WWE Rumors: ‘Monday Night Raw’ Superstar Reportedly Set To Receive Bigger Push Thanks To Paul Heyman
With Paul Heyman having recently been named as executive director of Monday Night Raw, a number of fans have theorized that the industry veteran may have been responsible for a number of changes to the program. According to the latest rumors behind the scenes, these changes might include substantial pushes for a number of wrestlers, including Raw standout and reigning United States champion, Ricochet.
According to WrestlingNews.co, Dave Meltzer said on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Heyman is “high” on both Ricochet and NXT Women’s champion, Shayna Baszler, noting that WWE appears to have some big plans, specifically for Ricochet, based on the fact that he was in the main event of two consecutive Raw episodes.
The publication further cited Meltzer, who said that Ricochet is being eyed for a bigger push because he could connect well with younger WWE fans, especially teenagers. With All Elite Wrestling having recently held its first two shows, as it prepares to launch a weekly primetime show on TNT later this year, it appears that WWE is making a number of changes to appeal to younger viewers.
“He’s a guy that can appeal to teenagers,” Meltzer was quoted as saying. “That’s the goal right now is to make sure those teenagers don’t go to AEW before AEW can get on the air.”
#AndNew… @KingRicochet has entered the Hall of U.S. Champions! #USTitle https://t.co/COIgoiDEtO
— WWE India (@WWEIndia) June 29, 2019
Aside from Ricochet and Baszler, Meltzer mentioned Raw superstars AJ Styles and Lio Rush, as well as former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, as wrestlers who could also benefit from Heyman’s new role as Monday Night Raw executive director. It was noted that Heyman could be a “saving grace” for Rush, who hasn’t appeared on television for several weeks amid rumors of backstage conflicts with other wrestlers, as reported in April by Wrestling Inc.
A veteran of several independent promotions before he signed with WWE early last year, Ricochet (real name Trevor Mann) has earned praise for his high-flying maneuvers, impressive athleticism and polished in-ring work since joining the company. Forbes, however, opined recently that the 30-year-old wrestler needs to work more on his promo skills and “establish a voice or a character that is in the least bit interesting” in order to make it past WWE’s mid-card.
Ricochet is currently in the middle of a feud with Styles for the United States Championship. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Styles’ character took a villainous turn as he teamed up with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to beat down on Ricochet following their main-event match on this week’s Monday Night Raw.
