Wesley David Richards
(born March 1, 1983) is an American
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
. He is currently signed to
Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current
MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his time in
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the pro ...
and
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
(ROH),
and for several
independent promotions, including
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
(PWG) and
Full Impact Pro
Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the V ...
(FIP).
Richards has also worked internationally in
Pro Wrestling Noah through ROH's involvement in the
Global Professional Wrestling Alliance
The Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA) was a cooperative group of professional wrestling promotions and wrestlers from around the world. Formed in 2006, the group was founded by the professional wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa, the founde ...
, a global organization of cooperative promotions that allow their competitors to travel abroad to other companies, and in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...
.
Richards was a former one-time
ROH World Champion. He is also an eight-time
world tag team champion, having won the
ROH World Tag Team Championship three times (once with
Rocky Romero and twice with
Eddie Edwards), as well as a two-time
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Rocky Romero) and the
TNA World Tag Team Champion with
Eddie Edwards. He has also won several titles in the
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
, most notably the
CZW World Heavyweight Championship
The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the ...
,
PWG World Championship, the
FIP World Heavyweight Championship twice and the
PWG World Tag Team Championship three times (with
Super Dragon
Daniel Caine Lyon (born June 8, 1980), better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has worked for companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring ...
twice and
Roderick Strong once). Richards was the winner of several tournaments that highlight the top performers of the United States, most notably
East Coast Wrestling Association's (ECWA)
Super 8 Tournament
The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format.
History
The ECWA Super 8 Tournament was ...
in 2006 and PWG's
Battle of Los Angeles in the same year.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2004–2005)
Prior to entering professional wrestling, Richards was an accomplished
amateur wrestler
Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...
in high school, as well as learning
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...
and
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
. Richards began training in 2004 with
Tony Kozina before making his debut in June of the same year in the
Washington-based company, Pro Wrestling War against a wrestler named Mr. Sexy. Richards also spent time training with
Paul Orndorff in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
, while working at the same time at a
Duracell factory an hour-and-a-half drive away in
Cleveland, Tennessee.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2005–2013)
In April 2005, he began wrestling for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
(PWG) in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
; he debuted in an
eight-man tag match for the first All Star Weekend. He later returned for a
three-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
with
Human Tornado and
Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
; during the match Richards established himself as a
villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
by removing Puma's
mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...
and revealing him as
T. J. Perkins, starting a
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between the two.
Richards then began to work more extensively in
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
matches with his new partner,
Super Dragon
Daniel Caine Lyon (born June 8, 1980), better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has worked for companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring ...
; the two managed to win the
PWG World Tag Team Championship from
El Generico and Tornado, which led to a seven-month reign, defeating a variety of teams before losing the championship to
Chris Bosh and
Scott Lost in May of the following year. Following the loss, Richards entered singles competition to be in the company's annual
Battle of Los Angeles tournament by defeating, Ronin,
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrestl ...
,
Roderick Strong, and finally
Cima, a guest from Japan's
Dragon Gate promotion, in the finals.
Richards went back to tag team competition to win the tag championship for a second time with Strong defeating
B-Boy and former partner, Super Dragon, only to lose the belts back to their former champions the following night. Richards spent his time with PWG in a number of singles matches until the fall of 2007 at ''European Vacation II'', he and Dragon reunited to defeat rivals
Kevin Steen and El Generico.
The two held the championship until January 2008 when Richards
no-showed the ''Pearl Habra'' show; this resulted in the team being stripped of the championship, and led to a sixty-day suspension for Richards. He returned to the company sixty days later, competing in the
Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, once again teaming up with Super Dragon. After they were eliminated in the first round by the team of Steen and Generico, Dragon took time off due to a shoulder injury, and Richards returned to singles competition. Richards defeated
Kenny Omega on February 27, 2010, at ''As the Worm Turns'' to win the
PWG World Championship for the first time. On September 13, 2010, Richards was stripped of the title, when he was unable to defend it due to other booking commitments.
