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RICOCHET TALKS WRESTLEMANIA, REY MYSTERIO'S HALL OF FAME INFLUENCE, THE EVOLUTION OF ATHLETICISM IN WRESTLING & MORE

In advance of tonight's Wrestlemania, PWInsider.com spoke with Ricochet at WWE Media Day.

Rey Mysterio's influence: "I mean, if there's anybody who deserves to go into the Hall of Fame, then Rey Mysterio I think is the name, is the guy. I mean, oh man, where do I start with Rey Mysterio? It's like almost 30 years of watching Rey Mysterio, so it's kind of hard to put into words how much he has helped me. But I will say, seeing the whole video package of him going into the Hall of Fame and everyone talking about him going into the Hall of Fame has really lit a fire under me, because it just showed how possible it is to achieve that. I mean, obviously it's going to be hard work, and obviously Rey put in his years, but he's showing that it's possible for someone who is so genuine, and a goodhearted, kind person. You know what I mean? After all these years, especially, too. Like I was just saying about, If there's anybody who wanted to come back and be a jerk and just be rude and do what they want to do, it would be Rey Mysterio. He could do it and we'd be like, "Oh, that's still Rey Mysterio." But he literally gave me a sweater off of his back one time because I said it looked cool. I said, "Oh, that's a cool-looking hoodie." He gave it to me, because he was like, "You can have it." You know what I mean? So it's hard to even talk about how much he's influenced me and how much he's influenced a generation of wrestlers. But if there's anybody who deserves it, it's Rey Mysterio."

The new generation of high flyers: "I'm all for innovation. I'm all for creativity. I'm all for that. I love that the high-flyers are still innovating. You know what I mean? You had the Jushin "Thunder" Ligers and the Great Sasukes and the Tiger Masks, right? And then, you have the Rey Mysterios and the Psicosis and the Juventud Guerreras and all those guys. Right? Then you have the AJ Styles and the Amazing Reds and the Jack Evans and all those guys. And then, you have the PAC and Will Ospreay and Ricochet and all those guys. You know what I mean? And then, you have the new age: Vikingo, Komander.  It's just cool to see, after all these years still, innovations happening. When I was younger and I thought of stuff... I wish I would've thought of that stuff, you know what I mean? But it's just cool. I love it as a high-flyer, as a sky walker himself, I love the innovation. I love the risks. I love the adrenaline. I love the chaos. So I would say, for me, I love to see it and I hope it continues to innovate. I do as well want to innovate for WWE and do things that WWE fans have never seen, and just the fans in general have never seen. But I love it, man."

Teaming with Braun:  "Man, when you got a big, old monster of all monsters, Braun Strowman, roaming around, you're really kind of more confident than ever. You know what I mean? No, but I think with what he's capable of and what he brings to the table physically, and then what I'm capable of and what I bring to the table physically, I think is just a concoction for success. However, our mentalities are both kind of similar. Although our styles and our size is different, we still want to go in there to be best. We still want to go in there to be champion. We still want to go in there because we both want to be in the Hall of Fame one day.  So I think with our different size and our different capabilities, with similar mentalities, I think we're going to go into this match and I don't think there's anybody... Again, the Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy and Street Profits have been a team longer than us, absolutely, but I don't think that necessarily equates to being better than us. Because I think what we bring to the table is better than any other team in this company, in the world."

 

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