A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999
ROH/EVOLVE/DGUSA News: Richards told Silkin and Pearce he would choose DGUSA if forced to last year
Jan 31, 2010 - 3:30:36 PM
By Sean Radican, Torch columnist
PWTorch has obtained an email from Davey Richards (real name Wesley Richards) that sent to ROH booker Adam Pearce and ROH owner Cary Silkin that was sent last year. In the email, Richards details his motivation behind choosing DGUSA over ROH for WrestleMania weekend if he were forced to make a choice by ROH management.
Richards signed a contract with ROH last week and was removed from all the DGUSA and Evolve shows that he had been advertised for.
The following is the complete text of Richards's email sent to Pearce and Silkin on Oct. 28, 2009:
Hello guys,
Ive thought about this alot and Ive made my descison to do DGUSA. This is not a personal thing at all and I wanted to tell you far in advance instead of keeping quiet and springing it on you at the last minute and leaving you in a bind.
I hope this doesnt become all end all be all descison in my future with ROH nad I would like to share my reasons for making this descison so you can better understand where im coming from.
One reason is that DGUSA offers me more money, now I want to make it perfectly clear that money is not my prime motivator in this and wrestling in general.
As you both know I have my paramedic liscense now and could make alot more money doing that.
The fact is that I havent been offered a raise in 3 years and im worlds more valuable to ROH now that when I signed on for that amount. Ive seen guys come and go and be flown in and be paid better than me, even though Ive consistenly produced and gave ROH 110% percent everytime Ive stepped foot in a ring.
Ive never held ROH up or complained about money, I was told it simply couldnt be offered and I trusted ROH its word and accepted that same pay. Ive driven to shows, accepted pay cuts, when Cary accidently paid me over my gaurantee I told him about it instead of just keeping quiet and cashing the check. All not because I want special treatment, but because I wanted to help out the company.
2 different time Ive been offered developemental by WWE and turned it down as I 1. Dont like the be binded to one company as I do this for fun and 2. Didnt want to leave ROH hanging.
Another reason is DGUSA is rewarding me for my hard work. This is what means alot to me.It means alot to me that the first phone call that Ive ever recived from the boss of the company was about making sure I was working for him and telling me there is going to be a problem if I dont.
Ive worked harder than anyone on the roster this year and my matches have shown that and never have I gotten a call to say good job or how are you.
This means alot to me. You probably dont even remember but it really hurt when I gave everything I had and delivered a MOTY with Kenta in TX and noone said anything when I came to the back. The only thing I heard was we did too much.
I am sorry, but that is ROH is about to me. Young stars working harder than anyone else on the planet to make a name for themselves, what set us apart is that were hungrier, more passionate to be the best wrestlers we can, not for money, but for our love of the sport.
This is what means alot to me. I dont want more money, I dont want some huge push, I just want to wrestle.
I hope we can continue working together, but if you choose to terminate me after this, I thank you for giving me a place to wrestle and best of luck to you.
Wes Richards
RADICAN'S ANALYSIS: There's a lot more to this story and we will have the details in another news post at a later time.
Keep reading! Below are links to the ten most recent ROH News articles... (or click here to return to front page main listing ).
ROH News: News & Notes from weekend shows - title match results, Chikara "invasion," future title shots, Edwards scratched
ROH News: Norfolk Saturday night preview - Team Richards vs. HOT main event, Tag Title & Proving Ground matches, full line-up, Report Wanted
ROH News: ROH "Homecoming" Friday night in Philly - ROH World Title match, Hero returns, top stars, Report Wanted
ROH News: COO Koff interview - equates ROH to AAA baseball team, brand more important than individuals, strengths & weaknesses of TV product (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: TV taping Saturday - Briscoes main event (w/VIDEO), Steen's official return, Lethal TV Title defense, full line-up
ROH News: ROH announces CHIKARA involvement & new live event head-to-head with CHIKARA (w/Radican's Analysis)
ROH News: Former ROH Tag Champs advertised for Proving Ground match on this weekend's TV show (w/Radican's Analysis)
ROH News: Main events and talent for Jan. 20 Philadelphia, Jan. 21 Norfolk
ROH News: Nick Jackson defends unprotected chairshots, says they're just as dangerous as back bumps (w/Radican's analysis)
ROH News: Final Battle news & notes - one title change, next ROH Title match?, big return, Diva debuts, NYC return date
Upgrade to PWTorch VIP:
DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO (VIP Newsletter, Audio, Archives, No Ads on Website, VIP Email Reports, VIP Forum, more.)
