Ricochet Recalls Backstage Emotions After Lucha Underground Match With Rey Mysterio In 2016

In a recent interview on the With Authority! podcast, Ricochet discussed wrestling in front of no fans, his Ultima Lucha Dos match with Rey Mysterio, and much more. Here are some of the highlights (via Wrestling Inc.):

Ricochet on what it was like wrestling in front of no fans: “Luckily, when I first started in Tennessee, and Alabama, and Illinois, and all these little areas, I basically wrestled in front of nobody. Even at upward of years into the business, I’d go to a show and there’s more people in the backstage than outside watching the show. I guess that’s the difference – there’s two groups. There’s some people who absolutely love the art of professional wrestling. They love doing it, they’ll do it in the backyard in front of nobody because they love doing it. And then there’s some people who do it for money, or only do it for specific reasons. I’m one of the guys that, since I was eight years old, have loved professional wrestling. I’ve loved it my whole life.

“And obviously it counts because you know people at home are watching. They hit your music, and they pop in the noise and the screens of the people that are home are watching. So I can look at the screens and stuff and see them. But honestly, I’m just in the group of people that just love it and will wrestle in front of nobody. Any time I step into those ropes, that ring, it’s a sacred place for a lot of us. It’s very sacred, it means a lot to us. It literally, like, saves our lives, most of us, keeps us off the streets. So we owe our lives to wrestling. It was something I was born to do, it was something that I just love, I have a passion for. It’s hard for me to not give my all even if its in front of nobody or in front of thousands.”

On the Ultima Lucha Dos match with Rey Mysterio in 2016 being one of his favorite matches in his career: “A lot of people ask me ‘what’s your favorite match?’ It’s hard for me to pick a favorite match because I have favorites for very specific reasons. But if I had to pick one up to this point of my career, that match has to go top two, top three favorite matches ever,” Ricochet said. “Just because of what it meant to me, what Rey means to me. We might’ve even had a couple before that match, on the independents, one overseas, one in New York. But that one specifically, man, I remember after the match. He leaves the ring and I’m about to leave, and he stops me and says ‘no, this is your moment. You stay. I’m going to get out of here.’ He had just won, but everyone was cheering for me.

“I go to the back finally, I try to find his little locker room. I go in there and I’m trying to just say ‘thank you so much for this match. It means a lot to me. You’ve obviously been a huge inspiration, you’ve been someone I looked up to for so long. So, just thank you.’ I was trying to talk to him and tell him all this stuff. He was sitting there, everyone’s around, and I’m just crying. I can’t even speak. Like, literally so emotional, and he’s like ‘no, I know man.’ Even at that moment he was like, ‘man, I loved that. I wish you could’ve met Eddie (Guerrero). Eddie would’ve loved you, bro. Eddie was watching that one for sure.’ As soon as I started feeling better and he says that, I’m literally crying again. I think he knows the respect level that’s there. I think he knows the inspiration and everything. It’s just cool and to share a ring with someone like him.”