"It makes you feel so emotional" - AEW star Ricochet responds to his critics; name-drops AJ Styles

AEW's Ricochet has been wrestling for over two decades and is widely praised for his innovative and high-flying in-ring style. The former WWE star is now opening up on fan criticism he's battled and name-dropping guys like AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Jushin Thunder Liger, and his AEW co-worker Chris Jericho to get his point across.

The Highlight of the Night has been wrestling since 2003, with successful runs in various indies, EVOLVE, PWG, Dragon Gate, NJPW, Lucha Underground, WWE, and now AEW. While Ricochet is generally praised for his in-ring abilities, the style he uses often draws significant criticism, no matter who the wrestler is.

Ricochet discussed the in-ring style he enjoys as a wrestling fan and his own style during a recent Q101 interview to promote AEW Dynamite. The 36-year-old was asked about the generation coming up under him and whether he ever checks himself or finds himself thinking the younger talents aren't "doing wrestling the right way" or if he's just so open to the evolution of the business that he's all for it.

"When I watch, I literally watch more Dragon Gate style. Is it accurate, clean? Is there ring awareness? What's your footing, spacing, and timing like? Does it look natural? I want to see crazy spots. I love spots and the DG style. People say, 'Less is more!' No, more is always more, it just doesn't look cool. [host: it doesn't look good] Yeah, I'm not saying there are times where less equals more, obviously. Just because I like this style doesn't mean I'm saying they're wrong because they're legends, and have been here, for a reason," Ricochet said. [From 29:06 to 29:55]

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion continued:

"It's crazy to me that just because you don't like a specific style, it just makes you feel so [emotional] you have to say something. It's never going to be AJ Styles who's like, 'Hey, you're doing... it's a little too much!' [AJ impersonation] [laughs] It's not going to be Rey Mysterio or Jushin 'Thunder' Liger or Chris Jericho who's like, 'Man, I think that dive was a little...' But again, I love it, love the style... twenty-one years of doing my style, it evolves, it changes, but I think at the base of it, it's still what I love to do, and it's still what I love to watch." [From 29:56 to 30:44]

Ricochet lost to International Champion Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Full Gear on Saturday in his second singles title shot. The Illinois native worked an 18-minute No Contest against then-champion Will Ospreay in early October in his first AEW title shot. Takeshita dethroned Ospreay one week later at WrestleDream in a Triple Threat that also included The One and Only.

Ricochet set for AEW Continental Classic

Ricochet is now focused on winning the AEW Continental Championship. The former WWE Superstar has been announced for the second annual Continental Classic, which kicks off tonight on Dynamite and then wraps at the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 28.

The One and Only is a part of the Gold League, along with Will Ospreay, Juice Robinson, Brody King, Darby Allin, and Claudio Castagnoli. The tournament will kick off on tonight's loaded Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite with Ricochet vs. Castagnoli for the first time since a WWE live event in October 2019.

AEW has confirmed Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia, The Beast Mortos, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Briscoe, and Shelton Benjamin for the C2 Blue League. Tonight's Dynamite will also feature Benjamin vs. Briscoe in Blue League action, plus Darby vs. Brody for the Gold League.

Worlds End will feature the Continental Classic Championship tournament finals with the Blue League winner vs. the Gold League winner for the title.