What The Rock said about AEW's Ricochet in 2016 is finally starting to make sense

Modified Apr 12, 2025 12:20 GMT

Ricochet (left) and Rock (right) [Source: AEW and WWE on YouTube] — Ricochet (left) and The Rock (right) [Source: AEW and WWE on YouTube]

Ricochet is currently one of the most hated men in AEW. He couldn't impress the fans with his babyface personality, so he's turned to his dark side.

Mr. High Fly has cited The Rock as his inspiration to become a pro wrestler. In 2016, he shared a post acknowledging The Final Boss in one of his social media posts. The post caught the WWE legend's attention, and he responded with heavy praise for the AEW star.

"...Wish you all the success in the world brother and hope you become a big star in our business. I've seen a few of your matches - you're an incredibly gifted/athletic worker. Keep workin' hard and chasing your greatness. And I thought I was cool doing a little candy ass forward roll into an arm bar," Rock wrote in his post.

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Rock's prediction that The Human Highlight Reel would achieve major stardom in professional wrestling is rapidly becoming a reality, as Ricochet's recent performances in AEW showcase his exceptional talent and versatility. He's slowly and steadily solidifying his place amongst the top wrestlers in the company. His heel turn has garnered significant heat from the fans, thereby establishing him as a successful performer in AEW.

Ricochet is in his ultimate heel era

Ricochet teamed up with CRU (Action Andretti and Lio Rush) and The Beast Mortos against Kevin Knight, Will Ospreay, Mike Bailey, and Mark Briscoe on this week's Dynamite. In a segment, the fans saw his opponents gang up on him to deliver a chop on his head. The segment was captured on camera and posted on X (fka Twitter), which infuriated the ex-WWE Speed Champion, and, as an ultimate heel, he asked Tony Khan to fire the cameraman who shot the video.

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Ricochet's arrival in AEW started on a positive note, but soon, the fans started to turn on him. He was constantly booed as a babyface, which gave AEW an idea to turn him into a heel. His heel turn became official during a Triple Threat Match on January 1, 2025, when he brutally attacked Swerve Strickland.

About the author

Monika Thapa is a journalist at Sportskeeda, covering AEW and WWE news. A big fan of pro wrestling since childhood, she stumbled upon sports content writing in 2022. She has a ton of experience and has worked for prominent platforms like EssentiallySports.

Monika is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in English and loves creating pro wrestling content at Sportskeeda. She proofreads her work numerous times before submitting her work and relies only on trusted sources for information.

Monika is a big fan of Rhea Ripley, as she admires her fearlessness and strength. If she were to change a WWE storyline, Monika would have had Lita return and combine forces with Becky Lynch in the latter’s 2023 feud with Trish Stratus & Zoey Stark.

When not covering the latest pieces of pro wrestling news, Monika likes to read books, spend time with dogs, and learn new cooking recipes.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya