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#Post#: 29651--------------------------------------------------
Chat with the Wolves
By: ChrissiCalvert Date: January 19, 2015, 5:12 pm
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It's been a year since you made your first appearance on Impact
Wrestling on January 16, in a backstage segment with TNA
president Dixie Carter. How did you come to sign with TNA and
what influenced your decision?
Davey Richards (DR): "We had a try out for WWE, and it was good
and it was fun and everything, it was great, but their... how do
I say it? Their curriculum and their lifestyle is just not
conducive to what we were looking for. We love to wrestle and we
love what we do in the ring but we also need our downtime. And I
don't operate best under a microscope. In TNA I feel you have a
lot more freedom to be yourself and explore who you are and let
that really out in the ring.
"We got the call from WWE that they weren't going to go with us,
which I was more than ecstatic for, and within 10 minutes I was
on the phone with David Lagana [TNA Director of Creative
Writing] and had a TNA contract."
Eddie Edwards (EE): "We knew Lagana from Ring of Honor, we had
talked to him a little bit here and there, so things just rolled
right through and it was very easy. We knew a lot of guys on the
roster so we had talked to them and heard good things.
DR: "And TNA is definitely a better fit for our style. So it was
kind of just like 'about time', more than anything else."
You were added to TNA's UK Maximum Impact 6 tour, appearing with
MVP in Glasgow, Scotland, when he was revealed as the mystery
investor who had brought you to TNA. What was it like to be
immediately thrust into a major storyline?
DR: "It was great, we didn't want to just come in and be some
new guys, some new talent, we wanted to be the guys."
EE: "And be a feature act."
DR: "Yeah, that's what we've been working for and made our name
for working at previous companies, so we just wanted to go and
get the ball rolling and we were really glad they had the faith
in us to put us in that position."
You made your in-ring debut in Manchester, when you and Samoa
Joe defeated The BroMans with DJ Z. What did you think of your
first UK tour with TNA, and the reaction you received from the
British crowd?
EE: "That was the best crowd we've had. For us to come in on
that tour was crazy, because the crowds were just out of sight,
they were blowing the roof off each and every night, you know
what I mean? I think they really enjoy the product over here and
it helps us out when we're in the ring if the crowds are that
into it, it really helps us."
DR: "Two months prior I had actually been living in Manchester.
I used to come over here for a month at a time every year and I
just got back from my month when we got signed by TNA. So I was
more than happy to come back. Before I got signed by TNA I was
actually going to move to England. I've wrestled in Liverpool a
few times, at the Olympia and a few other places, and I know
Zack Gibson [Liverpool independent wrestler and co-founder of
Infinite Promotions] has a show there."
It wasn't long before you became the TNA World Tag Team
Champions, defeating The BroMans at a house show in West
Virginia on February 23. It seemed unusual for a title change to
take place at a house show and the reign was short-lived, as you
lost the belts back to The BroMans after just one week at
Wrestle-1's Kaisen: Outbreak event in Tokyo, Japan. What did you
make of this booking decision? It didn't seem the ideal way to
win the belts.
DR: "No, but it means you can't miss an event because you never
know what's going to happen. We pulled the high card that night
and we got lucky and then with Japan, three teams, we're so
ingrained in Japanese wrestling, The BroMans got to capitalise.
We got them back so that's all that matters.
EE: "It also helps because it shows anything can happen at a
live event. So don't miss a chance to see it."
The company certainly still had a lot of faith in your talent
and you regained the championships at the Sacrifice pay-per-view
on April 27 in a two-on-three handicap match, defeating Robbie
E, Jessie Godderz and DJ Z. Were you pleased with the match and
the response to your second title win?
DR: "It was huge man yeah, it was a huge thing, there was
electricity in the air that night."
EE: "There was a sense of accomplishment for sure. For the crowd
to react the way they did and be behind us the whole match, it
felt like 'we're finally here' and 'this is what we set out to
do'."
DR: "This is our home, that's how it felt."
A highlight of your next reign was undoubtedly your clash
against The Hardys in a successful title defence at Destination
X on June 26. What was it like to be in the ring with such a
legendary tag team and to emerge victorious? Had you fought them
before?
DR: "Never, no."
EE: "I had wrestled Matt before but not in a tag and never done
anything with Jeff."
DR: "It was kind of one of those nights you knew there was
something special in the air, you could feel it, and we got out
there and it was something very, very special."
EE: "And to do it in New York City, with that crowd, and our
history there, there was a lot going into it. They treated us
with nothing but respect and we're not in a position where they
have to do it, they were just super nice and respectful to us."
DR: "I think we've earned their respect and that's the biggest
thing."
TNA then threw Team 3D into the mix. Stretching over four
matches in August and September, we saw you compete in a regular
bout, a tables match and a ladder match, winning one each,
before you clinched the series at Full Metal Mayhem. What are
your thoughts on the matches you put together and being given
the chance to face two such decorated teams?
EE: "You want to see where you stand as tag teams and we got to
go up against two of the best."
DR: "They're the measuring stick."
DR: "I think the last match was our favourite..."
EE: "The intensity at that point, everything was right.
DR: "It was a series so the last one was special, because you
knew there was six guys going in there willing to do anything,
and did do anything, to try to win."
Whatever else your career brings, those matches will always be
remembered by TNA fans. Did you feel like it was a chance to
prove anyone who had ever doubted that The Wolves belonged
alongside the very best in the business wrong?
DR: "Absolutely. That was our statement. We belong. We did say
that and it was. You're outside that bubble, that brass ring
bubble I call it, of royalty in tag team wrestling. And we said
'now we're going to kick through', we won it and that was us
kicking that door in."
