defeating Kyle Fletcher in singles action. 

H/T F4WOnline