9 Match Star Ratings For WWE Stomping Grounds

6. Samoa Joe Vs. Ricochet - United States Championship Match

Kofi Ziggler Stars
WWE.com

There was a weird dissonance to the opening five minutes.

A bit slow, a bit boring, the audience was asked to get behind babyface Ricochet in a bland, by-the-numbers start. WWE doesn't do nearly enough on television to inspire this sort of reaction. The audience tends to ignore this on Sunday nights, and instead waits patiently for the action to heat up. Ricochet at this point is a guy they really like because he is really great at wrestling, and so they only sparked into life when he showcased this - and not his early selling - rendering the match uneven.

The last seven minutes were exceptional, though; Ricochet's phenomenal double-rotation bump highlighted the dynamic; the spot framed Joe as an insurmountable monster, and Joe himself carried his formidable threat without, having mastered the psychological nuance to preserve his killer aura.

Ricochet added more precision oomph to his spectacular aerial assault, aiming a vicious kick right in Joe's ear, and Joe was game to put this over as an absorbing mini-war. There was a selflessness to Ricochet's performance here too, one that showed a keen understanding of storytelling; he aimed a purposefully soft chop at Joe, before Joe fired back with a proper welter, which inspired the fire of Ricochet's last-stand comeback.

A very good match that elevated Ricochet's stock. What f*cking good it will do him, who knows.

Star Rating: ***3/4

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!