https://wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/ww...ans-influence/
Ricochet, according to Dave Meltzer.
â??Heâ??s a guy that can appeal to teenagers. Thatâ??s the goal right now is to make sure those teenagers donâ??t go to AEW before AEW can get on the air."
Ricochet is very good in the ring, but he needs to work on his promos or get a manager. If he does, he could certainly be one of the top guys on Raw.
Rico is the guy to pull back all those lapsed, now pubescent, Bayley fans.
What Ricochet needs to work on is his promo work. He's just about as bland as bland can be on the mic, he was actually getting pretty decent in NXT but he looks to have gone several steps backwards. I dunno if the guy just doesn't have the gift of gab, or at least hasn't developed it all that much, or if he's just someone who has a hard time with the scripted promos. Either way, if he can bring his mic work up, it'll go a long way as the guy is extremely fun in the ring with his freaky level of athleticism.
I am starting to believe, as it relates to his promos, that one of two things has to be true. 1. Kids today are drones with zero talking skills. 2. The most likely reason - heavily scripted promos not only suck, but stunt growth.
Hopefully Bischoff and Heyman, both critical of heavy scripting, can help a guy like Ricochet.
In wrestling, "kids" have always have poor mic skills. Obviously there are a few exceptions here and there, but mic work is just something that comes with time and experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Nick Dudley
The problem I see here is trying to understand why people believe he will appeal to the teenagers. If it is simply because he's athletic/acrobatic, then I have a strong feeling pushing Ricochet for that reason (improving the business overall) will end in a flop. If there are other reasons, then I'd be willing to entertain them but while Ricochet may end up a main-eventer at some point, if he's only being pushed because of his gymnastics then I do not see the business as a whole significantly improving.
Wrestling doesn't need to be flippy floppy it needs to be kicky slappy
Ricochet has a lot more going for him than just a constant look of dopey innocence, and flips on par with Will Ospreay.
Let's face it, we're all a bunch of cynical old farts who long for the drama of a shrieking "NAH UH! I AM THE ONE WHO IS BETTER THAN YOU!" exchange while two wrestlers argue while split-screened. Ricochet would be a little more universally appealing if he didn't just check the boxes for tween fans, but then again I highly doubt any of us cranky spinsters have the energy to get emotionally invested in AEW.
If Ricochet belted out a promo on par with Steven Austin, that would be great. In the meantime, he's ridiculously good in the ring. The argument "But he flips too much!" is getting really fucking old people, he only really flips sometimes. Fans these days are suckers for the slow-mo replay. Ricochet is able to do spots that you'll miss if you blink, and then we fans are treated to a replay of those spots and it makes us happy.
We can all seem to agree that Ricochet appeals to teenage fans, which is pretty fucking fabulous considering they'll probably stay fans of his long into their 30s. Most of us would still pop for Bret Hart even though he barely has enough mobility to walk to the ring.
Ricochet has massive indy cred, which makes him untouchable when it comes to the appeal the live crowds are going to give him. Young fans like to be able to brag that they were fans of Ricochet long before his Prince Puma days, cheering for Ricochet makes them feel cool. Whether or not any of this makes his merchandise worth buying is a matter of if his merchandise looks stupid, so hopefully the WWE asks for his approval before releasing anything that might make him look like a jackass.
Very true. But should that experience be centered around memorizing scripts, word for word? Maybe with trained actors, but athletes? Doesn't translate well to the small screen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slyfox696
Well, the alternative is letting bad actors who are bad at delivering lines go on TV during prime TV and say things which not only will be cringe-worthy in their delivery, but also could undermine the character or the storyline or even say something which could get the WWE into hot water, like Abraham Washington did.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Nick Dudley
I am not saying you are wrong in your position, but I am saying I think we can both easily see the drawbacks to the alternative to the WWE position.
That's why they have NXT. Let them struggle and coach them up. I feel like they do a great job getting people ready to perform stunts, and that's about it. Maybe that's an extreme stance, but clearly mic skills are a weakness with this generation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slyfox696