Trevor Mann’s in-ring professional wrestling name fits perfectly.
He’s constantly in motion. There’s no telling what aerial move he’ll try or where he might bounce or leap from in the ring.
That’s how Mann, known in WWE as Ricochet, likes to perform. You might think he was a gymnast growing up. Nope. But since his early teen years, he’s practiced cartwheels and other flips in preparation of what he hoped would be a great career in pro wrestling.
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So far, so good.
But how does a 5-foot-9 athlete from small-town Paducah, Ky., who stopped playing organized sports after pee wee football become the sports entertainment daredevil who is recognized worldwide? The same someone who will be a part of SummerSlam, the WWE’s biggest show of the summer, Saturday in Detroit? Ricochet still ponders that.
“I’ll stop and smell the flowers all the time. Like, from Paducah, how did I make it here? It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “It’s hard work, honestly. As cliché as it sounds, literally hard work.”
That hard work has earned him a spot on the SummerSlam card against one of the most recognizable faces in and out of wrestling, social media personality — and rising WWE Superstar — Logan Paul. The two already have made a few WWE highlights together, including an incredible mid-air collision at the Royal Rumble premium live event in January.
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Ricochet signed with WWE five years ago and became an immediate wrestler to watch because of his athleticism. One of his finishing moves is the 630, a senton (splash from the top rope) where he lands on an opponent after two full forward tumbles in the air.
Not only does Ricochet, 34, not have formal gymnastics training, but he also wasn’t introduced to any kind of tutelage or advice until he was an adult. His former roommate, Stacey Ervin Jr., was a champion gymnast at Michigan who spent some time with WWE.
“He tries to give me tips and tricks that would help,” Ricochet said of Ervin. “But as far as actual training, I didn’t really have specific training.”
Growing up as Trevor in Paducah — a town in western Kentucky with a population of less than 27,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — meant he always thought outside of the box. He didn’t have a wrestling or gymnastics coach, but he found a way to be good at both.
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He also doesn’t mind a worker’s grind. Ricochet began wrestling professionally in 2003 for independent promotions. For more than half of his life, he’s performed moonsaults — and double moonsaults — to impress crowds big and small.
“Being in my front yard, just drilling, trying to do these handsprings to the side, and then slowly they would get straighter,” Ricochet said. “And then I could do a big jumping back handspring that slowly turned into a big backflip — just really training myself over and over. When you’re in the wrestling ring, you try different things. You get a crash pad, and you try something on the crash pad.”
Ricochet joined WWE’s NXT brand in 2018 after 15 years on the independent scene and working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. During his stint with the WWE, he’s won the NXT North American Championship, the United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championship.
Being a mainstay in WWE isn’t just about athleticism. The ability to speak on the mic and add theatrics when necessary can be more important than performing a dropkick as part of a storyline. That’s where he has a bit of extra help.
Ricochet’s fiancée is WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin, an actress, singer, musician and performer before arriving in WWE (she once worked with Cirque du Soleil). Ricochet credits Irvin with much of his success over the last two years.
“She’s helped me out a lot with speaking and talking points and just everything within on the other side,” he said of Irvin. “Just having her there with me … I look over and I can see her. It really helps. You know, OK, now I’m a little more energized.”
Ricochet has plenty of reasons to feel energized entering SummerSlam. He’s in a marquee match with Paul that has grown with the help of solid storytelling in past weeks. It’s even included Paul calling out Irvin on “Monday Night Raw,” saying it would be great to have Ricochet’s fiancée declare him the winner.
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“I think as different as we are, we are very similar, mentally. We want to give the crowd a show,” Ricochet said of Paul. “He did the thing, boxing with Floyd (Mayweather), and then all the videos and everything he does. He wants to give the crowd a show. Same thing with Ricochet. Ricochet wants to give the crowd a show.”
Anything Paul does seems to draw attention beyond the world of wrestling. A good showing at SummerSlam could set Ricochet up for even bigger things in WWE. He prefers to live in the moment, but he understands that Saturday is a big moment and a major opportunity.
A victory would be a great ending to a storyline for the aerial talent with no formal training.
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(Top photo of Logan Paul and Ricochet: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images)