Richards returned to PWG during the
WrestleReunion 5 weekend on January 29, 2011, in a match, where he defeated by
Low Ki. On March 4, Richards and
Eddie Edwards entered the ''
DDT4'' tag team tournament, where they made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual tournament winners,
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (A ...
(Matt and Nick Jackson). In his next PWG appearance on September 10, Richards unsuccessfully challenged
Kevin Steen for the PWG World Championship. During December 2013's ''All Star Weekend X'', Richards announced it would be his final weekend with the promotion. On December 21, Richards was defeated by
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
in his PWG farewell match.
Ring of Honor (2006–2013)
Kenta's protégé (2006–2007)
On June 3, 2006, Richards made his debut with
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
(ROH) at ''Destiny'' by defeating
Jimmy Rave.
This was the start of a rivalry with Rave, who challenged Richards to a rematch at ''In Your Face'' on June 17. During the match, the pre-match ritual of fans throwing
toilet paper
Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of ...
at Rave backfired when one roll hit the
chandelier
A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent ...
above the ring, breaking some glass that scattered in the ring. Nevertheless, the two wrestled on that glass, resulting in numerous cuts on both men's bodies, and Richards went on to win the rematch.
Soon after, Richards was chosen as the American protégé of
Kenta, a
junior heavyweight Junior heavyweight is an alternate name for cruiserweight used in multiple combat sports:
*Cruiserweight (boxing), a weight class in boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. The current weight limit for the division is 200lbs (14st 4lbs/90 ...
from the Japanese promotion
Pro Wrestling Noah, who was on loan to the company as part of the talent exchange agreement between the two, the
Global Professional Wrestling Alliance
The Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA) was a cooperative group of professional wrestling promotions and wrestlers from around the world. Formed in 2006, the group was founded by the professional wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa, the founde ...
. On August 4, the two teamed together to face the
Briscoe Brothers with Richards ending up getting pinned. The next night, Richards faced his mentor in a singles match at ''Fight of the Century''; he was unable to secure a victory. Later in the year, Richards and KENTA lost to Roderick Strong and Austin Aries at ''Honor Reclaims Boston.''
No Remorse Corps (2007–2008)
In early 2007, Richards helped Roderick Strong
turn
Turn may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Dance and sports
* Turn (dance and gymnastics), rotation of the body
* Turn (swimming), reversing direction at the end of a pool
* Turn (professional wrestling), a transition between face and heel
* Turn, ...
on Strong's former
Generation Next Generation Next may refer to:
* Generation Next (professional wrestling), a professional wrestling stable
* ''Generation Next'' (album), the debut album from Aventura
* Generation Next (comics), a Marvel Comics team and eponymous series
* '' Gene ...
partner Austin Aries. Together, Richards and Strong formed the
No Remorse Corps, a
contingency out to hinder Aries' endeavors; the pair was later joined by
Rocky Romero. The No Remorse Corps was involved in a feud with Aries's faction The Resilience. In early 2008, Richards and Romero won the
ROH World Tag Team Championship from
The Age of the Fall (
Jimmy Jacobs and
Tyler Black), which led to a four-month reign before losing to the
Briscoe Brothers.
Following a victory of Strong over rival
Erick Stevens, Richards himself turned on his mentor after revealing his allegiance to
Larry Sweeney and his group, Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. This was followed by Strong attempting to gain a measure of revenge before Richards won a match between the two.
The American Wolves (2008–2010)
It was announced by Sweeney on the ROH Newswire that he would team up Richards and Eddie Edwards to create
The American Wolves. The Wolves would first team in a triple threat tag team elimination match at ''All-Star Extravaganza IV'' against the Briscoes and the unofficial European Union (
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Hono ...
and
Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1976), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler.
He is best known for his time with WWE where he worked as a colo ...
). They eliminated the European Union but ultimately were defeated by the Briscoes. Later that night, Richards attacked Kevin Steen's knee with a pipe. The next night at ''
Final Battle 2008'' they teamed with
Go Shiozaki against
Brent Albright,
Erick Stevens and Roderick Strong in a losing effort. They later attacked the Briscoes, attacking the already injured Mark Briscoe's knee putting him out of action. Kevin Steen and El Generico tried to make the save, but were laid out by the Wolves.
