Ricochet’s first two tests as AEW National Champion proved to be successful as he emerged victorious at both Ring of Honor Final Battle and “AEW Collision.”
Ricochet officially kicked off his reign at Final Battle on Friday night when ROH veteran Dalton Castle stepped up to challenge him for his newly-won title. With The Boys supporting him at ringside, Castle seemed on the verge of victory as he sent Ricochet spinning and dropped him with a Bang-A-Rang for a near fall. After Ricochet kicked out, both men then rolled to the outside, where the defending champion shoved one of the Boys into Castle. Amidst the confusion, Ricochet re-entered the ring and lined up the Spirit Gun, which ultimately left Castle dazed and unable to kick out of Ricochet’s match-winning cover that followed.
24 hours later, Ricochet mirrored the outcome when he defeated Ace Austin to retain his AEW National Championship on “Collision.” Austin put up a valiant fight, even dropping Ricochet with a superplex and a nasty double stomp, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to escape the lariat and package piledriver that greeted him afterward.
Ricochet solidified himself as the inaugural AEW National Champion at AEW Full Gear when he outmaneuvered 11 other men and won the Casino Gauntlet Match. Following, he expressed interest in capturing more titles in AEW, such as the Continental, Tag Team, and Trios Championship. Kris Statlander’s AEW Women’s World Championship was also left as a possibility. Thanks to his back-to-back victories this weekend, Ricochet has reached 15 days as National Champion thus far.
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