Why Ricochet And Swerve Strickland Won't Revive Lucha Underground Characters In AEW

From 2014 to 2018, "Lucha Underground" presented an exciting blend of wrestling styles to eager fans, with some of today's top stars playing key roles in the promotion, often under different names. That includes former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland as well as recent company addition Ricochet. Appearing on "Battleground Podcast," Ricochet explained why fans aren't likely to see the return of Ricochet's Prince Puma or Strickland's Killshot.

"People keep asking, but they own that character," Ricochet said. "So I guess if [someone] wanted to contact Lucha [Underground] and try to get the rights to use the [character] — I guess, maybe. But that's all their stuff."

However, those hoping for just a glimmer of Prince Puma may be in luck, as Ricochet teased that he will always try to work callbacks into his entrance. Eagle-eyed "Lucha Underground" fans may want to keep an eye on Ricochet's upcoming AEW matches to see what the former WWE star does to reference the defunct masked character.

After the show ended in 2018, "Lucha Underground" drew controversy for forcing talent to fight to get out of restrictive contracts that prevented them from working elsewhere. Ricochet was gone by that time, however, and he still harbors fond memories of the show's vision.

"It was a great moment in time," Ricochet continued. "I think what we were doing is awesome. ... They were trying to make it different. They were trying to be a TV drama about a wrestling company, and not just another wrestling company on television."

Before leaving "Lucha Underground" in 2016, Prince Puma had memorable matches and feuds against the likes of Johnny Mundo (AKA John Morrison), Brian Cage, and Rey Mysterio, among others.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Battleground Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.