Beginning in 2009, after defeating Strong twice with different tag partners The Wolves gained their first World Tag Team Championship match against Steen and Generico at ''Motor City Madness'', where they were defeated. Richards went on to face
ROH World Championship
The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...
contender
Tyler Black in a losing effort at ''Proving Ground Night 1''. At ''Proving Ground Night 2'', Richards lost to Steen in a singles match and after the show, he attacked Generico's knee with a chair. At ''Stylin' & Profilin, The American Wolves and
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of independent wrestling p ...
defeated Steen, Generico and Bobby Dempsey, which granted the Wolves another title shot. Before their tag team title shot in New York City, Richards was hand picked by ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness to be his tag team partner in a match against Generico and Kenta, but Richards and McGuinness lost the match. Richards faced his former mentor Kenta in a
GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship match, which took place at ''Supercard of Honor IV'' in Houston. Despite losing, Richards received a standing ovation at the end of the match. As the American Wolves gained contendership for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, they lost their initial match against Steen and Generico, but the Wolves attacked Steen before putting Generico through a table.
On April 10 at a television taping of ''
Ring of Honor Wrestling'', The American Wolves were able to capture the World Tag Team Championship from Steen and Generico in a
Tables are Legal match.
At ''Tag Title Classic'', the Wolves took on the team of Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black. The match ended in 45-minute time-limit draw, the first time in ROH history that a World Tag Team Championship match had ended in a time-limit draw. The next weekend, Richards defeated Kevin Steen in a singles match, before he and Edwards defeated Steen and Jay Briscoe in a
two out of three falls match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
to retain the World Tag Team Championship.
In September 2009, Richards defeated Bryan Danielson in Danielson's penultimate match. The next night, at Glory By Honor VIII: The Final Countdown in New York, NY, Richards and Edwards retained the title against Steen and Generico in Ladder War II. On November 13, Richards faced Austin Aries for the ROH World Championship in a losing effort. On December 19, at
Final Battle 2009, the Wolves lost the Tag Team Championship to the Briscoe Brothers.
On January 29, 2010, ROH announced that Richards had signed a contract renewal with the company.
On February 5 at the ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' tapings, Richards entered the tournament to determine the inaugural
ROH World Television Champion and defeated
Delirious to advance to the second round, where he would meet
Kenny King. The tournament concluded on March 5, when Richards defeated King to advance to the finals, where he was defeated by his American Wolves tag team partner Eddie Edwards. On April 3, Richards earned the number five spot in the
Pick 6 series by defeating Kenny King at
The Big Bang! pay-per-view.
World Champion (2010–2012)
On June 19 at
Death Before Dishonor VIII Richards received a shot at Tyler Black's ROH World Championship, but was unable to dethrone the defending champion. At the ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' television tapings on July 16, Richards lost to Roderick Strong in a match where Strong's guaranteed championship match was on the line. Richards refused assistance from Shane Hagadorn, his manager, during the match, and attacked Hagadorn afterwards when Hagadorn claimed credit for making Richards the best wrestler in the world, ending their association. On September 11, 2010, at
Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. This was the ninth event en ...
,
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
announced that Richards had signed a new contract with Ring of Honor.
At the following pay-per-view,
Final Battle 2010 on December 18, Richards unsuccessfully challenged Roderick Strong for the ROH World Championship. On June 26, 2011, at
Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place on June 26, 2011. It was an afternoon show that began at 4pm and marked the return of ROH to the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first ...
, Richards defeated his own tag team partner Eddie Edwards to win the ROH World Championship for the first time.
On August 10 ROH announced that Richards had signed a contract extension with the promotion. At
Final Battle 2011
Final Battle 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 23, 2011 at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the tenth annual event in the ROH Final Battle, Final Bat ...
, Richards successfully defended the championship against Edwards.
