After four years away from the business, Davey Richards returned to the ring in June 2021, wrestling a handful of independent dates before signing with MLW.
Richards was highly regarded when he stepped away from wrestling due to a knee injury, having a successful run in IMPACT Wrestling and there was plenty of interest in him once he announced his return.
Speaking to Vickie Guerrero on her Excuse Me podcast, Davey explained why he turned down WWE and AEW offers to sign with MLW.
"I've been offered a WWE contract three times now. AEW reached out too. I'm a father, so being on the road that much is difficult for me. Plus, for me, I find out in my time in IMPACT, which was great, they treated me very well...I hate TV wrestling. What I mean by that is I hate wrestling five minutes. I don't like wrestling less than 15 minutes. It's just not me, it's not my style. It's nothing wrong with people who do it and do it very well, obviously that's where the money is. All the respect in the world, that's just not me. I like to get in there and tell stories and things like that. To do that, you can't really go to a big company and be like, 'I'm here to wrestle 15 minutes every night.' 'Sounds good, see you later.'
"Now more than ever, there is not that line between the big time and the Indies. GCW just sold out the Hammerstein in record time. The independents are recognized prominently by the bigger promotions and that line is blurred. It's not surprising anymore to see your favorite independent wrestler just show up on television. It's more my style and enjoyment. With MLW, I'm given a lot of creative control to just go out there and wrestle for 15 to 20 minutes."
Richards noted that along with AEW and MLW reaching out when he announced his return, IMPACT Wrestling also reached out. Richards recently won the 2021 MLW Opera Cup.
He is set to compete in the 2022 PWG Battle of Los Angeles alongside the likes of Daniel Garcia, Lio Rush, Alex Shelley, JONAH, and More. You can view the current lineup for PWG Battle of Los Angeles by clicking here.
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