Ricochet's Love for ARC Raiders, Mario Kart, and Pokemon, AEW Champion Opens Up
Ricochet, real name Trevor Mann, is known worldwide for being one of the most talented and entertaining pro wrestlers on the planet, currently applying his trade in All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Ahead of the promotion's visit to the UK, I had the opportunity to chat with the man often dubbed 'The Human Highlight Reel' due to his athletic prowess inside and outside of the squared circle.
On 22 November 2025 at AEW Full Gear, Ricochet defeated 11 other participants, pinning Kevin Knight to become the inaugural AEW National Champion.
“To become the inaugural champion, now in four different companies, is awesome,” Ricochet says of the event, adding to the first-ever Lucha Underground World Championship, House of Glory World Championship, and WWE Speed Championship.
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“It’s pretty cool, on top of being the only two-time PWG ‘Battle of Los Angeles’ winner, and the first foreigner to be the Dragon Gate Heavyweight Champion.”
Prestige Of Being AEW’s First Ever National Champion
“Now it’s up to me what I make of the AEW National Championship. It’s one of the most important championships I’ve ever won. I get to make this championship prestigious because there’s only one first-ever champ,” he says.
Following Full Gear, I was hoping to see Ricochet celebrate being the first AEW National Champion with his two comrades Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona, collectively known as “The Demand”, on AEW’s weekly show Dynamite. Sadly, that was not to be.
Hopefully, we might get this overdue championship celebration in the UK when AEW brings Dynamite and its weekly Saturday night show Collision to Cardiff and Manchester, respectively, later this month.
“That’s why I had to come out and make an example out of The Outrunners and Dalton Castle, because they were taking up my TV time on Dynamite,” Ricochet remembers.
“Maybe next time, Tony Khan [owner of AEW] will set some TV time for the champ. But honestly, my championship celebration would be better to have in the UK rather than the US, because other Americans are fickle and nasty. Whenever I come to the UK and Europe as a whole, the fans treat me better.”
At this time, the match card for AEW’s final PPV of the year, World’s End on 27 December 2025, has not been set, but it will no doubt be the perfect time for Ricochet to make his first title defence as the AEW National Champion.
“The guys in the locker room must fight among themselves to earn a shot at the champ. This ain't the Oprah Winfrey Show. I’m not gonna hand out title opportunities. They’ll need to be on my level if they think they’re worthy. I’ll be picking who I’ll be facing, because I’m the champ,” he says.
Making an AEW Debut and Turning Heel
In 2024, Ricochet made his long-awaited AEW debut at Wembley Stadium in London, England, at All In. This followed six successful years at WWE, where he became an NXT North American Champion, Intercontinental and US Champion, as well as the aforementioned inaugural Speed Champion. I was in that crowd at All In and Ricochet had a great reception from the fans.
“That moment felt great. I enjoyed my time off [in between WWE and AEW], having no travelling or staying in hotels. Instead, I was working out every day. Getting the right amount of sleep, being around my family, and my puppies. It was awesome, it made me realise that I can’t wait for retirement,” says Ricochet.
“But to get the reception at All In, it brought me back and reminded me that I still love doing this. It was awesome to get that reception from the crowd as well as the guys and girls in the back.”
Over on social media, Ricochet is somewhat of a wind up merchant on X (formerly Twitter), engaging with fans and actively replying to those who might give him grief. All in jest, of course. Well, maybe.
“Fans can say whatever they want to you, and if they come at me, I’m gonna say the most off-the-wall things back,” he told me. “It’s all part of what pro wrestling is today. Steve Austin and The Rock went back and forth, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Swerve Strickland and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and I do that with the fans. I can be on an aeroplane, in a hotel and go at them. Sometimes, I have to ask Sam [Ricochet’s wife] before posting, and she’s like, 'No, you can’t say that'. It’s all fun.”
Throughout his career in WWE and in the early days at AEW, Ricochet was a babyface, a term in the industry used to describe a good guy. However, Ricochet would later turn heel, a term used for a bad guy - and to many, he’s never been more entertaining than he is now.
“I’ve always been the same person for the last 22 years. But I felt it was Swerve Strictland, the Hurt Syndicate, and the fans that did a 180 on me out of nowhere. They turned on me. I was getting my groove back. I was getting a great reception, and then came the boom. Everyone turned against me. I even feel that Tony Khan did a complete 180. I’m in the right,” he says.
Video Games and Mental Health
Fans who have followed Ricochet’s career will know that he’s a big gamer and anime fan. I’ve always felt that during my own personal downtime and moments of stress, video games can be a great tool to maintain positive mental health and clear some of the negative fog if you will, and I wondered if Ricochet felt the same.
“Absolutely. I recently dived back into Call of Duty, and I play Tekken most of the time now. I really appreciate gaming, especially during that time off [between WWE and AEW]. It helps my mental health, and I take my Alienware laptop and controller everywhere I travel,” he began.
“Growing up, I loved my Nintendo 64 playing Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon Stadium. The N64 was my main as a kid. It’s still my favourite console today. I also loved my Nintendo GameCube, playing more Super Smash, as well as Mario Party, Phantasy Star Online. Nintendo has provided so many memories. But gaming also lets me turn my mind off from being Ricochet and be Trevor Mann.”
“I’ve also gotten into playing a lot of ARC Raiders to relieve some stress. It’s such a good feeling working as a team in that game and earning some loot. However, when someone kills you and steals your loot, it’s the worst feeling, but it makes me jump straight back into the game.”
Finding Joy Outside of the Ring
To conclude our conversation, in what has been a busy year for Ricochet, I was curious to learn what has given him the most joy in life over the last 12 months.
“My wife has given me so much joy, for the last five years in fact, and getting married earlier this year. I know it’s cliché, but that was the best day of my life. The whole day, from start to finish. Enjoying that time with family and friends. Also, my puppies, I love my puppies,” he told me.
“Outside of that, I love to watch My Hero Academia, which is in its eighth and final season. I’ve loved watching anime growing up, and still do today. It wasn't as popular back then, but now it is, and that’s really cool.”
AEW will be coming to the UK this month on Saturday 13 December in Cardiff, Wales, for Collision: Winter is Coming, and then on Wednesday 17 December in Manchester, England, for Dynamite and Collision: Holiday Bash.
Topics: Features, Interview, Mental Health, WWE