At the January 7, 2012, tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Richards formed Team Ambition with
Kyle O'Reilly, opposite Eddie Edwards and
Adam Cole.
Outside of ROH, the team also came to include Tony Kozina. On March 4 at the
10th Anniversary Show, Team Ambition was defeated by Edwards and Cole in a main event tag team match, with Cole pinning Richards for the win. During the
Showdown in the Sun weekend on March 30 and 31, Richards first successfully defended the ROH World Championship in a three-way elimination match against Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong and then in a singles match against
Michael Elgin. Richards' match with Elgin was later given a five-star rating by
Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...
of the ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''.
On May 12 at
Border Wars, Richards lost the ROH World Championship to Kevin Steen, ending his reign at 321 days. On June 24 at
Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis, Richards received his final shot at the ROH World Championship as long as Steen was champion, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain the title.
American Wolves reunion (2012–2013)
On December 16 at
Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, Richards reunited with Eddie Edwards in a tag team match, where they defeated
Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. Following their win, the American Wolves received a shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by the defending champions, the Briscoe Brothers, on January 18, 2013. On August 3, the American Wolves defeated the
Forever Hooligans (
Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the second time.
They lost the title to
reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) on August 17. On September 20 at
Death Before Dishonor XI
Death Before Dishonor XI was the 11th Death Before Dishonor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 20, 2013, at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
...
, the American Wolves unsuccessfully challenged the Forever Hooligans for the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Jun ...
. On November 30, Richards announced that he had parted ways with ROH. ROH later claimed that the promotion had decided to part ways with Richards due to his "unprofessionalism and unreliability with the company".
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2010–2012)
In 2010 Richards was invited to take part in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...
's
Best of the Super Juniors tournament along with fellow North American and ROH wrestler,
Kenny Omega. Richards entered the two-week-long tournament on May 30, but although he managed to win five out of his seven matches, he finished third in his block and narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals of the tournament. After the tournament Richards began working regularly for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, joining the promotion's top heel stable
Chaos, and no longer made appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. In November 2010 Richards and Rocky Romero, reviving the No Remorse Corps name, made it to the finals of a five-day-long Super J Tag League tournament, before being defeated by their Chaos teammates
Jado and Gedo
were a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where they are also the head bookers. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag te ...
. On December 11, 2010, Richards received a shot at the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may ...
, but was defeated by the defending champion,
Prince Devitt. On May 3, 2011, Richards and Romero unsuccessfully challenged Devitt and
Ryusuke Taguchi, known collectively as
Apollo 55, for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. On May 26, Richards entered the
2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament and after winning six out of his eight round robin stage matches, which included a win over the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Prince Devitt, Richards finished second in his block and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. On June 10, Richards was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by the eventual winner of the entire tournament, Kota Ibushi. On October 10, 2011, at
Destruction '11, Richards and Romero defeated Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the first time.
Richards and Romero made their first successful title defense on November 12 at
Power Struggle
In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...
, defeating the team of
Kushida and
Tiger Mask. As a result of pinning Prince Devitt in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match, Richards was granted another shot at his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on December 4, but failed in his attempt to become a double champion. On January 4, 2012, at
Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Richards and Romero lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to Devitt and Taguchi. On February 12 at
The New Beginning, the No Remorse Corps defeated Apollo 55 to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
As a result, Richards received his third shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on March 10, but was yet again defeated by Prince Devitt. On May 2, Richards and Romero were stripped of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, after a car accident forced Richards to miss his flight to Japan and the following day's
Wrestling Dontaku 2012
Wrestling Dontaku 2012 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2012, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The event featured nine matches, three ...
event, where the two were scheduled to defend the title against
Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask. Despite being able to wrestle in the United States, New Japan also pulled Richards from the
2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, citing doctor's orders.
Other promotions (2007–2013)
Richards has also done extensive tours of Japan, debuting in 2007 with Pro Wrestling Noah. He made a tour of the company again the following summer, competing in tag team matches. Richards was scheduled to return to Noah on November 27, 2013, working an entire tour, which would culminate in him challenging
Taiji Ishimori for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. However, on November 25, Richards announced that he had suffered a neck injury and would be forced to pull out of the tour.
