Ricochet Is Ready To Humble Logan Paul At WWE SummerSlam 2023
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Professional wrestling has produced memorable moments that penetrate pop culture for decades. Kurt Angle spraying The Alliance with a milk truck’s hose, Brock Lesnar delivering a ring-collapsing superplex to The Big Show, CM Punk’s infamous “pipe bomb” promo, the list goes on and on. In recent years, the increased work rate of wrestlers and the evolution of storytelling has spoiled fans with electrifying moments on an almost weekly basis. Trevor Dean “Ricochet” Mann, whose athleticism comes second to none, delivers countless moments with one of the most innovative move sets in wrestling.
“I feel like I am the main attraction every time I’m out there,” he said when asked about his blockbuster match with Logan Paul at SummerSlam on Aug. 5. Their tense history began at the Royal Rumble premium live event in January. “The Highlight Of The Night” and Paul went viral after simultaneously springboarding off of the top ropes across the ring from one another and colliding in mid-air. They upped the ante at Money In The Bank 2023 in London in July when they both fell off a ladder onto the ring ropes; the highflyer grabbed Paul and performed a Spanish Fly through two tables set up outside of the ring.
“That was all instinct,” Ricochet said of the awe-inspiring moment. “I’m sending it. Literally, that’s basically what happened. I hit the rope first. His foot didn’t make it because the rope moved, and then it was all instincts from there really. You’re trying to stay calm, but at the same time, you’re still trying to do what you need to do.”
The 2022 Smackdown World Cup winner praised Paul for his instincts and ability to adapt despite only being an active WWE performer for a year and a half. However, as fans saw in footage of them coming to blows backstage after their Money In The Bank ladder match, he is not a fan of the social media megastar.
“Any chance I get to smack Logan in the mouth always makes [me] feel good,” he said. “I don’t know who wouldn’t want that. Not only that, but everyone’s been asking about the match and how big it is. It’s like, that’s where I thrive. That’s where I do my best work.”
SummerSlam is popularly known in the wrestling community as one of WWE’s “big four” premium live events where they invite celebrities to help bolster attendance and overall excitement. Logan Paul was once one of those selections before he stepped into the ring. His presence has been the subject of contention, especially when he took on Leati Joseph “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in his third-ever match at Crown Jewel 2022 in Saudi Arabia. Ricochet isn’t one of those critics; he respects Paul’s game, even if they’re far from friends.
“I love wrestling. I love WWE. I always have. They’ve always brought in celebrities, it’s nothing new,” he began. “Logan, [Bad Bunny,] they’ve come in and they’ve done some stuff. They haven’t just came in and done something and left. They’ve put work in and showed they want to do it as much as possible.” While he appreciates what Paul has done for the business, he’s got no love for him as a person.
“I hate on him because he’s a jerk, and he comes around and he acts like a punk and he wants to talk about this, and he wants to talk about that,” Ricochet said. “All right, I’m going to slap you in the mouth then. You say you want to fight. Well, at SummerSlam, I’m bringing the fight. I can’t fault a guy for being a celebrity. [He’s] a celebrity for a reason. I’m just going to be able to smack a celebrity in the mouth.”
The variety of ways Ricochet can finish a match is laudable. He has utilized the Shooting Star Press, the 630-degree splash, and the “Recoil,” a move where he jumps, grabs an opponent’s head, and brings it into his knee as he falls to the ground. When asked if he has ever considered adding any other moves to his finisher repertoire, a certain legend came to mind.
“You know what I want to start doing? Booker T’s Axe Kick,” he said. “I like just a nice kick to the back of the shoulders and neck. I’m going to start doing that because also I’m just a big fan of Booker T.” A move like that would be useful for opponents his size, but also the bigger opponents he has taken on in the past, like the current Intercontinental Champion Walter “Gunther” Hahn, who Ricochet says he’s not done with.
“I feel like the Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther literally wasn’t my best,” Ricochet countered when asked about any aspirations he has for a world title. He hasn’t competed in a world championship match since his 2020 bout with former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Super Showdown. He’s got his eyes locked on the last title he held, however.
“I wasn’t at my best. I still feel like there’s more that I could have done. I feel like that championship should still be mine. I was the last one to hold it. There’s not been [another champion] since me. He beat me for it. I still feel like for me, my inner demons, there’s still some unfinished business with that Intercontinental Championship. Whoever it is [holding it.]”
That’s not the only grudge Ricochet is holding onto. He had a series of matches with Allen Neal “AJ Styles” Jones in 2019, who defeated him for the United States Championship and successfully defended it thanks to the help of his OC brothers Andrew William “Luke Gallows” Hankinson and Chad “Karl Anderson” Allegra.
“There’s nobody better than AJ Styles,” he said in comparison to other companies. While he admires his talent, he hasn’t forgotten the hell Styles and co. put him through.
“I’ve still yet to get that definitive win over AJ Styles. AJ Styles and the OC, they was jumping me for weeks. I’ve got a lot of targets because they’ve been putting targets on themselves. It’s not just like I’m picking random people. These people have done things [to me.] Now I need to prove that we not doing that no more. I’m coming after you now.”
While he acknowledged that he has been targeted, he owns the role and uses it as motivation to show what he can do. “I feel like that’s been my whole career,” Ricochet said. “People have been picking on me, but I’ve always rose to the occasion. I’ve always shut the haters down, and I feel like [SummerSlam] is just now going to be the biggest platform to do so.”
A big match means intense focus. While many athletes use music to get their minds right, Ricochet is leaning on anime. “Funny enough, before the big matches, I don’t really listen to music,” he said. “I’ll listen to this one clip over and over and over. It’s from Attack on Titan. There’s a character called Commander Erwin who’s doing a speech to his soldiers because they’re basically about to go ride into death. The enemy’s got them cornered, literally hailing rainstorms of rocks and stuff are falling on them.”
“There’s nowhere to go,” he continued. “Either they stay there and they meet their end or they ride out in the battle and they go out in blaze a glory. So he does a speech about [how we’re] not going to buckle or kneel when faced with adversity and the cruelties of this world. We’re going to rage. We’re going to push forward.” Visibly, it was clear Ricochet was transported into that scene while thinking of his upcoming battle. “I’m kind of getting goosebumps thinking about the speech because when I hear it I’m like, ‘Let’s go.’”
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