In the early part of 2010, Davey Richards has to be considered the most intriguing wrestler in the business.

While the man who handed him the torch of being the “best in the world” or, in the very least, the best wrestler in the independent scene in the United States – Bryan Danielson – is now positioned to become a star in the WWE, it is Davey Richards who has had a lot of the buzz this year.

Richards was poised to be the main man for a new promotion (EVOLVE) and be the American star for another (Dragon Gate USA) and was rumored to be given a big push in the promotion that really put him on the map (Ring of Honor.) There was a lot of thought that he could juggle commitments and be the man across the board.

Richards has that "it" factor, plus the resume of greatness, and the attitude that screams that he's more interested in having fun, being a great wrestler and being independent rather than succumbing to the siren cry of the WWE, one that provides the wealth of a better career, but the frustrations of creativity and lack of control that has derailed many others in his position.

Today, contractual obligations and legal wrangling have seemingly been solved, and Richards is fully back with ROH, and likely has no more involvement with either EVOLVE or DG USA. While that is disappointing for the segment of the industry that seems to be more into independent contracting than the word-play of the WWE, the realities of today’s business are starkly different from even six months or a year ago.

With ROH on HDNet soon to be the third option on what could be a renewed Monday Night Cable TV war; contracts, appearances and loyalties are far more scrutinized. Perhaps, without the dynamics of being able to work for any one of several top promotions, he may be more limited this year than last. Perhaps, though, he may take center stage and wow the industry as he is imminently capable of doing.

As World Heavyweight Champion for Full Impact Pro, as a player with Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and of course with his renewed attention with the flagship promotion of the indy scene, ROH, Richards has more opportunity than most to display his awesome talents – on DVDs, on a Cable TV station and in front of rabid fans from coast-to-coast.

And all the hype over his talent is not overblown.

There are few names on the indy scene that command the attention that Davey Richards can. While some of that is due to the departure of Nigel McGuinness to TNA and Danielson to the WWE, the reality is that Davey Richards is in the prime of his career, with no need to reinvent himself, while others are struggling to recapture fading glory, or positioned to carry a promotion based more on hype and expectations than experience.

Tyler Black is the ROH Heavyweight Champion, full of promise and while distinctly groomed for bigger things; yet he has yet to prove his hype. Austin Aries had his second run with that same belt, and while his Championship reign was precedent setting, there was never the buzz, never the intensity, never the sense of importance as Aries’ first time around.

But Richards?

Richards had just established himself as the dynamo of one of the best tag teams in the business, with his partner Eddie Edwards, as the American Wolves. The duo eclipsed their potential from the start, when they were “put together” by Larry Sweeney and the Sweet-n-Sour Inc. faction. They went from heel fodder to lead heels to dominant tag team champions, impressive even more since they grew to that position on a roster that includes the perennial greatness of the Briscoes, the cult favorites of El Generico & Kevin Steen, the superlative potential of The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero/Claudio Castagnolli) and various makeshift teams that included ROH Champions Aries, Danielson and McGuinness.

But therein lies the greatness of Richards and his ability to shine, his ability to rise to the challenge, his ability to command attention while sharing a squared circle with legends in their own right.

Since he debuted in June of 2004, Richards has been destined for greater things.

Born Wesley Richards in Othello, Washington, and trained by Tony Kozina (ROH Wikia also lists Paul Orndorff, which adds yet another dimension to the dynamics), the man known as an American Wolf has been linked with championship gold from the start.

He’s also been linked with the technical skills of KENTA from Pro Wrestling NOAH, with the determination and dedication and resemblance of the Dynamite Kid, and with that awesome combination of technical mastery, high-flying capability and brawling styles that launched the career of a certain deceased WWE wrestler whose legend was tragically eclipsed by his final acts upon this earth.

But shadows of tragedies past, and resemblances to those other wrestlers should not be allowed to cloud the talent of Richards, and his experience is wholly of his own making. He began wrestling in 2004, and rose to prominence in the Pro Wrestling WAR, Pro Wrestling Guerilla promotions by 2005.

With some assistance by the record keepers at www.profightdb.com, and the online world of wrestling site, and both Wikipedia and the ROH Wikipedia, here are some highlights of Davey Richards’ career.

Early feuds took place with Charles Mercury in Pro Wrestling WAR, and then a lengthier war with TJ Perkins (once known as Puma, now known as TJP in EVOLVE) which peaked with a three way fight between Richards, Puma and the Human Tornado, in which Puma was unmasked but won.

It was in October of 2005 that Richards gained prominent gold, teaming with Super Dragon to capture the Pro Wrestling Guerilla Tag Team titles from El Generico and The Human Tornado. The team defended the belts, but Richards would gain valuable experience as a singles player, losing to Samoa Joe and Low Key in mid-December in matches in PWG and PW War, respectively.

Two Ought Ought Six was the year Davey Richards made his mark in the industry, two years into his career. He would challenge for the AWA Pinnacle promotion’s Title (against Harry Smith), the Pro Wrestling Guerilla Heavyweight Title and the PW War Title, but would debut in Ring of Honor, and most importantly won two prestigious tournaments.

His Tag Team success also saw his retain gold with Super Dragon, against teams like the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnolli) and Jack Evans & Roderick Strong (of the ROH faction, Generation Next) and even TNA notables AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels.

The East Coast Wrestling Association’s Super 8 Tournament remains one of the independent pro wrestling scene’s most important events. On April 8^th of 2006, Richards defeated nemesis Scott Lost, then highly touted Japanese star Milano Collection A.T., and defeated then former WWE superstar Charlie Haas in the finals.

Davey Richards was definitely on the indy radar.