On April 8, 2006, Richards won the
ECWA Super 8 Tournament after defeating Scott Lost,
Milano Collection A.T.
, is a Japanese color commentator and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . As Milano, Sawafuji adopted the gimmick of an Italian fashion aficionado/supermodel, reflected in his ring attire. Milano is also known for walkin ...
, and
Charlie Haas
Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
.
After winning this tournament, Richards began competing in many different organizations, including NWA Anarchy, Ring of Honor and ROH's sister promotion
Full Impact Pro
Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the V ...
(FIP).
On May 2, 2009, Richards defeated Tyler Black via forfeit for the
FIP World Heavyweight Championship, his first singles title.
While on tour in Japan for Dragon Gate in December 2009, Richards lost the FIP title to
Masaaki Mochizuki.
He would regain the title a month later at
DGUSA Fearless Fearless is a series of professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) events produced by Dragon Gate USA.
Background
Fearless featured eight professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylin ...
.
Richards has competed twice in German promotion
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its even ...
's (wXw) 16 Carat Gold tournament. While being eliminated from the tournament in his first round match against
Go Shiozaki in 2007, Richards made it all the way to the semifinals in 2011, defeating Jon Ryan and
Zack Sabre Jr. along the way, before losing to eventual tournament winner,
Sami Callihan
Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Lu ...
.
In mid-2009, Richards began competing for
Dragon Gate USA and performed at the promotion's
Open the Untouchable Gate show, where he defeated
Shingo Takagi
, known by his ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the provisional KOPW 2022 champion in his first ...
.
After his match, Bryan Danielson praised Richards and touted him as the best wrestler in the world, but Richards attacked Danielson claiming that he already deserved that title.
On November 28, Richards competed in a tournament to determine the inaugural
DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Champion, but lost to
Yamato in the first round.
After
BxB Hulk
, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk stylized as ( ), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate. He was also known for his longstanding rivalry with Shingo Takagi.
Professional wrestling career
He was the sec ...
won the championship later that night, Richards challenged him to a championship match before attacking him.
He also began competing for DGUSA's parent promotion, Dragon Gate, and completed a tour with them in December 2009.
In 2009, Richards, along with FIP booker Sal Hamaoui and Dragon Gate USA vice president
Gabe Sapolsky
Gabriel Sapolsky (born September 26, 1972) is an American professional wrestling promoter, creative writer, and booker who currently works for WWE. Sapolsky has also held various creative and marketing positions in the professional wrestling ind ...
founded the company,
Evolve, which saw Richards in the main event of the first show, Evolve 1, on January 16 in the following year, defeating
Kota Ibushi. On January 29, 2010, it was announced that Richards will no longer be involved with either Dragon Gate USA or Evolve because he signed a new contract with ROH.
On March 22 Richards was stripped of the FIP World Heavyweight Championship and will not be wrestling for that company in the future either. Following his departure from ROH, Richards returned to Evolve on January 10, 2014, unsuccessfully challenging
A. R. Fox for the
Evolve Championship.
On April 2, 2010, the American Wolves traveled to Squared Circle Wrestling (2CW) and won the 2CW Tag Team Championship from
Cheech and Cloudy in Watertown, New York.
They held the title for four months before losing them to
Colin Delaney
Colin Matthew Delaney (born September 7, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE on its ECW brand, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and has performed extensively on the independent circuit for promotions ...
and
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the '' Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and ...
on August 22, 2010.
From June 30 to July 2, 2012, Richards took part in
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
's (WWC) Anniversario weekend in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. On the first two nights, he was defeated in singles matches by
Ray Gonzalez and
Chris Angel and, on the final night, he and
Melina were defeated in a mixed tag team match by
Velvet Sky
Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
and Xix Savant.
