Booker T Hypes Ricochet in AEW; Rob Van Dam, Ronda Rousey Talk Potential WWE Returns

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Booker T Talks Ricochet's Fit in AEW

After Ricochet made his AEW debut on Sunday at the All In pay-per-view in London, WWE Hall of Famer and NXT announcer Booker T gave his thoughts on Ricochet's new surroundings.

Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast (h/t WrestleTalk), Booker expressed his belief that AEW may be a better fit for Ricochet than WWE was, saying:

"I'm glad to see Ricochet have a soft landing. The kid can work, man. He's definitely an extraordinary talent, definitely a next-level talent. I just feel like he fits a whole lot better in the AEW system better than the WWE system.

"But he got a chance to do the WWE thing and that's one thing a lot of guys wonder about that haven't gotten to do the WWE thing. The WrestleMania week and all that stuff. He's gotten the chance to experience that kind of stuff several times, so for him to actually move to the next level, it's not as hard at all, because now for him, it's all about getting paid, going out and having some good matches, and hopefully a stellar career at the end of the day."

Booker went on to suggest that Ricochet may have more freedom in AEW in terms of getting to work the type of style that best fits his skill set:

"I think for Ricochet to be able to have some of the outrageous matches that he possibly can have, that means going out there and just letting it hang out. That means you ask the boss, 'What do you want me to do tonight?' And the boss says, 'Whatever you guys want to do.' That's what he's got now. So it's gonna be an unlimited amount of stuff you can see from Ricochet now that you couldn't see before."

After a highly successful run in multiple companies across the world, Ricochet signed with WWE in 2018 and quickly established himself as a top star in NXT, winning the North American Championship.

Ricochet's usage on the main roster was somewhat inconsistent, but he ended up putting together an impressive résumé, as he held the United States, Intercontinental and WWE Speed Championships.

His high-flying style allowed him to stand out from most others in WWE throughout his tenure, and although that type of wrestling is more prevalent in AEW, he still has a chance to set himself apart.

Ricochet impressed with some high-risk moves in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In, and now he can focus on having some highly anticipated matches, such as a reprisal of his rivalry with Will Ospreay.

Assuming that comes to pass, it will arguably put a bigger spotlight on Ricochet than at any other point in his career, including his time in WWE.

RVD Responds to Question About Potential WWE Run

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam commented Monday on the possibility of having one final run as an in-ring competitor with WWE.

When asked by a fan on X if he would return to WWE if given the opportunity, RVD responded with a question of his own:

While Van Dam's answer was somewhat cryptic, it seemed to indicate that he would like for WWE to pay up in exchange for his services.

After first making a name for himself in ECW, RVD officially joined WWE in 2001 and enjoyed enormous success, including winning the WWE Championship once and the Intercontinental Championship six times.

Van Dam left WWE in 2007 and then had a strong run in TNA before returning to WWE for a one-year stint from 2013 to 2014.

Since then, RVD has worked in multiple different companies, including working a handful of matches for AEW in 2023 and 2024.

Van Dam received a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2021, but he hasn't wrestled a match for the company in a decade, so there would likely be a great deal of excitement among fans should he return.

At 53 years of age, RVD's in-ring career is probably winding down, so if there is any mutual interest between him and WWE, they may have to reach an agreement in the near future.

Rousey Seemingly Open to Eventual WWE Return

Ronda Rousey left WWE after losing to Shayna Baszler in an MMA Rules match at SummerSlam 2023, but she is seemingly open to returning at some point.

Speaking recently during a stream on her YouTube channel (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Rousey commented on potentially wrestling again in WWE one day, saying: "Am I gonna come back to WWE? Definitely not full-time like before but, it'd be fun to team up with Shayna again. I even have our make-up speech written. But, who knows? I heard things are a lot better with Triple H. It's just I got a baby to have."

After establishing herself as one of the biggest stars in UFC history, Rousey lost her final two fights to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, which opened the door for her to explore the world of pro wrestling.

Rousey made a surprise appearance at the 2018 Royal Rumble and competed in her first match at WrestleMania 34, teaming with Kurt Angle to beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

She won the Raw Women's Championship shortly thereafter and dropped it to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35 in the first women's match to ever main event a WrestleMania.

Rousey stepped away after that and had her first child with husband Travis Browne before surprising as a surprise entrant in the 2022 women's Royal Rumble match and winning it as a surprise entrant.

During her second stint with WWE, Rousey won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice and held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships with Baszler once, and their breakup led to the SummerSlam 2023 match.

Rousey wrestled three times after departing WWE, twice in matches for independent promotions, and once in a tag team match for AEW's Ring of Honor, which aired exclusively on Honor Club.

She subsequently announced she was pregnant with her second child in July, so there is no pro wrestling return in Rousey's immediate future.

However, after being critical of how Vince McMahon ran things in WWE, she sounds far more amenable to the possibility of returning to WWE now that Triple H is the head of creative.

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