Ricochet Reveals Why He Chose AEW Over Re-Signing with WWE

AEW fans got a welcome surprise when Ricochet made his grand All Elite Wrestling debut at All In , and his Dynamite debut didn't disappoint either, even setting up a much anticipated match against Will Osprey . That is one of many dream-style matches that Ricochet has in front of him in AEW, and in an interview with The Takedown on SI's Steven Muelhausen, Ricochet opened up on his decision to not re-sign with WWE and instead jump over to AEW. Ricochet also revealed how difficult a choice it was and what ultimately pushed him towards seeing what AEW was all about .

Having The Most Fun

"Honestly, the biggest reason is that I've been doing this for a long time, 21 years this year. And for me, the time when I was like, having the most fun in my career was when I was, like, traveling the world with those crazy lunatics in the back there. It's literally the time when I was having the most fun," Ricochet said. "Despite what people may think, it's not always been bad for Ricochet. I've had fun my entire career, no matter where I went. I've always had fun. That's not going to change."

"But when I was having the most fun was when I was hanging out with these guys and traveling the world with these guys and having matches with these guys and creating the art that I really like to make for I feel like the Ricochet fans out there who's been, you know, I guess just missing the opportunity to shine. But for me, it's to have fun again and to create that art again," Ricochet said.

A Difficult Decision

As for deciding to leave WWE, while he has fond memories and some great friends there, there were too many positives to ignore regarding joining AEW. "It was definitely a big decision, but honestly, yes and no. Obviously, yes it was hard because it's a place I've been for the last six years. I got some really good connections, some friends, and some good memories there. So it was definitely hard. But at the same time, no, it wasn't because I am a person who has always changed. I've always done stuff, so that's something that I was looking forward to."

"And I just saw what AEW was doing. I saw the guys and girls over there and what they were doing, and it just seemed so fun. You want to be a part of it. Now that I'm able to and able to be a part of it and hopefully help move it forward into the next, generation is going to be awesome. So, as hard of a decision as it was, I knew it was the right decision," Ricochet said.

AEW All Out Updated Card

AEW World Championship Match: Bryan Danielson (C) vs. Jack Perry
AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (C) vs. PAC
CMLL Women's World Championship Chicago Street Fight: Willow Nightingale (C) vs. Kris Statlander
Steel Cage Match: Swerve Strickland vs Adam Hangman Page
MJF vs Daniel Garcia

What do you want to see next from Ricochet in AEW? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!