4 reasons why Ricochet brutally attacked former AEW World Champion on Dynamite Fight for the Fallen

Earlier tonight at AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen, Ricochet's frustrations finally boiled over as he ended up brutally attacking a former AEW World Champion. This was a move that was very uncharacteristic of him.

He ended up blindsiding Swerve Strickland during his match which cost him a shot at getting a step closer to once more becoming the world champion. This was no ordinary interference as he ended up attacking him with scissors, leaving Swerve all bloodied up.

The two have had some heated interactions recently, so this did not come as a surprise. Seeing how Ricochet has transitioned to not only having a cocky personality but resorting to such brutality came as a surprise to many. Here are a few potential reasons why he attacked Swerve tonight.

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#1. Get revenge on Swerve for his jibes at Worlds End

Last weekend, the former WWE United States Champion competed in the semi-finals of the Continental Classic tournament. He ended up falling to Kazuchika Okada, ending his campaign.

Post-match, Swerve Strickland came out to rub it in his face. To make matters worse, he had Prince Nana hand out toilet paper rolls to everyone ringside, and have them throw these in the ring all at the same time. This left Ricochet covered in toilet paper once the segment was all over, with a frustrated look in his eye.

Tonight, he looked not only to embarrass Swerve but to dish out pain to him. As if the initial attack with the scissors was not enough, he came in and stabbed him one more time with it. He then brought him into the ring and hit him with a Spirit Gun for good measure.

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#2. Keep Swerve away from an AEW title

For some time now, the two stars have had some competition going on. When Ricochet inched closer to the semi-finals of the C2, he rubbed this in Swerve's face, as he missed out on this last year.

Swerve Strickland would counter with how dominant he was over the past year, and a rivalry began to brew between these two. But in the end, this was all trash-talk and nothing became serious till now.

The 36-year-old may have interfered tonight to push Swerve farther from a world title shot, seeing as a win tonight would have provided him a huge advantage in the Casino Gauntlet match next week. But after tonight's attack, it remains to be seen if Swerve will be ready for next week.

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#3. Ricochet wants to send a message to the Hurt Syndicate

Two weeks ago, The Hurt Syndicate finally had a talk with Ricochet about their offer to him. Ultimately, they ended up rescinding it as they felt that he was sucking up to them. Bobby Lashley even ended up manhandling him and making him forcefully leave the ring at the time.

This event may have played a part in changing his demeanor. The Human Highlight Reel has been showing changes in his behavior, which may be an indirect message to Hurt Syndicate as to just how ruthless he can be when provoked.

It remains to be seen now whether MVP and the rest of the group respond to this, and whether they'll reconsider adding him to their ranks.

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#4. His heel turn was much needed for his career

When Ricochet showed up in AEW, the fans were hyped because of the possibilities for his career. But eventually, this ended up being more or less stagnant, and there was less buzz surrounding him with time.

As soon as he began leaning towards his heel side, the fans started to react more, with many beginning to root against him. It took him a while before he began to act as a heel, but almost immediately, he got heat from the audience.

His move tonight against Swerve Strickland revealed a whole new layer to himself, and there is no doubt now that Ricochet is a heel. He'll surely now be disliked by the crowd, seeing as he took out a fan favorite.

It remains to be seen whether he'll capitalize on all the momentum he now seemingly has as a heel heading further into 2025. But, he'll have to watch out as Swerve will surely be looking for retribution.