In August 2013, after their contracts with ROH had expired, Richards and Eddie Edwards took part in a tryout camp for
WWE, where they were described as "standing out of everyone". On November 18, Richards and Edwards entered the
WWE Performance Center
The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE ...
in
Orlando, Florida for another week-long tryout. Three days later, Richards and Edwards, working under the ring names Derek Billington and John Cahill, respectively,
and billed together as "The American Pitbulls", made their
NXT debut, losing to
NXT Tag Team Champions
The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 2 ...
The Ascension
Ascension or ascending may refer to:
Religion
* "Ascension", "Assumption", or "Translation", the belief in some religions that some individuals have ascended into Heaven without dying first
* Ascension of Jesus
* Feast of the Ascension (Asce ...
(
Konnor and
Viktor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
) in a non-title match. The following month, Richards announced that his time on the independent circuit was coming to an end, implying that he had signed a developmental contract with WWE.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling (2014–2017)
World Tag Team Championship reigns (2014–2016)
On the January 16, 2014 episode of ''
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the pro ...
'', Richards made his
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
debut alongside his American Wolves teammate
Eddie Edwards (now renamed The Wolves), in a segment with TNA President
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
, where she welcomed them and then offered them a tryout match on the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' before they informed her that they had already signed contracts with the company, courtesy of the private investor,
MVP. On February 23, 2014, he and Eddie won the
TNA World Tag Team Champions
The Impact World Tag Team Championship (formally known as the TNA World Tag Team Championship) is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Impact Wrestling promotion. The current champions are The Motor City Mach ...
at a live event in
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia Universit ...
. After a week-long reign, The Wolves lost the title back to The BroMans at
Wrestle-1's
Kaisen: Outbreak event in
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...
in a three-way match, which also included Team 246 (
Kaz Hayashi and
Shuji Kondo).
On April 27 at the
Sacrifice pay-per-view, The Wolves regained the championship by defeating Robbie E, Godderz, and
DJ Z in a
two-on-three handicap match.
On June 15, 2014, at
Slammiversary XII The Wolves competed in six way ladder match for
TNA X Division Championship, which was won by
Sanada. On June 26, 2014, the Wolves defeated
The Hardy Boyz. The Wolves returned to Wrestle-1 on July 6, successfully defending the TNA World Tag Team Championship against the Junior Stars (
Koji Kanemoto and
Minoru Tanaka).
The Hardys and Team 3D challenged The Wolves to a three-way for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, to which they agreed. Kurt Angle later announced that all three teams would compete in a best of three series for the title with the winners of the first match being able to choose the stipulation of the next one. Team 3D won the first match and chose a Tables match, The Hardys won the second match and chose a ladder match, and The Wolves won the third match at No Surrender, tying them all at one win each. A final match to decide the series took place, and was won by The Wolves. At the ''Impact Wrestling'' tapings on September 19, Edwards and Richards lost the titles to The Revolution (James Storm and Abyss). On January 30, 2015, The Wolves defeated The Revolution to become three time World Tag Team Champions. However, The Wolves vacated the titles on March 14 due to Edwards suffering a broken heel.
On their return, The Wolves faced Dirty Heels in a Best of 5 Series matches for the Tag Team Championships. The Wolves won the first 2 matches and Dirty Heels won the next two. At Slammiversary, Aries defeated Richards, so he chose the stipulation for the last match of the series, a 30 minutes tag team iron man match. On June 25, 2015, (aired July 1, 2015) The Wolves defeated Dirty Heels to win the Tag Team Titles. With this victory, The Wolves tied Beer Money for the record of most reigns, with four. They lost the titles to
Brian Myers and
Trevor Lee on the edition of September 2, 2015, of Impact Wrestling. only to regain them the following week on the September 9, 2015 episode of Impact. During October and November (taped in July), Richards participated in the first ever
TNA World Title Series where he ended second of his block by only defeating
Robbie E to receive 4 points, surpassing
Eddie Edwards record (via time limit draw), but lost to
Matt Hardy to retain his status with 4 points of his block. This was enough to advance to the round of 16 where he defeated
Bram to advance in the round of 8, in which he would lose to
Ethan Carter III
Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. ...
