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Back in March Highspots.com released one of the more innovative and insightful shoot DVD’s of the last few years when they managed to take Davey Richards and Kevin Steen, sit them down in the same room, ask them questions, get their opinions, let them discuss matters and differences freely, creating a highly entertaining DVD which I recommend any fan of either man to purchase.
If you’d like some further information checkout our official review of Versus Series: Davey Richards Versus Kevin Steen by Jerome Cusson by clicking here.
However, despite the hilarity of stories about Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Disco Machine, Ian Rotten’s affection for hotels with 24/7 pornography, Jim Cornette going insane over the smallest things and of course @DaveyRichards83 and his love of all things Beer Money, one singular quote from Davey Richards stood out for me above all else.
“Sometimes I forget that this isn’t a real competitive sport. I forget that I am an entertainer. And that’s an issue I’ve had difficulties wrapping my head around. Because… I don’t see a place for me in professional wrestling. I was trained to believe if you work hard you get rewarded and that is what I do,” – Davey Richards
Davey’s opinion that he has no place in the wacky world of professional wrestling came to me as a surprise. Later in the shoot he and Kevin compare how they feel fans view them, with Kevin believing fans would prefer to see him do or say something funny noting that he has a genuine connection with them, while Davey believes unless hes wrestling five star matches nobody could care less about him.
I find these views of Davey interesting due to the fact I myself am a big fan of “The American Wolf.” I wasn’t familar with Davey’s work pre-Ring of Honor, but the moment I took a large interest in him was No Remorse Corps. Yes I did enjoy his feud with Jimmy Rave and his tag team with KENTA, but there is always that element which brings a fan from liking someones work to supporting them in their careers.
No Remorse Corps to this day are one of my favorite tag teams – ever, in the history of professional wrestling. I rate them highly but if there were a team to better them in my view it would be what I’ve heard Davey note as his biggest accomplishment in professional wrestling, The American Wolves with “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards one of the hardest working guys in the business today.
The Wolves feuds with Steenerico, The Brisoces and their 45 minute time limit draw with the team of Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black are what cemented me as a huge fan of Davey Richards and as though I needed more confirmation, nothing speaks more to the Ring of Honor fanbase than the praise of Bryan Danielson who told fans as he left the promotion not to fret because we had Davey now.
When Richards won the ROH World Championship I can recall not only myself but a ton of people thumping the air in joy that he’d finally gotten what he deserved – where things went sour was the Cornette era or as we now know it “the dark days” or “Smokey Mountain of Honor.” Richards was booked not only to look like – excuse my language – a bitch, but fans began siding with heel Kevin Steen in an angle where Davey was defending not only the title but the company itself.
Ring of Honor fans have a habit of turning on the champion. I honestly don’t know why, I personally can’t recall ever doing so or feeling once a title reign had ended as though a performer had lost some of the admiration I held for them going into it, but when guys like Nigel McGuinness started out beloved and ended up being booed you know something has gone array, however I digress.
Davey lost the title to Steen at Border Wars 2012, took a hiatus from the company, focused on other interests outside wrestling, got caught up in some incidents which have now been unravelled and are another reason to purchase Versus Series: Davey Richards Versus Kevin Steen as he explains the “Team Bandit” ordeal and exactly how it went down, before returning at Death Before Dishonor X.
Now Richards finds himself back together with Eddie Edwards as The American Wolves who since reforming have put on great match after a great match, Paul London’s return at the weekend may have not gone as planned but until the accidental Double Foot Stomp to the head the match was exactly what fans wanted from London’s return, both men completed the bout and as they said to Slam Canoe the following day that is how they wanted it to be.
So where is Davey Richards’ place in professional wrestling? Is he right, if hes not putting on a five star match that leaves us speechless is “The American Wolf” nothing more than a prop to us? If he were to retire as has been speculated the last few years and is again a rumor that he will once his ROH contract expires later this year, will we care? I feel I can supply an adequate response to these questions.
Davey Richards place in professional wrestling is as the person fans can always trust to give us our moneys worth inside the squared circle, whether it be against another top star on the independent circuit such as Michael Elgin, a kid on the rise such as Scotland’s Noam Dar, a high prospect in Ring of Honor such as ACH or even in entertainment value like Team Statutory with Joey Ryan and O’Reilly for PWG.
If Davey’s not putting on phenomenal match after phenomenal match do we feel disappointed? Maybe some of us will, but not every match is going to be five stars and not every match of Davey’s career has been five stars, yet at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom at Supercard of Honor last month I recall a very loud chant resonating throughout the arena of “Davey Richards!” Those fans still cared because what was happening there before them was a great match, so the past was irrelevant.
If Davey were to retire what would be the response? I guarantee you within six months all across the Internet fans would be busting their keyboards in crying for “one more match” or him to return – the old saying “you don’t know what you have until its gone” would apply and that isn’t a hypothetical insinuation that is a promise, because in recent years as the clock ticked to Davey’s estimated time for retirement the weeping had already begun.
And as further evidence of how Davey does indeed hold a place in professional wrestling, two weekends ago when he took to the microphone after a match and said “I’m heading to Conneticut” to show “I’m the real best in the world,” within moments every site on the Internet had a news story about how a top independent star was teasing a signing to the empire that is WWE.
Davey Richards may question it still or not believe it, but he does in-fact have a place in professional wrestling and its in the squared circle proving any doubters wrong that he is the best wrestler in the world.
You can follow me on Twitter @JasonPatrickWE
And checkout my website WrestleEnigma.com