WWE Raw: 5 reasons Ricochet defeated Drew McIntyre to progress in the King of the Ring Tournament

#3 To give Samoa Joe a babyface to work with

Samoa Joe really shines against babyfaces

Samoa Joe is one of the greatest heels we have seen on Raw in some time and he has the knack for working extremely well off his opponents’ size and strength.

Joe progressed in the KoTR tournament by defeating Cesaro in a heel vs heel affair where both men put on an incredible performance that we hope to one day witness at a pay-per-view event.

Going into the quarterfinals, it makes more sense to put more story into the matches which will take place, and Joe can work extremely well off a babyface and show his real character during a fight.

As one of the current favorites to emerge as the King, Joe will want to put his heelwork the test against one of the biggest babyfaces Raw has got today to give us a memorable match.

#2 To bring back the underdog storylines

Underdog storylines work well with the fans

During the battle for the United States Championship, it was Rey Mysterio who gave Joe a run for his money during a clash between a heavyweight and an underdog. Fans love to see matches where underdogs give the heels a run for their money, and this is what has given Cedric Alexander a push in recent weeks too.

With Mysterio aging, WWE needed a new smaller superstar with incredible wrestling skills, and they have found all that in Ricochet. He can provide a great fan-favorite babyface character that the fans have been buying since his NXT run, and WWE can cash in on that on the main roster too.

Pairing up an underdog with a heavyweight heel is a classic combination that seldom goes wrong, and therefore it feels like the right mix heading into the quarterfinals of the KoTR tournament.