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Former Ring of Honor Champion and Impact Wrestling star Davey Richards revealed he was forced to undergo a total knee replacement as a result of various failed treatments after leaving wrestling in 2017.
In a series of tweets today, Richards gave his side of the story for why he stopped wrestling in 2017 and gained a reputation for missing bookings afterwards.
The tweets read:
“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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then it worked. The surgery worked. Then I found Squat University 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. To every show 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. 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. 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.”
Richards’ last wrestling appearance was at Coastal Zone Wrestling’s EVILution show on July 8, 2017 losing the CZW World Heavyweight Championship and DEFY World Championship to Shane Strickland in a four-way match.
Beyond the ROH title run, Richards is best known for winning the Impact World Tag Team Championships, then known as the TNA World Tag Team Championships, six times with Eddie Edwards. The team also held the ROH Tag Team titles. The duo also made a one-off appearance on WWE’s NXT brand in 2013.
Richards’ Twitter page can be viewed here.
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