Michael Cole openly acknowledged current AEW star during the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble

A current AEW star was openly acknowledged by Michael Cole during the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble. It would come as a shock to some fans given how he referenced the name directly.

The Royal Rumble saw a lot of surprises, from popular YouTuber IShowSpeed's entry to the highly anticipated return of John Cena. The biggest surprise of all was Jey Uso winning the 30-man Rumble match and earning a main-event spot at WrestleMania 41.

Logan Paul made his entrance at number 30, and as he was making his way to the ring, that is when Michael Cole name-dropped current AEW star Ricochet. He referenced the mid-air collision spot that the two stars managed to pull off at the 2023 Royal Rumble. He said:

“Remember the viral moment he and Ricochet created a couple of years ago.”

Drew McIntyre makes honest admission about AEW star Ricochet

Drew McIntyre is one of the hottest heels in WWE right now, and rightly so. He takes things seriously all the time, and he did the same during last year’s Royal Rumble.

During the match, he showcased his strength by tossing Ricochet around the ring. During an episode of WWE Replay in which Drew McIntyre rewatched last year's show, he revealed that he missed throwing the former WWE star across the ring.

“I miss throwing Ricochet around,” McIntyre said.

Ricochet has since moved to All Elite Wrestling, where he made his debut at All In at Wembley Stadium in August 2024. Since then, he has become a solid mid-card wrestler and might be on the receiving end of a push, given that he has turned heel in a feud with former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role Tony Khan has in store for him in the coming weeks and months.