During this week’s “ Raw Reunion” episode of Monday Night Raw , Seth Rollins took part in a match against AJ Styles, with Rollins getting some much-needed backup from D-Generation X legends Shawn Michaels and Triple H and Styles relying on his recently renamed faction, The O.C. (Original Club), which also features Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. The match, however, did not feature any involvement from Ricochet, who recently lost his United States Championship to Styles at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
On Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio , Dave Meltzer revealed the reason why Ricochet was not available for the “ Raw Reunion” special despite the prominence of his ongoing feud versus Styles and the rest of The O.C. As quoted by WrestlingNews.co , Meltzer explained that the 30-year-old former independent wrestling standout is currently dealing with an elbow infection, though it’s not clear how serious the injury is or if Ricochet will need to spend more time on the sidelines.
“Ricochet has an elbow infection so the whole spot that Seth did with AJ Styles, that was all [supposed to be for] Ricochet,” Meltzer said.
Given Ricochet’s status as one of Monday Night Raw executive director Paul Heyman’s apparent favorites on the red brand’s roster, Meltzer also hinted that D-Generation X’s involvement in the Styles vs. Rollins match was supposed to be WWE’s way of putting Ricochet over through the endorsement of one of the company’s most iconic and successful factions of all time.
“I know that one of the ideas on the show is that Ricochet gets the big rub at the end from DX where they endorse him and they say he’s going to be the next big thing. That was what that segment was supposed to be. Ricochet was not cleared to do anything so Seth Rollins took his place.”
Ricochet Pulled Due To Infection — Big Segment With DX Cancelled https://t.co/KwSBNcfGeZ
— PWStream (@PWStream) July 23, 2019
As opined by Sports Illustrated , the aftermath of the Styles vs. Rollins match, which saw the members of DX team up with fellow legends Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to dominate The O.C., seemed like a “missed opportunity” to make some of WWE’s current stars look like legitimate forces. However, both Sports Illustrated and WrestlingNews.co noted that the “ Raw Reunion” also featured a few examples of former WWE standouts helping present-day superstars get over. These included Mick Foley’s segment with Bray Wyatt, where Wyatt donned his costume as “The Fiend” and used Foley’s finishing move, the Mandible Claw, to attack the WWE Hall of Famer.
