PHILADELPHIA — Ricochet was right: To defeat AJ Styles and retain the United States Championship, he had to withstand The Phenomenal One and his cohorts in The Club, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson. But thanks for some canny timing by The Good Brothers, Ricochet didn’t have to do so until he had been worn down by the effort of a battle gone long, and by the time they came calling, he simply didn’t have enough in the tank to recover.
There was also a paranoia factor of sorts at play in this epic, back-and-forth battle between two of WWE’s most talented Superstars: Gallows & Anderson initially jumped Ricochet briefly before the bell — Styles quickly waved them off — and spent the rest of the match lurking around the ring. That they didn’t get involved at the time played to Styles’ favor nonetheless; each time the champion got rolling, he’d have to turn around and make sure no one was sneaking up on him, giving The Phenomenal One time to bounce back.
AJ Styles drops Ricochet with a brainbuster during their back-and-forth battle for the U.S. Championship. Courtesy of WWE Network.
Ricochet eventually nipped the problem in the bud by swooping down on The Good Brothers and taking them both out at once, allowing him to battle Styles all by himself. The champion was as advertised in the epic match, attacking Styles by land and by air in equal measure; The Phenomenal One, too, lived up to his reputation by thinking up counters and reversals to nearly everything Ricochet threw at him. As the match went long, Gallows & Anderson recovered and began to get involved. It was innocuous at first — Anderson just pointed out Styles’ foot was under the ropes during a pinfall in a reversal of a near-fall a couple of weeks ago — but the former Raw Tag Team Champions made their move in a more aggressive capacity moments later.
Ricochet, of course, was ready, taking out Anderson on the apron and sending him tumbling into the ring. While the ref was preoccupied, Gallows tripped the champion up on the turnbuckle, thwarting what was looking to be an attempt at a 630. Styles capitalized, dropping the champion with a Super Styles Clash that was more than enough to earn him the three-count and the United States Championship.
The resulting tableau was a tale of two Superstars, with Ricochet writhing in defeat and disappointment, while The Club posed victorious with their new prize. That’s how it goes, though: One man’s defeat is another man’s triumph; one man’s loss is another man’s gain; and one man’s disappointment is another man’s sweetness.
PHILADELPHIA — Ricochet was right: To defeat AJ Styles and retain the United States Championship, he had to withstand The Phenomenal One and his cohorts in The Club, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson. But thanks for some canny timing by The Good Brothers, Ricochet didn’t have to do so until he had been worn down by the effort of a battle gone long, and by the time they came calling, he simply didn’t have enough in the tank to recover.
There was also a paranoia factor of sorts at play in this epic, back-and-forth battle between two of WWE’s most talented Superstars: Gallows & Anderson initially jumped Ricochet briefly before the bell — Styles quickly waved them off — and spent the rest of the match lurking around the ring. That they didn’t get involved at the time played to Styles’ favor nonetheless; each time the champion got rolling, he’d have to turn around and make sure no one was sneaking up on him, giving The Phenomenal One time to bounce back.
AJ Styles drops Ricochet with a brainbuster during their back-and-forth battle for the U.S. Championship. Courtesy of WWE Network.
Ricochet eventually nipped the problem in the bud by swooping down on The Good Brothers and taking them both out at once, allowing him to battle Styles all by himself. The champion was as advertised in the epic match, attacking Styles by land and by air in equal measure; The Phenomenal One, too, lived up to his reputation by thinking up counters and reversals to nearly everything Ricochet threw at him. As the match went long, Gallows & Anderson recovered and began to get involved. It was innocuous at first — Anderson just pointed out Styles’ foot was under the ropes during a pinfall in a reversal of a near-fall a couple of weeks ago — but the former Raw Tag Team Champions made their move in a more aggressive capacity moments later.
Ricochet, of course, was ready, taking out Anderson on the apron and sending him tumbling into the ring. While the ref was preoccupied, Gallows tripped the champion up on the turnbuckle, thwarting what was looking to be an attempt at a 630. Styles capitalized, dropping the champion with a Super Styles Clash that was more than enough to earn him the three-count and the United States Championship.
The resulting tableau was a tale of two Superstars, with Ricochet writhing in defeat and disappointment, while The Club posed victorious with their new prize. That’s how it goes, though: One man’s defeat is another man’s triumph; one man’s loss is another man’s gain; and one man’s disappointment is another man’s sweetness.