EE: "Before that people maybe saw those guys as being steps and
steps above us, but finally we're in there at the same time,
we're going back and forth promo wise and match wise, to prove
we belong."
DR: "And we can't thank them enough, because none of that would
have been possible without them, so huge respect to all four of
those guys.
EE: "Tag team wrestling in general owes them thanks."
I think it wasn't just the matches, some of the promos were
fantastic as well. You really showed you belonged in there with
the other guys. Matching Bully Ray in a promo situation must be
tough.
DR: "He's just an intimidating... he'll probably get mad at me
because he's a big teddy bear, but you know, until you get to
that inner layer, he's a very intimidating guy. He could really
do some damage if he wanted to, both on the mic and in the ring.
He's an intimidating guy and I felt he was really pushing us,
but not to be a jerk, but to make us better...."
EE: "To see what we could do."
DR: "Yeah right, I think they wanted to pass the torch but they
wanted to see if we were worthy, and I'm thankful for it."
At the Impact Wrestling tapings on September 19, you lost the
championships to James Storm and Abyss of The Revolution. What
have you made of their new faction so far, and have you enjoyed
telling this story?
DR: "It reinvigorated us. People haven't seen our vicious
side..."
EE: "It's still just been the tip of the iceberg with us."
DR: "And they're going to see it now. The match with The Hardys
and The Dudleys were about respect, and with James Storm it's
personal, and we'll be bringing that to the UK."
EE: "It's a new direction for us to go and a chance to see what
we can do in this kind of situation. James Storm is a TNA
original..."
DR: "You don't have his success without being extremely
talented. You've got to respect what he's done. We want to be
seen as TNA originals like him in a way. I'm very proud to
identify myself as a TNA guy. I'm extremely proud of that."
EE: "I think it shows what level TNA is on. Before we were doing
indy shows, smaller shows around here and there, but as soon as
we were with TNA you just get that, people notice you more and
associate you more with TNA."
DR: "We did a lot with the independents and a lot with another
company and all of that was great but now it's the big leagues,
that next level."
After months of speculation, TNA secured a deal with Discovery
Communications for Impact to be shown on Destination America.
Was it a relief for the roster for TNA to find a new home after
leaving Spike TV?
DR: "I always had faith personally. It wasn't a matter of 'if',
it was just a matter of 'when'. But it's definitely put a shot
in the arm of everyone, it's like "now let's get back to work
and really kick this off'. Because Spike was really tough on us
with not advertising us too much, whereas Destination America,
we're like a flagship thing, and they're going to invest energy
in us. Energy builds more energy and I'm really excited about
it."
EE: "One hand washes the other. I think we're in a situation
where they want to promote us and we want to promote them, it's
a team effort. As far as Spike, Impact was one of the top, if
not the top rated show, yet you wouldn't know it from their
advertising."
DR: "I can't tell you how many live events we went to and fans
were like 'we didn't know you guys were in town' and it was kind
of like... and then I'd get a Facebook message from fans saying
'that was a great show' and I'd be like 'tell a friend!'.
"Personally I like TNA because it's very fan accessible, it's
kind of like a big family for lack of a better term, I know I'm
not like 'we're superstars, we haven't got time for them'. And
everyone is like that from what I can see.
EE: "Especially at live events we do the meet and greets, we
meet pretty much all the fans there, everybody is out there
signing stuff, and it's a cool atmosphere."
DR: "Yeah it's a real fan friendly experience. And when we were
in New York, when Bully put Dixie through a table, the crowd
were a part of it, they were almost rioting, and I love that
aspect of TNA."
We now know we can expect you to be a part of the Maximum Impact
7 UK tour this month.
DR: "We can confirm we will be there and we're going to be
hunting for our titles."
The tour will feature the six TNA British Bootcamp 2 finalists
Grado, Noam Dar, Kay Lee Ray, Mark Andrews, Dave Mastiff and
Rampage Brown. Have you been impressed by the British talent in
this series?
DR: "I think Dave Mastiff is going to be a huge star. Well
literally! I think he's phenomenal. I think Noam Dar is really,
really good, Rampage, I just saw him wrestle with Ligero, and he
was good last time I saw him but he's even better now. I think
those guys... I saw Grado up in Scotland, and he reminded me of
a Colt Cobana, a really entertaining guy. And that's good
because it's something different. But if I had to choose one
guy, I think I'd say Dave Mastiff, he's really talented."
EE: "They're going to be feeding off that crowd for those
matches and it's going to be quite the experience for them, I'm
sure. I think Mark Andrews is going to give a shot in the arm of
the X Division."
DR: "Yeah we saw that he won and I feel like, such a jerk, but I
don't really know who he is, but that could also be a good
thing, because he's got a clean slate and he could go and turn
some heads, rather than someone who has been around forever. And
good for him, obviously he's talented, and he won which is a
feather in his cap, so I wish him all the best."
Davey, you've previously competed in Preston City Wrestling,
where you faced both Mastiff and Brown. What are your thoughts
on working with them, and on PCW in general?
DR: "I've been there a few times, they're great. I wrestled
Rampage in a tag match, and Mastiff on a different night. Great
crowd, great talent, and they have an eclectic kind of vibe.
Good for them man, Steven Fludder runs a very good thing, so
good on them. They will be seeing us again!"
#Post#: 29654--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with the Wolves
By: SheriffLonestar Date: January 20, 2015, 1:50 pm
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Um asking shoot questions and getting kayfabe answers? Bit
weird, but there ya go :).
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