, eliminating him from the series.
At
One Night Only Live, The Wolves defended their world tag titles in the
Three-way tag team match against
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Actio ...
and
Drew Galloway and
Eli Drake and
Jessie Godderz which saw the Wolves retain the titles. On the January 26 edition of Impact Wrestling, The Wolves were attacked by the newest stable called The
Decay consisting of Abyss,
Crazzy Steve
Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Crazzy Steve, where he is a former Impact World Tag Team Championship, Impact World Tag Te ...
and the debuting
Rosemary
''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosma ...
, who stole the titles. However they retained the titles from them on the February 2 episode of Impact Wrestling. the following week, the Wolves challenged Decay to a hardcore
Monster's Ball match which is won by the Decay. On the March 8 episode of Impact Wrestling, The Wolves dropped the titles to
Beer Money, Inc. (
James Storm and
Bobby Roode).
Feud with Eddie Edwards and departure (2016–2017)
In March, Richards suffered an ACL injury and Edwards started his singles run by feuding with
TNA X Division Champion Trevor Lee. In July at
Destination X, Richards was seen on a TNA broadcast for the first time in months, when he joined Edwards at ringside in a run-in with TNA World Heavyweight Champion
Lashley in the build-up to their match later that evening. Richards confirmed on the broadcast that he was there to support Edwards in his landmark match, although was still "A way off being in a condition to compete." Eddie's match resulted in a no-contest when
Mike Bennett interfered in the match flooring the referee and then invited new signee to TNA,
Moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
to the ring, who had a confrontation with Lashley.
On January 5, 2017, Richards made his return to TNA, helping Edwards retain the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result ...
, by stopping Lashley from hitting Edwards with the title. Richards faced Lashley on January 6, 2017, at
One Night Only: Live in a losing effort. On the February 9 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Richards turned
heel by costing Edwards the TNA World Heavyweight Championship rematch against Lashley, by pulling the referee out of the ring and hitting Edwards with the title belt while the referee was distracted by Angelina Love. Afterwards, Richards and his wife
Angelina Love attacked Edwards and his wife
Alisha Edwards, thus ending The Wolves in the process. Richards' character then went through a complete transformation, sporting new theme music, trunks, being infatuated with Love and calling himself "The Lone Wolf". On the February 16 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Richards faced Edwards in a Street Fight, however the match ended in a no-contest. On the March 9 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Richards brawled with Edwards at the beginning of the show, but the two were separated by security guards. On the April 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, Richards defeated Edwards in a Last Man Standing Match.
On July 24, 2017, Richards officially announced his departure from TNA to become a doctor.
Independent circuit (2017)
On August 22, 2017, Evolve announced the return of Richards for September 22 and 23, to be part to Evolve 92, where he faced
Zack Sabre Jr. for the
Evolve Championship, and to Evolve 93, where he faced
Keith Lee.
On September 17, 2017, Richards announced he would be undergoing knee surgery, forcing him to cancel his bookings for the rest of the year. On November 4, Richards announced he would be taking all of 2018 off from professional wrestling due to his studies.
Major League Wrestling (2021–present)
On March 10, 2021, it was announced by Global Syndicate Wrestling that Richards will be returning to professional wrestling in June.
Return to Impact Wrestling (2022)
At
Slammiversary, on June 19, 2022, Richards returned to
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the pro ...
, teaming with
Alex Shelley,
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor.
After being trained by Scott D ...
,
Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wres ...
, and
Nick Aldis to defeat
Honor No More (
Eddie Edwards,
Matt Taven,
Mike Bennett,
PCO, and
Vincent
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
).
Personal life
In 2008, Richards married Jennifer, better known as female professional wrestler Christie Summers. In addition to a short-lived career in professional wrestling, Jennifer is also a competitive bodybuilder in the figure class. The couple separated sometime in 2010, leading Richards to reevaluate his retirement plans.
