Corey Graves believes that Ricochet has been elevated in defeat.
The high-flyer came up short in his match against Logan Paul in the opening match of SummerSlam, being the victim of a brass knuckle shot by the YouTube star. Even though Paul was the winner of the match, it is Ricochet that Graves can’t stop talking about.
Speaking on the After The Bell podcast, the WWE commentator believes that the fans got more insight about the former Intercontinental Champion and he is not just someone known for his feats of athleticism:
But it’s actually Ricochet that I want to talk about from that matchup, because while Ricochet was defeated, in my opinion, and I think a lot of the WWE Universe would agree with me. Ricochet was a case of a guy who came away better in defeat because we got to learn more about Ricochet. We talk all the time, and I’ve probably been guilty of using him as an example on a semi-regular basis of a guy who is physically an anomaly, a mind-blowing athlete, supernatural. You’re right. And I am a fan.
I had been a fan of Ricochet since the independents I knew him back then. And I was like, wow, this guy is unbelievable. But we talk all the time here about how just the moves will get you to the dance but won’t make you the prom king or the prom queen. Ricochet now has layers, a layer more depth to Ricochet because we now know what the match meant to him. We now know he has a fiancee whom he loves and holds very near and dear.
Now we’re on this ride with Ricochet against one of the most polarising figures in all of sports Logan Paul, where if you’re rooting for Ricochet you wanted nothing more than for Ricochet to humiliate the maverick the social media megastar and go viral for all those reasons. But instead, I felt for Ricochet. Because believe it or not, I’m not a totally miserable cyborg 24 hours a day only 23.
Graves continued, believing that because of the circumstances of the loss Ricochet will now become an even bigger babyface:
How do you not feel for Ricochet? Here’s a guy who has arguably the most high-profile match of his entire career. This is despite being an Intercontinental Champion, being United States Champion, holding titles all over the world. It’s SummerSlam it’s one of the biggest events of the year for WWE. You are opening the show with Logan Paul, who is one of the biggest celebrities on Earth right now the pressure was on Ricochet.
He made a great showing and had a strong accounting for himself. But he came up short just a few feet in front of his beautiful talented fiancee, Samantha, whom I had plenty of fun with on the broadcast and Twitter got all up in arms, as they tend to do. Did you not feel a little something for Ricochet? Did you not go God Man, that guy was right there. He was almost there. He almost had the greatest victory of his life, but in defeat, he became more relatable.
Corey Graves Continues To Praise WWE Superstars
Corey Graves has been very complimentary of select matches from recent Premium Live Events. Following on from the Great American Bash, the commentator believes that NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and challenger Ilja Dragunov will not get lost in the shuffle upon their main roster call-up.
As for the former United States Champion, he will hope to move on from this loss and complete his number one goal next year.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit After The Bell and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.