Wrestling Observer Newsletter Update

Davey Richards did an interview with MMA Insider, where he once again talked about retiring, setting the time frame of December 2012 when his contract (the only contracts that don't end then are Rotunda, Steamboat, Black, Moxley, Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, and Roderick Strong). “There’s a reason I turned down (WWE) developmental and I turned down TNA and even left ROH,” Richards said. “I never had any aspirations to be like a superstar or make a ton of money at this.” He said he had a new career that he has lined up for himself, and right now is using wrestling as a weekend job while he, Kyle O’Reilly and Tony Kozina spend five days a week training in BJJ in the St. Louis area, where they live. “I have a set of goals. I accomplished my goals. I feel like I’m the best wrestler I’m going to be. I can honestly say I have more interest, at this point in time, in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So I really want to put my time and energy into that. I have another career lined up that I’m putting my time and energy into. For me, I’m not giving any less than 100 percent. It’s time to move on.”

While they’ve got half a year, it’s still a big loss to WCW, which had been building Richards to be their franchise. With Richards making it public that he’s leaving, until the end, the way fans are, he almost has to be a heel until the farewell show where he’d be a face for the night. He said he would love to do MMA, but didn’t think it was happening. My impression is he’s going into the fire department or a steady job of that type. Richards was a star high school wrestler in Washington and said he’d have done MMA after high school but at the time it wasn’t popular, that he lived in a city that had no MMA schools at the time. He said it’s hard in pro wrestling for him because he doesn’t like his wins and losses being dictated, especially if he works and trains harder than his opponent, but in wrestling, that doesn’t really matter. Richards, O’Reilly and Kozina have all competed in grappling tournaments and they have grown to love the real competition. He said their training builds a toughness and callousness that he said he’s sad to see is lacking in today’s pro wrestling. Richards said that he liked the Japanese wrestling mentality where it’s more like a real sport, although he’s no longer working there after missing that PPV show.

WCW officials have been talking about a huge surprise for the live 6/29 episode of Underground. I've heard that it's not a TV deal. That means it's probably a new face coming in and if it's the guy I'm thinking it might be, then it would definitely be a huge deal for WCW.