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Ricochet Wins The Casino Gauntlet Match To Become Inaugural AEW National Champion

The new AEW National Championship is now around the waist of Ricochet after he won the Casino Gauntlet Match at Full Gear.
Rick Ucchino|
Ricochet
Ricochet | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Show some love for Ricochet.

That beautiful bald man outlasted 11 other men in the Casino Gauntlet Match at AEW Full Gear Saturday Night to become the inaugural AEW National Champion.

Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin kicked off the match in what looked like it was going to be a respectful one-on-one battle between Hurt Syndicate members, but mere seconds into their encounter the clock began to tick down for a third man to enter the fray.

It was Ricochet who was lucky enough to draw the third spot, but he was in no hurry to get in the ring. He grabbed a mic instead, and encouraged Lashley and Benjamin to quit the wrestling routine and start actually hitting each other.

As he was talking, the Gates of Agony snuck into the ring and attacked Lashley and Benjamin from behind. They took both men to the outside and threw them into the steel ring steps as Ricochet assaulted MVP repeatedly with the microphone.

Over dozen members of the security team then swarmed the ringside area to escort Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona to the back, while members of the medical staff helped carry MVP away to receive treatment.

The Casino Gauntlet Match picked up after Ricochet's trap was sprung

Ricochet
Ricochet | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Claudio Castagnoli entered the match from the No. 4 position and his Death Riders teammate Daniel Garcia would soon emerge as the fifth entrant.

They ganged up on Ricochet until Orange Cassidy made his way into the match from the No. 6 position, but Wheeler Yuta followed at No. 7 and that lead to a freshly squeezed 3-on-1 assault from the Death Riders. Ricochet tried to join in on the fun, but Claudio took his head off with an uppercut.

Kevin Knight was the eighth competitor to make his entrance and he did so with some gusto, taking out Yuta and Garcia before going toe-to-toe with Castagnoli in the center of the ring.

Roderick Strong, Mark Davis and Speedball Mike Bailey came in 9th, 10th and 11th, respectively, and each had their moment to shine.

Bailey and Knight had an excellent exchange with one another until Daniel Garcia broke up that battle of tag team partners. He was able to lock Speedball in the Sharp Shooter, and just as Bailey appeared to be on the verge of tapping out, the clock ticked down to zero and Matt Menard's music hit.

Daddy Magic went straight for his former best friend, and after a brief intense face-to-face, he chased him off into the crowd.

Shortly after Menard and Garcia disappeared somewhere into the Prudential Center, both members of the Hurt Syndicate got back to their feet and started cleaning house. They took down Davis, Castagnoli, Cassidy and Strong, which left just one man to try and take them on... Ricochet.

Lashley and Benjamin tossed him around the ring like a ragdoll for a few minutes, before Castagnoli and Davis were able to recover and again take both men to the outside. Bobby went for a spear on Mark Davis and ended up going head first into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Kevin Knight hit a spinning frog splash on Wheeler Yuta, but he sat right up in the prime position for Ricochet to hit the Spirit Gun for the biggest victory of his AEW career.

This marks the first time that Ricochet has held singles gold in All Elite Wrestling. It's also his first televised singles title, ignoring his brief run with WWE Men's Speed Championship, for a major promotion since he held the WWE Men's Intercontinental Championship back in 2022.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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