AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 5/5 - 5/11

AEW Collision 5/8/25

Ricochet vs. Angelico

MD: When I think of the New Heel Movement in AEW, some surprises have been bigger than others. I don't think Okada leaning into getting heat as a TV worker was a surprise. I had seen inklings with Kyle Fletcher in commercial breaks for well over a year; no one could have anticipated just how far he'd go with it all, but potential had been there. Someone like Blake Christian still does just a little too much instead of letting things sink in, even if he's doing shtick instead of spots. Up and comers like Lee Johnson and Red Velvet are known to be hard workers and it made sense that they'd take to the rising wave. 

But Ricochet. Ricochet has taken me completely by surprise. I know there were some signs of stooging and heatseeking back in his indie days, but even then it had that aftertaste of PWG irony. Yeah, that's a thing. It's been absolutely telling watching him with the Bucks the last few weeks, because they come at it from different angles. For the Bucks, they always have to be winking, always have to be in on the joke, always have to have an arm around your shoulder so that you know they're laughing with you and you're laughing with them. In some ways, it's lovely, because they bring you into the tent with them. In others ways, though, it covers a lack of fearlessness. They can never be truly vulnerable. They're always playing the role. You'll always see the strings. They never REALLY let anything get to them, not really. They'll commit fully for any spot or any bump, but they won't commit emotionally.

And I get it. Given their size and their style and their preferences, they couldn't show that sort of weakness, or at least felt like they couldn't. Here's a bit of actual irony. They were, of course, essential to the creation of AEW. It's because AEW exists, it being a place where people can work their style and not be ridiculed or depushed or punished but instead glorified, I think Ricochet feels safe to be so confident and fearless and genuine as a performer. He has that layer of safety and security. He knows that he's safe from a monster who gets off on ridiculing his employees and that lets him put himself fully as the butt of the joke. In this case, the agency is in his hand. He doesn't have to worry about being dressed in in a bee costume or in polka dots or as a rooster against his will. If he ends up a rooster, it's because it's his creative vision. I get why the Bucks can't fully embrace that because they had to build everything and it's probably so very hard to let go and push away from what established them as stars in the first place. But now that AEW exists, to see wrestlers letting themselves stooge and show ass and be vulnerable is an amazing thing, a light of pro wrestling's uniqueness and specialness bursting out of the clouds once more.

And Ricochet is able to balance it with his big spots and quick action to high effect. Because he has that extra gear and everyone knows he has that extra gear, he can build and build to it by drawing heat and getting stooged. It's giving the fans the best of both worlds. That was certainly true in his match with Angelico, and it carried through all the way to the post match where he was able to push things all the way into the red emotionally in his interactions with Gowen. 

The fans and Angelico went straight to hair taunts to start and Ricochet responded, chip on his shoulder,  by winning the initial wrestling exchange of the match. He boasted about it and then Angelico did what Angelico does, trapping the arm out of a pin attempt after a trip and not letting go. Ricochet tried to roll out and Angelico rolled him back in, leaning on superior reach and ungodly technique. All the while he took liberties, paintbrushing the head while Ricochet could do nothing about it. Immediate comeuppance. When Ricochet finally scrambled to the ropes, the fans didn't cheer the exchange and the fact they got to see it, but they booed Ricochet's craven exit and the fact that it was over. That doesn't sound like much but it's the way pro wrestling is supposed to work, the emotional tugging that is supposed to happen, and something that's been lost in a sea of "This is Awesome."

Angelico went back to the hair in the ropes and Ricochet went for the eyes taking over. He cemented it with athleticism and beat down Angelico during the break while also fighting off the crowd, selling (because that's what it is!) everything the crowd was throwing at him. That's the key. That's what keeps them going that's what keeps this churning. That's what makes the fans want to tune in and buy tickets to see Ricochet. He's reacting to everything. He's letting it get under his skin. It's affecting his face, his actions, his body language, his everything. It means that he looks the fool when he's working from underneath and it drives his viciousness when he's on top. It's human and believable even if it's exaggerated and entertaining. It's perfect. If ever it becomes too distracting and the fans are chanting bald instead of responding to what's happening in the match, that's when Ricochet ramps up the viciousness a little and makes it clear that it's the fans' fault for what's happening to the babyface. That's tried and true heeling and it still works today. 

Angelico mounted a comeback after the break but maybe took his eye off the ball due to the temptation of mocking Ricochet more. Ricochet leaned hard into that viciousness and put him away in a manner that spoke well to hierarchy. Angelico left the match looking better than he came in. Ricochet was all the stronger for his immense vulnerability because he won so definitively and defeated someone who had pushed him to a limit (even if not the limit). And all of that set the stage for him to take everything one step further in the amazing post match angle with Gowen.

There's room for all sorts of styles and approaches in AEW. That's part of the strength of the promotion. But something genuine like this will always resonate more emotionally than something that's simply spectacle for the sake of spectacle and certainly more than something that's too winking and emotionally guarded. The more wrestlers give themselves over to pro wrestling in this way, the deeper the connection they'll have with the crowd.