In a series of posts on his official Twitter account, Davey Richards, who enjoyed success in the business as a one-time ROH World Champion, three-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, one time PWG World Champion, three-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and five-time TNA World Tag Team Champion among other accomplishments, opened up on his decision to step away from the business back in 2017.
I don’t know if anyone has any interest in this but I wanted to share a side of the story for why I stopped wrestling and missed so many shows.
I’ve struggled with knee injuries throughout my amateur and professional wrestling career. 14 surgeries in all on my right knee.— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
During my run In Impact wrestling my right knee began to deteriorate badly.
I remember the Dr for Impact at the time telling me I had the knee of a 70 yo. I went through numerous treatments: PRP, scopes, Stem Cells, Synvisc, etc. Nothing worked.— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
I thought I found the answer in 2017: Biojoint. They told me me knee would be like new again. Only downside was 1 year layoff from anything physical. So I did it – they sawed of ends of my femur and tibia and took bone and cartilage from a cadaver and inserted it in me.
— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
Months went by and nothing got better. At one year they said wait another year.
Nothing got better.
More and more time extensions- which is why I had to cancel so many shows.
Then I had another surgery to correct that one.
Then another to correct that one.— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
Finally I owned up to the truth – I needed a total knee replacement.
I researched the entire world and found Nanoknee. They said I would walk out of surgery, they said I would recover rapidly. They said I would be “me” again. I didn’t believe them.— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
Then it worked. The surgery worked. Then I found @SquatUniversity to help rehab me. Help rebuild what I had lost.
Little by little, day by day I felt more like me. Until Today , when I realized I can not only do everything I used to, I can do it better.— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
To every snow I missed and every fan I let down – I am truly sorry, it is completely my fault. My ego would not let me admit that inside I was falling apart. I couldn’t admit to myself I couldn’t be the one thing I always identified myself as: wrestler.
— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
I’ll make no excuses, I own all of it. It’s funny – in 2 years I will be a Dr. I’ll have more money than I know what to do with, and I couldn’t care less. It wasn’t then, and isn’t now about the money. It was about the wrestling.
— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
I don’t know what will happen. But maybe, just maybe I will be fortunate to be able to again participate in the greatest sport on earth: wrestling. Thank you for reading.
— ? (@RichardsWesley) November 18, 2020
