New ROH champion Davey Richards recently gave an interview with http://ProMMANow.com. The following are highlights of the interview:
-Richards on where his interest in MMA came from: “When I first moved back to Washington from Atlanta there weren’t any pro wrestling schools there and I had always wanted to compete.There was a Pancrase Gym in Spokane, Washington called TKO Martial Arts. I started going out there, but then I moved to Charlotte and I started going to a Gracie jiu-jitsu gym and I kind of just fell in love with jiu-jitsu there, so when I moved to St. Louis I found Absolute Martial Arts and really dove into jiu-jitsu and I’ve just been plugging away and competing at that ever since.”
-Richards on what it meant to win the ROH World Championship: “For me personally it means closure to a lot of personal things. For my career it just means that I’m the top guy now. I’m the best pure wrestler in the world. It comes with the title. The fact is that I have to earn the status of that title. I have to go out there and train harder and fight harder, which I’m more than willing to do because I have something to show for all of that now. To me it’s a motivating factor to go out there and prove to everyone that I’m the best.”
-Richards on why he chose pro wrestling over MMA: “Well when I started looking at wrestling, mixed martial arts was not extremely popular and I had grown up watching professional wrestling. Those guys back when I was growing up, like Dynamite Kid, were every bit as tough as an MMA fighter. It wasn’t like today where you’ve got a lot of guys who are on there who wouldn’t last three seconds in a real fight. To me a pro wrestler was every bit the athlete that a mixed martial artist was. I have an equal love for both, but I grew up watching professional wrestling. That’s what I wanted to be for a long time, but it doesn’t negate my love for mixed martial arts or martial arts period.”
-Richards on how his MMA training has helped his wrestling career: “I mean you can tell a real athlete from a pretend athlete in wrestling. I’ve said that for a long time. I have no interest in doing pretend wrestling and being a pretend athlete. I’ve been an athlete since I was 10 when I started wrestling, and I’m an athlete today through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That’s something that people can tell. Athletes have a different mindset. When things get hard they work harder. They don’t quit and they don’t back down. You can’t teach someone that. Only if you’ve been out there and you’ve been in deep waters as an athlete can you understand that. So it has helped me a lot.”
You can read the full article here: http://prommanow.com/index.php/2011/08/03/ring-of-honor-world-champion-davey-richards-on-his-mma-training-and-pro-wrestling-career-exclusive/
Chris’ opinion: While I have to say the interview is a good read and there is a lot more, I’m getting kinda tired of Davey Richards putting himself over as some ultimate athlete. Ok you do BJJ, so do a lot of guys I know. I have done a bit of training too and I’m pretty sure some of the guys I’ve sparred with who are now in the two(ok 1 if you count they are both owned by Zuffa) top MMA promotions in the US could take him. I’m all for having a good ego especially if you’re the ROH champ. But damn, when you start trying to say some wrestlers wouldn’t make it in a “real fight”, it’s kinda silly when you’re in the exact same business as they are and yet you’re putting them down because they don’t openly tout what other MMA practices they have.
Also if you’re going to say you’re not going to be a pretend wrestler… what is it you think you’re doing in ROH? The fights aren’t shoots and trying to portray like yours are real fights as opposed to everything else on the card is fake doesn’t help the promotion you work for.
Also, let’s be real about this. BJJ doesn’t help everyone in a “real fight”. The guys I know who train in BJJ don’t use it in real fights if we’re talking bar room scuffle. A MMA match with sanctioned rules, yes. Outside Barney’s with a guy holding a knife or a pool stick… not so much. So while I respect Davey and have been a fan of his since his debut in PWG.. tone it down a bit champ. You’re starting to sound like a mark for yourself.
Feel free to comment or leave a comment on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CGSTONG
Richards has an enormous ego, and is a big flake. He also sucks as a worker. Best in the World my ass.
Can’t say I agree that he’s a bad worker.
Guy has zero psychology. I’ve seen him work for a cross armbreaker for most of a match then win with an ankle lock. Seen him work a leg, then win with the double underhook piledriver. He’s just a movez guy, plain and simple.
I can agree that his matches in terms of psychology can be hit & miss. I too have seen what you describe but I have also seen him work a great psychological match in PWG and ROH. So yeah I can agree with you on that though I wouldn’t say it as all emcompassing as you make it out to be.
Well, all I can say is, his match with Tyler Black that was supposedly a match of the year candidate was everything that is wrong with indy wrestling, and it was mostly his fault. Finishers 10 minutes into a 35 minute match is bullshit, no matter how you try to square it. So is using the rolling solebutt every time you need to transition.
For sure. I am def in the boat that is not convinced that Richards understands that him using these so called MMA moves are doing anything for his matches. It has been clear to me since probably mid 2009 that he has been trying to integrate a style that just really doesn’t do anything other than make it seem like he works stiff. But it isn’t even the Kings Road style from AJPW though many try to convince me that is the style he uses. I think that his psychology has gone down from his PWG days as I remember him actually utilizing it more in his feud with Super Dragon.
I guess it’s the King’s Road style if you think it’s nothing but the head drops and no-selling. And I’m tired of guys attempting to integrate MMA into wrestling. It only ever worked in the UWFi and BattlArts, and that’s some really niche stuff. It doesn’t work in the context of the typical match at all. And I think you’re right-Davey was noticeably better in his PWG days. He sold more and had a more traditional offensive style. I kind of wonder what the hell happened.