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The prestigious WWE Intercontinental Championship was held by several top stars of the company. Today, the second oldest belt has a new sense of prestige that was lacking for many years prior, thanks to Austrian star Gunther. He won the title on June 10, 2022, from Ricochet and has been the dominant champion ever since.
Speaking of The One and Only, despite signing with the company in 2018, it took him time to gradually fit into the landscape of WWE programming. Perhaps Ricochet's biggest match to date was when he competed against Logan Paul, albeit in a losing effort, at SummerSlam 2023.
Speaking on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Samantha Irvin revealed her feelings about the YouTube star's actions in the opening contest of The Biggest Party of the Summer in August. Logan Paul used brass knuckles to knock out Ricochet before scoring the pinfall victory.
"I was not happy and definitely not happy to have a camera in my face while he's [Logan Paul] saying that to me. So not my favorite, and it's crazy because it's such a replayed moment. It's like the wackest moment that I've had, but you know it’s fine. No matter what, I was gonna get the announcement off, no matter what, but I was obviously in shock. I have not seen anyone assault my fiance with brass knuckles before so that was a first." [H/T: WrestlingNewsCo]
The bout was well-received by viewers, who still believe Ricochet has more to offer and needs to be booked better on WWE television.
Ricochet on being part of the WWE IC Championship lineage
Despite a relatively short run with the belt, Ricochet is happy with what he was able to do with it rather than dwelling on the negatives.
During an interview with Ryan Satin on Out of Character earlier this year, the 34-year-old superstar detailed on the subject:
"I feel great. I mean, to even be a part of the lineage that is the Intercontinental Championship is great. And to be able to etch your name in that history is amazing." [H/T: 411mania.com]
Ricochet then name-dropped some of the influential stars in the last few years who held the title, from Sami Zayn (who introduced the current version of the belt in late 2019) to The Ring General:
"And then even after, it was like what, Sami Zayn to me, to now Gunther. I feel like it’s been pretty good so far. And I feel like, you know, anything that I can do to be an addition, to add positive connotation to any title, any aspect of wrestling in general, I’m happy with. And so, I’m happy with it. I was pretty happy with my run for a little bit."
Did you enjoy Logan Paul vs. Ricochet at SummerSlam 2023, and what other contests of The One and Only would you like to see on WWE TV? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
