Ricochet: People Who May Not Be Able To Afford To Go To WWE Can Come To AEW And Have A Good Time
Wrestling fans will have wrestling to watch all day on September 20th as AEW All Out begins in the afternoon while WWE Wrestlepalooza runs in the evening. After WWE announced Wrestlepalooza, AEW moved All Out from an evening show to the afternoon.
Ricochet has been vocal on social media about WWE countering AEW, and hasn’t been afraid to go back and forth with fans who might be acting in bad faith.
Appearing on the Ariel Helwani Show, Ricochet was asked if the person on social media is a character or what he actually believes.
“That’s a little of both. That’s a little where the line is drawn of where is it real? Every company’s goal is to make the most money possible. That’s why you make a company. You can’t argue against that. When we feel things are being done in bad faith. That’s when I feel, let’s get a little crazy. They can say the are doing it for this reason or that reason, they can say whatever they need to feel. How most people see it and view it is one way. Why not just say, ‘Yo, we know what you’re doing.’ They can do that. They have their backers. At the end of the day, I think AEW is in a great spot and we’re focused on us. Now more than ever, we’re figuring out ways to create new stories, drama, and suspense while keeping it sports-based and creating an alternative to what people have known for years. Now more than ever, in this economy, my dad, brother, and family, we grew up wanting to go to the shows and even back then, we were all broke and couldn’t afford to go shows back then. How the world is today, having a place like AEW, 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, characters, drama, and an alternative to what has been going on for a long time.
“Whether they’re going to counter-program or not, I’m glad AEW is around because the backstage is getting better, the stories and drama is getting better. We’re trying to connect dots and give people something that is cohesive, and at the end, they can be proud that they’ve watched the whole thing, while giving you some of the best in-ring performances you’ve seen. That is important to us. Not that it’s not important to the other side, but for us, we’re a little crazy. We want to go out there and do crazy stuff and put our bodies on the line. I’m just glad that, however they choose to run their programming, that AEW is still here and we’re still around, and we’re focused on us. We’re growing more and more all the time. At the pay-per-views, you can feel it’s getting bigger. Maybe people are getting more emotionally involved, maybe that’s the feeling that I’m feeling. Every pay-per-view feels like a victory. It’s honestly good to be in a spot where we’re at and where the wrestling world is. No matter what roster you look at. The totality of the wrestling world in Japan, Mexico, and Europe, top to bottom, the rosters are deep. We’re at a great time in wrestling and I’m glad AEW is around to give variety to what is out there”
Ricochet continued, “Since the beginning of wrestling history, we’ve been kind of programmed to despise other territories. Back in the territory days, fans went to this one, but not that one. We didn’t like the other territory. When they came together, it was WWF vs. WCW. One had to win and one had to lose. One needed to go under. We were taught to despise the other wrestling companies. Now, when another one pops up, it’s ‘Oh, we don’t like them.’ Not every fan is that way, but in history, it’s never been really acceptable to have multiple wrestling companies on television. Competition is great, but it gets to a point where you want this company to stop being a company just because it’s not the company you grew up with your whole life. I watched WWF and WCW. When I found out about ECW and New Japan, I watched that. I wasn’t so specific. I’ve never been that kind of person so it’s hard for me to understand those feelings. Competition is welcome and great. I’m glad AEW is here to compete.”
Elsewhere during the interview, Ricochet revealed when he signed with AEW. You can find his full comments here.
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