In a June 2010 interview, Richards stated that he planned to quit the wrestling business by the end of the year to concentrate on other areas of his life.
However, he later withdrew those plans.
[ Richards is a trained ]paramedic
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
.
In January 2015, Richards began dating fellow Impact wrestler Lauren Williams, better known as Angelina Love. The couple announced their engagement on April 27, 2015, and were married on June 10, 2015. On July 30, Williams announced on her Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account that she and Richards were expecting their first child, a boy named David Vincent Richards, born on March 17, 2016. The couple divorced amicably sometime in 2017 and in 2019 Richards married a woman named Melissa, becoming stepfather to her two children from a previous relationship. He also has a Pug named Marv.
Championships and accomplishments
* 605 Championship Wrestling
** 605 Championship (1 time)
* All Star Wrestling (West Virginia)
** ASW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
* Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo (wrestler), Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professio ...
** CZW World Heavyweight Championship
The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the ...
( 1 time)
* DEFY Wrestling
** DEFY 8xGP Championship (1 time)
** Defy 8xGP Championship Tournament (2017)
* East Coast Wrestling Association
** 10th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament ( 2006)
* Full Impact Pro
Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the V ...
** FIP World Heavyweight Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...
)
** Eddie Graham Memorial Battle Of The Belts (2009)
** Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup (2009)
* FutureShock Wrestling
** FSW Championship (1 time)
* Mad Wrestling Association
** MWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product a ...
** MLW National Openweight Championship ( 1 time, current)
** MLW Opera Cup
The Opera Cup tournament is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by Major League Wrestling (MLW). The event is a revival of the Professional Wrestling Opera House Cup, which had been last held in 1948. MLW hosted their firs ...
(2021)
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...
** IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Jun ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...
) – with Rocky Romero[
* Prestige Championship Wrestling
** PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Pinnacle Pro Wrestling
** Pinnacle Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tony Kozina]
* Pro Wrestling Eclipse
** PWE Open Weight Championship (1 time)
* Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
** PWG World Championship ( 1 time)
** PWG World Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – Super Dragon
Daniel Caine Lyon (born June 8, 1980), better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has worked for companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring ...
(2) and Roderick Strong (1)
** Battle of Los Angeles ( 2006)
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
''
** Ranked No. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012
* Pro Wrestling Prestige
**PWP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kyle O'Reilly
* Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
** ROH World Championship
The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...
( 1 time)[
** ROH World Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Rocky Romero (1) and Eddie Edwards (2)]
* ''SoCal Uncensored''
** Match of the Year (2006) with Super Dragon vs. Roderick Strong and Jack Evans, March 4, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
* Southside Wrestling Entertainment
** SWE Speed King Championship (1 time)
* Squared Circle Wrestling
** 2CW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Edwards[
*The Wrestling Revolver
**PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Edwards
* ]Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
** TNA World Tag Team Championship ( 5 times) – with Eddie Edwards
** TNA World Cup (2015) – with Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regard ...
, Gunner, Gail Kim
Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she serves as a producer. In Impact Wrestling she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockout ...
, Rockstar Spud and Crazzy Steve
Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Crazzy Steve, where he is a former Impact World Tag Team Championship, Impact World Tag Te ...
** Tag Team of the Year (2014) with Eddie Edwards
** Match of the Year (2014) The Wolves vs. The Hardys vs. Team 3D on October 8
* Top Ranked Wrestling
** TRW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
* ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''
** Most Outstanding Wrestler (2011)
** Tag Team of the Year (2009) with Eddie Edwards
* World Power Wrestling
** Best Of The West (2005)
* Wrestling Superstar
** Wrestling Superstar Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Edwards
References
External links
Dragon Gate USA profile
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Davey
1983 births
American male professional wrestlers
Living people
People from Othello, Washington
Professional wrestlers from Washington (state)
Chaos (professional wrestling) members
ROH World Champions
TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions
ROH World Tag Team Champions
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
PWG World Champions
PWG World Tag Team Champions
FIP World Heavyweight Champions
CZW World Heavyweight Champions
MLW National Openweight Champions