Mick Foley Blogs
All Hail King Ricochet
Rocky Balboa was really onto something in the original “Rocky” when he expressed concern to little Marie about the reputation she was creating for herself by hanging out on the corner by the Atomic Hoagie Shop. “They don’t remember you”, the Italian Stallion warned her. “They remember the rep.” Until his recent signing by NXT, I was concerned that the same fate might befell Trevor Mann, better known as King Ricochet, one of the most talented performers in wrestling.
Although he turned pro in 2003, my first exposure to Ricochet didn’t occur until 2016 and a New Japan match with Will Ospreay that was nothing short of spectacular. Unfortunately for both men, the match seemed to be both a blessing and a curse. No one in the wrestling game seemed to have a neutral opinion about the match; it was seemingly, depending on who you listened to, either one of the greatest things they’d ever seen or the death knell for the wrestling business. Personally, I was in awe of what they did – to the point where I had two distinct thoughts while watching the match:
1) I can’t do one single thing these guys are doing in this match.
2) How can they possibly remember all this stuff? Seriously, pulling off intricate maneuvers with such impeccable timing and athleticism – and without a single glitch – would seem to me to be like mastering a show-stopping Broadway play in a single evening.
But as spectacular as it was, in that one performance, King Ricochet earned himself a reputation every bit as problematic as the one Little Marie earned for herself by hanging out at the Atomic Hoagie Shop. Forget about anything Trevor Mann may have done in his 11 previous years. In that one night, to many fans – and to more than a few grizzled veterans – King Ricochet got the rep of being ‘a spot guy’.
After my on-air firing as WWE Commissioner, in between hip and knee replacement surgeries, I started seeing a little more of Ricochet on the independent scene, and noted that he never failed to bring the house down with a variety of opponents. On a two day tour of Dublin and Belfast for Over the Top Wrestling, I saw him work two completely different matches against two entirely different wrestlers, and gained a deeper appreciation for the many weapons this man had in his wrestling arsenal, and how unfair the label of “spot guy” was to him. In Dublin, it was a great match with Matt Sydal; a high-flying crowd-pleaser that also incorporated some fine matwork. After the show, I was talking with Sydal, telling him how much I’d enjoyed the match. Matt told me that he’d recently hurt his shoulder, and was unable to even lift his arm above his head. Then how was he able to have such a great match under such trying circumstances? “Trevor just called everything to work around the injury”, he told me. Working around an injury, playing to an opponent’s strengths while avoiding his weaknesses is one of the calling cards of a great worker – certainly not indicative of someone limited to being “a spot guy”.
The next night, I had the privilege of sitting right behind the curtain in Belfast, watching from close proximity as Ricochet had that very different match with a very different opponent, 2004 Olympian Jeff Cobb. I was in the dressing room with both guys before the match, and heard them talking about “calling it in the ring” – that old-school style of getting a feel for the crowd and reacting accordingly. I used to love calling matches in the ring. But I had a pretty basic style – at least compared to Ricochet. I had no idea what to expect when this potential train-wreck of a match went into the ring. So I was somewhat surprised and very much entertained by what struck me as a multi-layered performance incorporating physical comedy with a vriety of Cobb suplexes – without a single dive. While it wasn’t nearly on the spectacular level of the New Japan match with Osprey, seeing Ricochet in this match elicited a similarly decisive thought in my mind: this guy can do anything.
I, for one, will be looking forward to watching King Ricochet do anything… and everything in NXT… and beyond. Forget the rep – watch the man. 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