'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Drew McIntyre was touted by many to be the winner of the King of the Ring tournament by a multitude of experts. And when he went up against Ricochet this week, many believed it to be the first stepping stone on his way to the throne.
It was a good match, some may even call it great because of the way it was designed. Ricochet took a lot of punishment at the hands of McIntyre, being tossed around the ring like a rag doll by the Scotsman.
And he also tried power moves on McIntyre, even though he was clearly David going up against Goliath in a mismatched clash. The match would end with Ricochet picking up an upset win, that had many jaws hitting the floor.
Here are 5 reasons why I believe that Ricochet beat Drew McIntyre.
#3 Ricochet is getting as big a push as Drew McIntyre
If you consider the fact that Ricochet made his main roster debut in February 2019, you'll know that my point does make sense. He's already been United States Champion just a few months down the line and more importantly, he's picked up wins against the likes of top superstars like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
While Drew McIntyre has also been portrayed as a top heel since the time he came to the main roster from NXT, one may argue that he's been a step behind Ricochet. Honestly, consider the fact that he came up in 2018 and while many expected him to be the Universal Champion by now, he's only been RAW Tag Team Champion with Dolph Ziggler in his current run.
The issue is probably the fact that he's never been portrayed as the main guy, but as a lackey first for Dolph Ziggler and then, Shane McMahon.
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#2 Samoa Joe needed a babyface to work with
So, if you look at how the bracket has panned out Ricochet goes up against Samoa Joe in the second round. The winner of the match will face either Cedric Alexander or Baron Corbin. One would assume that even the semi-finals will feature a babyface against a heel WWE Superstar.
I know that Cesaro and Samoa Joe took each other on in the first round in a heel vs. heel contest and it was a great match. But Vince McMahon is someone from the old-school and WWE has often been described to me as the fight between good and bad, in various WWE interactions. I know that the finals will also pit a babyface against a heel at the Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
In a lot of ways, it is easy to know the result way in advance, if you analyze the card beforehand.
#1 To make the show unpredictable
One of the issues that WWE is facing right now is the fact that while people are watching the show, they are not necessarily watching it live every week. You make the WWE Universe tune in live to watch the show when there's an element of uncertainty running through it.
One may argue that the product is a lot more predictable than it used to be back in the Attitude Era, during the time of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
It's a different era and a different audience, but the one thing that's for certain is that WWE still needs viewership to be healthy to keep all the network executives happy.
While this may not be the same level of 'surprising' as Kurt Angle coming in with a milk truck, it is still a genuine surprise for this era. Ricochet pinning McIntyre is a genuine surprise for sure.
