Ricocheting from the indies to WWE

Ricochet battles Will Ospreay

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Earlier this week WWE announced indy star Ricochet has signed a deal to start work at the Performance Center in Orlando. He'll be a part of the NXT brand as he continues to develop and hone his craft. It'll be a nice boost into the NXT system with fresh faces coming in. Additionally, it's been reported the tag team War Machine and women's star Candice LeRae are also NXT-bound.

Ricochet, whose real name is Trevor Mann, is actually not far from where I live now. For those who know, I'm a morning news anchor in southern Illinois. Mann grew up in Paducah, Kentucky which is about 45 minutes away. So after learning of his signing, I ran a story on the news about "local wrestler headed to WWE." It's a great excuse to get some wrestling stories on the newscast.

Ricochet vs. Austin Lane

I've had a chance to watch Ricochet wrestle in person a couple of times. The stand out occasion for me was when he faced Austin Lane in the main event of a Cape Championship Wrestling show in August 2016. You can see a portion of that match here (I can't figure out how to post an Instagram video on this blog.)The two put on a clinic in the ring which exceeded my expectations. Not only was I impressed with the guest star on the show, but Lane also. 

Ricochet's signing is welcomed by me and in my 1-2-3 cents, he could also help breath some new life into the Cruiserweight division. I don't know what the future holds for Neville (I'm still hoping he returns) but the man formerly known as Prince Puma would certainly add some sizzle to 205 Live. I can't imagine he'll be on NXT long, but even if he is, it'll be a benefit for both sides. 

Even though I don't know him personally, I'm excited someone from my neck of the woods is getting a break in the largest wrestling (sports entertainment) company in the world. Ricochet's signing should be enough to encourage men and women toiling in the independents to keep pushing. Also, youngsters should see this as a reminder to NEVER give up on their dreams. Heck, it's something even us old timers could use too.

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Old guys yelling at clouds

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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Kevin has recently taken to using a Simpsons reference whenever I criticize/complain about something. He refers to a throwaway newspaper picture of Grandpa Simpson with the caption, “old man yells at clouds.” It’s actually annoying because it’s a go to phrase. At least he’s stopped saying, “too soon.” I’ve decided to take Kevin’s love of that phrase and turn it into a weekly segment.

The intent is to find people who complain about something and take them to task for it and not to be the old man yelling at the clouds. The first installment looks at recent Twitter comments made by wrestling veteran Vader towards a New Japan match between Ricochet and Will Ospreay. Vader had the following to say about the match.

Before I saw Vader’s tweet, I saw another tweet that included a 30-second GIF from the match. Based on the GIF, I was inclined to agree with Vader. The acrobatics of Ricochet and Ospreay, while impressive, highlighted an aspect of independent wrestling that has been slowly pushing me away as a fan for the past few years. I can appreciate the talent and athleticism involved however when a wrestling match looks more like a ballet than a fight. For me, if a match looks too choreographed it takes me out of the action and there’s no emotional impact. Instead of wanting to see who can win the match, I’m simply watching to see who can do the most impressive flip. Whether Vader’s criticism contributed or if it was their plan from the beginning, New Japan put the entire match up on YouTube for free.

After watching the entire match, I still think there are some valid complaints to be made. However, my initial skepticism of the match was unfounded. The original GIF was from the first two minutes of the match. In context it comes off as the evolution of the counter-counter- stand off moves Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam were doing in ECW in the late ‘90s. After that segment the match progressed into a wrestling match. Granted, a wrestling match filled with more flips and insane counters than any match involving Vader.

If you haven’t seen the match, I’d suggest you watch it and make up your own mind. Is it a competitive wrestling match or is it a perfect example of what Lance Storm once said would be justification for including professional wrestling as an Olympic sport. Is it a fight or figure skating without ice? I don’t know if Vader saw the whole match or just the GIF. If Vader had not watched the whole match before tweeting, I hope he’s taken the time to watch it and would be curious to know if he had the same opinion. If he had seen the whole match, I think he’s failed to understand wrestling has changed since he was running wild and getting his eye popped out of his head by Stan Hansen.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. In this case, my opinion is Vader was yelling at clouds.