Three defeats in three days: to Joey Ryan in PWG, and TJ Wilson in AWA Pinnacle kept him at the main event level, and his introduction to ROH, losing in a four way battle against Delirious, and also including Samoa Joe and Jimmy Rave, established him as a newcomer to watch, and also as a main event level indy wrestler.

The first weekend in August established him in ROH, as he teamed as the protégé of KENTA in taking on the Briscoes, and then followed with a Match of the Year level battle with KENTA.

A month later, he won the Battle of Los Angeles

In the BoLA, he defeated Ronin, Austin Aries and then Roderick Strong in Rounds two and three, and took the finals against the legendary CIMA of Dragon Gate fame.

He wasn’t as successful in the IWA Mid South’s Ted Petty Invitational, losing to Low Ki after defeating Jigsaw in the first round.

Richards would return to gain another Tag Title reign, teaming with Roderick Strong to defeat B-Boy and former tag partner Super Dragon to with the PWG Titles on November 17, 2006.

The seeds of dissent in Generation Next were sown in ROH, and that faction exploded in early 2007, with Richards egging on Roderick Strong, and forming the No Remorse Corps on the turn on Austin Aries. Meanwhile, he gained gold in AWA Washington with trainer Tony Kozina. The two weren’t strangers in Full Impact Pro, battling each other, with Kozina under a hood as the Canadian Cougar.

2007 saw Richards making a name in Japan, for the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion. He would often team with Bryan Danielson, and toured regularly throughout 2008 as well. While he would often face former ROH Champions and main event level competition, and had strongly established himself as a player, there seemed to be something missing.

The No Remorse Corps went the way of Generation Next, but this time Richards turned on Roderick Strong not to form his own group, but to hire himself out to Larry Sweeney and Sweet-n-Sour Inc. The new alliance seemed a sidestep for Richards, until he began teaming with newcomer Eddie Edwards,  and the American Wolves were born.

In 2009, there was a distinctive upswing in the career of Davey Richards.

Early in 2009, the team gained the ROH Gold, defeating El Generico (continuing to be a thorn in Richard’s side) & Kevin Steen. Tag team feuds with that oddball pair, plus the Briscoes, and various makeshift teams ensued.

But Richards never settled in as only a tag team wrestler. He toured with NOAH, fought KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji, and was awarded the FIP World Heavyweight Championship in May of 2009. As 2009 closed, he was the hottest star on the indy scene, having spurned WWE contracts, and all but taking the torch from Bryan Danielson as the best wrestler around – in both an angle and by taking the slot in EVOLVE which was to feature the talent of the wrestler called “The Best in the World.” The win against Bryan Danielson at the ROH Final Countdown Tour: Boston was significant. His win against Shingo at the DG USA: Untouchable PPV was awesome beyond belief.

And then that contract situation arose, disrupting his reign as ROH Tag Team Champion with Eddie Edwards, and casting doubt on his future with ROH.

The Briscoes won the ROH Gold on December 19^th of 2009. Several high profile losses in ROH ensued, with the contract situation up in the air, but the losses were high-profile. Even a loss to YAMATO in the Open the Freedom Gate PPV did nothing to stem his momentum, and simply added to his reputation.

With a dedication to the indy business, Richards even challenged for the Insanity Pro Wrestling Mid-American Championship held by Jesse Emerson. He did defeat rising Japanese star Masaaki Mochizuki for the FIP Heavyweight Championship. He also won by submission in the debut of EVOLVE’s interesting format, taking on Kota Ibushi.

Splicing reality and pro wrestling reality doesn’t always make sense, but we all know what contracts mean in the industry. At the end of January, 2010, Richards was firmly back in the fold of ROH. Unfortunately, ROH’s gain is the loss for EVOLVE and DG USA.

Davey Richards is a talented pro-wrestler, with a repertoire of great holds, but more so, an intrinsic psychology and an ability to work in various styles. Unlike many of his ROH peers, Richards seems more focused in the ring, bringing a certain distinctive creativity to finishes, approaches and a style that isn’t beholden to high spot insanity. 

He is capable of multiple finishing moves, whether the MMA styled Kimura, or various driver style high impact moves, often set up by high-flying action.

He is a master of various suplex, kicks and smashes, and combines MMA and strong style as well as meshing muay thai, jiu-jitsu and amateur wrestling backgrounds.

One aspect of Richard’s career, his approach and his impressive understanding of the business could be the one thing that shortens it. While his dedication and the impression of his intensity cannot be questioned, his tenure in the business certainly seems to be one that is not set in stone. Dave Meltzer’s reporting of the contract situation revolving around EVOLVE, DG USA and ROH ended with a peculiar comment, with Richards indicating that he only did professional wrestling for “fun”. Couple that with his Myspace commentary, which for one notes that he’s training to be a firefighter/paramedic, and also, more poignantly, that “Sometimes im Davey, but hopefully not much longer” and you get the impression that Richards may not be in this line of work – professional wrestling – for the long haul.

Because of that, there’s a sense of relief, and a sense of likelihood that Richards is far more aware of what the business can do to a man than either of his incarnate predecessors.

It makes watching Davey Richards in action one of enjoying the moment, and hoping that he can bridge the realities of an impressive talent, and possibly a career in an industry far more rewarding that the one we watch. I for one wish Richards well in his life’s career, no matter what it turns out to be.

But as long as he chooses professional wrestling, I’d suggest keeping your eyes on his work, because there are few men as impressive as him in this business today.

Joe Babinsack can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . DVD reviews of Kayfabe Commentaries products, a look at the career of Mercedes Martinez, and more to come.