Ricochet Discusses How AEW’s Collaborative Culture Draws Talent to the Promotion, Criticism of AEW Having Too Many Titles

During a recent interview with Forbes, AEW National Champion Ricochet discussed his career and how the collaborative culture of AEW is what draws talent to the promotion. Below are some highlights from Forbes:

Ricochet on If AEW Is More Collaborative Compared to Other Promotions Where He Has Wrestled

“Yeah, absolutely. Lucha Underground was great, and even my time in NXT was great. Obviously, overseas is always great, and the indies are always great. But here in AEW, it’s like all of that in one professional setting. I feel like the collaborative part of it is one of the best reasons I can find for why I like it here. If you’ve got an idea or something, you absolutely are heard. Sometimes they 100% use your idea. Sometimes you work together to get something that both parties like. Sometimes they say no and still do what they want. Either way, I think the collaborative part really is the thing that draws a lot of the talent to AEW.”

On One of His Creative Ideas That Was Featured on TV

“I mean, a couple, without giving away any secrets. But yeah, I think one major one is the scissors spot. I think that, with Swerve Strickland, the way different parties saw it going, you know, the way I saw it, I think me and Swerve were kind of on the same wavelength as far as this went. The way we saw it going was a very specific way. So you go, and you plead your case, you talk to them, and you tell them why. I think they actually enjoyed it. And even after the show, we were told, at first we didn’t really understand it, but once we saw it happen in real life and we saw what you guys did, we said, “Oh, we get why they wanted to do it this way.” And it worked out. Even after the show, they came up to us and said, ‘You know, maybe at first we didn’t get it, but now we saw it. So, good job.’ It really is cool to know that your idea actually worked. That’s always cool.”

On If He Feels Pressure of Establishing the National Titles and Fan Complaints of AEW Having Too Many Titles

“Yeah, I think especially when you have a roster as deep as AEW, it’s like everybody could be champion at any point in time. You know what I mean? That’s men, women, that’s everybody across the board. You honor everything. At the end of the day, say what you want, we’re all prizefighters. We’re fighting for a prize. You’re fighting for something. So I think adding another prize to the pot is only good for the fighters, giving them something to fight for. Especially when you have so many guys from the bottom to the top, everybody is so good.

“I do understand what people are saying, but at the same time, when the roster is that deep and everybody could be champion at any time, I think it’s okay. But there absolutely is pressure with a new title, being the inaugural champion, to make it mean something and to make its legacy mean something, especially with the pool of other championships that are out there to be fought for. That’s what I think I’m doing best. I think I’m representing this great. I think I’m traveling the entire world, putting everybody on notice, and letting them know that not only will this be defended on AEW television, but it will be defended in your hometown as well.

I think that gives people outside of AEW an opportunity. It gives them something to fight for, something to really reach for. So if you think you know, step up. The thing is, anybody on your show could win. I just wrestled Starboy Charlie. When they say it’s slim to none, he still had a chance. He still had a chance. I think that’s something that makes this different. And then, yeah, just the fact that it’s me. I think I have enough history to know that I’ve been an inaugural champion for multiple other companies, multiple other times. I’ve shown that I can be the one to make a first-ever championship mean something big.”

On How Forming the Demand Has Impacted His Career

“I mean, it’s made me infamous, those guys. I think we’ve both shown each other, both them and myself, the trust that we have within each other. I think we’ve shown that the bond we’ve made is real, and we’ve put it to the test. We’ve put it on the line. Whether it’s in the match, whether it’s backstage, we’ve really taken the time to travel together, talk to each other, get to know each other, and really know how each other ticks, what makes each other tick.

“So it’s been great, and I think the bond between the three of us has been great. It’s been nothing but, like I said, a constant incline for us since we joined with each other. My quest for gold is complete, and now these two sharks smell blood in the water. So whether it’s the trios titles or whether it’s the tag titles, we’ve got our eyes out and we’re coming for them. They’ve got my back, I’ve got their back. 2025 was great, and 2026 is going to be even better.”

Ricochet was in action last week on AEW Dynamite, where he successfully defended his title against former TNT Champion Jack Perry.