VIDEO: Ricochet crowned inaugural WWE Speed Champion
The crowning of WWE’s newest champion aired on Friday afternoon.
Ricochet defeated Johnny Gargano to become the first WWE Speed Champion. The match, which was taped after SmackDown last Friday. was the finals of WWE’s tournament to crown the inaugural champion. Ricochet defeated Dragon Lee in the first round and JD McDonagh in the semifinals.
With this being the finals of the tournament, Ricochet vs. Gargano had a five-minute time limit — two minutes longer than the typical limit for WWE Speed matches. Ricochet won with 40 seconds left on the clock.
IT'S TIME! ⏰
The #WWESpeed Championship Match is finally here! It's @KingRicochet vs. @JohnnyGargano to crown the first-ever WWE Speed Champion! 👑 pic.twitter.com/n9maWBDsru
— WWE (@WWE) May 3, 2024
Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted about Ricochet’s title win:
You always remember the first to ever do it.
Nobody defines “speed” like Ricochet. Congratulations to @KingRicochet on adding another title reign to his legacy and becoming the first-ever #WWESpeed Champion. pic.twitter.com/w5mjSM8n0U
— Triple H (@TripleH) May 3, 2024
Starting on WWE Speed next Wednesday, a tournament will begin to determine the first challenger for Ricochet’s championship. Apollo Crews vs. Ivar and Tyler Bate vs. Humberto are the first-round matches for the contender’s tournament.
This was a special Friday edition of WWE Speed. The show usually premieres on X (the former Twitter) at noon Eastern time on Wednesdays. WWE and X’s partnership for Speed is a two-year deal.
Levesque stated earlier this week that women’s matches will eventually be included on Speed:
It makes for an exciting challenge for the guys. It makes for an exciting challenge for eventually what will be the women as well. So far, it’s been spectacular. The talent have really embraced this and gotten into the challenge of it. It’s been exciting for them and our fans as well.
