WWE officially announces Ricochet signing

It’s been rumored for what feels like years, but now that he’s finally clear of his Lucha Underground contract, it was announced on Jan. 16 that Trevor “Ricochet” Mann is reporting to the Performance Center to start his career as a WWE Superstar.

The 29 year old Kentucky native has been wrestling for more than a decade. Prior to being the centerpiece of three seasons worth of El Rey Network’s serialized wrestling show under a mask as Prince Puma, he rose to fame on the independents. Mann had runs in Chikara (also hooded as Helios), Dragon Gate and Pro Wresting Guerrilla - where he’s the only two-time Battle of Los Angeles champ in history. He also worked on and off in New Japan where he won tag titles and the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

Videos and GIFs of Ricochet’s work have been wowing, and inspiring debate among, even WWE-only fans for years. For as much anticipation as there’s been for his signing, there’s also been trepidation that his talents would be “wasted” as some feel similar performers like Neville and Finn Bálor were before him.

Now we get to find out.

Someone with as much time in the business as Mann could foreseeably debut on television quickly, and with Royal Rumble and TakeOver: Philadelphia in less than two weeks, there will be plenty to speculate about.

Welcome to The ‘E, Ricochet. Hope you survive the experience.