Since arriving in NXT in early 2018, Ricochet has taken the wrestling world by storm. He put on some tremendous North American Title matches in NXT against the likes of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Velveteen Dream. Following that, Ricochet moved to the main roster and continued stealing the show against guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
But a lot of folks might not realize how many years Ricochet's career has spanned. With a long history in places like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Lucha Underground, he has faced so many different kinds of opponents. Here's a list of 10 that you probably didn't know about.
10 John Morrison
Lucha Underground was one of the most unique takes on wrestling we've ever seen. It was a supernatural soap opera on top of being an athletic showcase. One of the biggest stars there was Prince Puma, who became the first Lucha Underground Champion. Though it was never said on TV, everyone knew that Prince Puma was actually Ricochet.
On the first episode of Lucha Underground's television show, Puma faced Johnny Mundo, who was known in WWE as John Morrison. That means that Ricochet and Morrison, two of the most impressive athletes in wrestling history, have faced off. In fact, they were rivals who even had one of their matches last the entire duration of an episode. They also eventually faced off during the Battle of Los Angeles in 2016.
9 Zack Sabre Jr.
Zack Sabre Jr. is one of the guys who helped popularize British pro wrestling to American audiences. His impressive work landed him a spot in WWE's Cruiserweight Classic and eventually to a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Since signing there, he's won the New Japan Cup and competed for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Thanks to PWG's annual Battle of Los Angeles, Ricochet and Zack Sabre Jr. were part of the same tournament back in 2015. They met to close out the first round and it was arguably the best contest in a tournament filled with them. Sabre Jr. was able to pull out the victory en route to winning the whole thing.
8 PAC
"The Man That Gravity Forgot" is a nickname that could be applied to Ricochet. However, it is reserved for All Elite Wrestling's PAC, formerly known as Neville during his stint with WWE. When you take the styles of both men into consideration, they seem like perfect opponents for one another.
Their matches proved that they were ideal rivals. Ricochet and PAC did battle multiple times as members of Dragon Gate USA. They went 1-1 against each other in singles competition there but also faced off in a variety of multi-man tags as well.
7 Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle is more than your average professional wrestler. He is a gifted mixed martial artist with a past in the UFC. Many fans believe he has the greatest knockout in UFC history. Currently, Riddle shines brightly as a member of the NXT roster and is one of the company's fastest rising stars.
Before getting signed by WWE, Matt Riddle made waves on the independent scene. One of the places he was most often found was in EVOLVE. In one of Ricochet's final matches with EVOLVE, he suffered a submission loss at the hands of Riddle. It was their only singles meeting and they delivered a great outing.
6 WALTER
It's another guy who spells his name in all capital letters. WALTER has taken over NXT UK with an unmatched and unique style that could work anywhere. He can grapple on the mat, hit big power offense, and his chops are the hardest in all of wrestling. In 2017, he faced Ricochet in PWG.
Ricochet was fresh off of a Battle of Los Angeles victory when All-Star Weekend 13 rolled around. WALTER went one-on-one with Ricochet and couldn't stop his momentum, as Ricochet came out on top. Ricochet went on to win the PWG Title the following night and WALTER won it the following year.
5 Hiromu Takahashi
When Hiromu Takahashi recently returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was a huge deal. He is a game-changer who ignites the Jr. Heavyweight division. Everything about him feels special and unique to the world of wrestling. Shortly before Ricochet signed with WWE, Takahashi was in his crosshairs.
As members of Los Ingobernables de Japon and Taguchi Japan in NJPW, Takahashi and Ricochet were part of plenty of tag matches against each other. But at 2017's Wrestling Toyonokuni, they went at it for Takahashi's IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi prevailed and it was one of the best matches in NJPW that year. There was also a Best of the Super Juniors outing between them.
4 Kevin Owens
PWG's Battle of Los Angeles tournament strikes again. They always did a great job of delivering unexpected bouts between the stars of independent wrestling. That was the case during the 2012 edition, which surprised audiences by pitting Ricochet against Kevin Steen, who is now known as Kevin Owens.
Ricochet picked up the win over the future WWE Universal Champion at a time when Steen was a hot commodity following a strong run in Ring of Honor. Though it was their only notable singles match, they were part of other tags and multi-man contests.
3 Kota Ibushi
There is arguably no hotter wrestler in the world right now than Kota Ibushi. Notable for never committing to a contract with WWE or NJPW, Ibushi finally signed on the dotted line with NJPW and it has helped cement him as a top guy. He is the only man to win the G1 Climax, New Japan Cup, and Best of the Super Juniors tournaments.
In 2014, Ibushi reigned as IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion when Ricochet won the prestigious Best of the Super Juniors. That set them on a collision course for Dominion. Go check this match out now if you never have because it is incredible and features some of the most insane feats of athleticism you'll ever see.
2 The Lucha Brothers
Like PAC, the Lucha Brothers have become huge names as part of All Elite Wrestling. But before Fenix and Pentagon Jr. lit things up there, they were key parts of Lucha Underground. While there, both luchadores crossed paths with Ricochet when he was under the mask as Prince Puma.
Prince Puma was the first Lucha Underground Champion and his first successful title defense came against Fenix. Puma also beat both brothers during the Cueto Cup. His rivalry with Pentagon ended when the latter defeated him for the Lucha Underground Title at the end of Season 3.
1 Kenny Omega
There are plenty of people on this list who come across as dream opponents for Ricochet. Kenny Omega fits into that category. Similar to Ricochet, he's a freakishly good athlete, is deceptively strong, and can wrestle in a multitude of styles. Surprisingly, there has only been one singles encounter between these two.
It came during PWG's Battle of Los Angeles 2014. Ricochet won this impressive match en route to winning the entire tournament. Other than that, they've only been on opposite sides of a couple of tag matches. If they got the chance to have another one-on-one match in 2019, with how much both have grown as competitors in the past five years, you can bet it would be fantastic.