Ricochet is considered one of the most underutilized stars in WWE right now due to the lack of a consistent role. WWE did once seem keen on making Ricochet an important part of the future following NXT success and his eventual call-up. Ricochet broke out in a few places before WWE with Lucha Underground at the top of the list.
The surprising decision to put a mask on Ricochet saw him playing the character of Prince Puma. LU witnessed Prince Puma becoming a huge part of the company’s early success. The great work done in the unique promotion was one of the reasons WWE fans were excited to see him get signed. Unfortunately, Ricochet may never be able to get back to that former top star status like he had in Lucha Underground as Prince Puma.
Prince Puma Was Lucha Underground's First Star
The signing of Ricochet by Lucha Underground showed the promotion loved his work on the independent circuit and had a vision for him. Prince Puma was criticized as a character by fans before the show even started due to Ricochet working under a mask being different than what he was known for. However, LU management wanted Ricochet to play a superhero-like character and it connected in their universe of wrestling.
Prince Puma was a great face who had exciting matches and did the right thing when having to fight against evil characters or helping out fellow faces. The push of Ricochet as the new character started from the first episode with important matches against other top names and bright prospects.
LU booked Prince Puma to become the first-ever Lucha Underground Champion by winning a 20-man gauntlet. The title reign lasted about eight months in television time with Ricochet making the character work and come off extremely likeable. John Morrison was the biggest name to sign with Lucha Underground, but Prince Puma was the first superstar created by the show to get over big time.
Ricochet Didn't Stay In Lucha Underground For Too Long
Lucha Underground was filmed like a traditional television show. This meant that entire seasons were filmed over a few tapings which were edited before airing. This allowed Ricochet to continue to have great performances without his mask in New Japan and on independent shows for companies like PWG. The obvious secret of Ricochet being Prince Puma led to both sides of his careers benefiting.
Fans of Ricochet from other promotions loved to try his matches as Prince Puma, even if they weren’t diehard LU fans. The same was said for the LU viewers who learned how great he was without the mask elsewhere. Other stars were eventually pushed in the title picture over Prince Puma, but he always felt like a top star due to the performances and reputation.
Ricochet eventually made it clear he wouldn’t be staying in Lucha Underground beyond his contract due to the pay and to his desire to accomplish more elsewhere. However, the work delivered in the soap-opera style promotion was always entertaining. Ricochet even marked out when working with a wrestling hero like Rey Mysterio as both partners and opponents. Once the LU run ended, Ricochet predictably signed with WWE for the next step of his career.
Ricochet's WWE Career Has Been A Flop
The signing of Ricochet made him a top asset for NXT from the start due to his success in Lucha Underground and elsewhere. Ricochet lost the mask and left the Prince Puma character in the past when trying to prove he could thrive in the biggest wrestling company. NXT fans loved his impressive outings against the likes of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne.
WWE called up Ricochet about a year after his contract signing to show just how much they valued him. Ricochet getting started on the main roster did have some slight positives like great tag matches with Aleister Black and show-stealing performances when allowed to show his full athleticism. Unfortunately, WWE never committed to making Ricochet an important player with the pushes always stopping and starting.
The biggest push of Ricochet ended up being his biggest downfall when getting squashed by Brock Lesnar in a singles match for the Universal Championship. Ricochet is still trying to recover from that failure after basically losing all his relevance.
Fans of Lucha Underground will always remember him fondly, but that feels like a lifetime ago. The potential of Ricochet is being wasted now and could be argued as best showcased under a mask as a superhero-inspired character once known as Prince Puma.