Staff Picks - Ten Articles We Think You'll Enjoy...
Vote in Our Latest Instant Poll
Articles Grouped by Category
JUMP TO CATEGORY
Upcoming Events
Torch Today
Quick News
NEWS REPORTS
WWE News
TNA News
ROH News
Other News
Women - Divas - Knockouts
MMA / UFC Coverage
Arena Reports
PPV REPORTS
WWE PPVs
TNA PPVs
Other PPVs
TV REPORTS
WWE Raw Report
WWE Smackdown Report
WWE Superstars Report
WWE NXT Report
TNA Impact
TNA Specials
Ring of Honor
WWE Florida Championship
OPINION & ANALYSIS
KELLER'S TAKE
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MCNEILL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S TAKE
RADICAN'S TAKE
PARKS'S TAKE
Ask the Editor
Guest Editorials
Torch Feedback
Torch Instant Polls
THE SPECIALISTS
Hits & Misses
Absurdity of it All
Storyline Tracking
Magic, Memories, and Mania
True - False - TBD
Key Moment of the Week
Warzecha Wire Service
PWTORCH EXCLUSIVES
Torch Flashbacks
Interviews
DVDs - VGames - Books
Torch Trivia
REFERENCE
WWE Win & Loss Statistics
Title Holders Listing
Annual Obituaries
Event Schedule
Ratings Tracking
PPV Buys Tracking
TNA Win & Loss Statistics
PWTorch Free Podcast
VIP Exclusive Features
NEWS REPORTS
TNA News: Impact Wrestling TV ratings are in for Thursday's show - did a change of scenery help boost ratings?
WWE News: John Cena resumes digs at The Rock, Rock responds
WWE News: Weekend tour preview - Rumble re-match, Booker on Smackdown tour, top matches, Reports Wanted
TNA News: Weekend tour continues Friday - Flair & Hardy in Flair Country, four champions scheduled, full line-up, Reports Wanted
WWE News: Smackdown TV preview - Rumble fall-out, Orton vs. Barrett, Chamber match participants, SPOILER link
2/2 TNA results Columbia, S.C.: Hardy & Storm vs. Roode & Angle main event, Flair on the mic in Flair Country, two title matches, poor attendance
TNA News: World Title match official for Against All Odds, updated PPV line-up
TNA News: Injury update on Sting, is he retiring in 2012?, disagrees with recent Kurt Angle comments
Piracy News: Feds make new arrest in piracy crack down, federal agent posed as WWE employee
PWTORCH ARENA FLASHBACK: USA Wrestling 10 yrs. ago (02-02-02): Lawler vs. D. Flair, James Storm, Chris Harris, Stevens
TNA News: Impact Wrestling TV preview - historic show from London, Hogan's TV return, four champions in action, SPOILER link, TNA video footage
WWE News: Sheamus confirms when he will choose WM28 opponent, opens up about WM27 frustrations, says Rock-Cena has to match hype
PPV REPORTS
KYGHTS PPV EVALUATION - WWE Royal Rumble (01-29-12): Best/Worst Match, Biggest Surprise/Letdown, What Will It Be Remembered For?
PARKS'S BLOG: Royal Rumble Hangout Report, including drama for the jackpot, comparing Ziggler gimmicks, and vintage cages
CALDWELL'S WWE ROYAL RUMBLE REPORT 1/29: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Rumble match, Punk-Ziggler, Cena-Kane, steel cage
McNEILL: Live Blog for WWE's Royal Rumble (24th Anniversary)
KELLER'S WWE ROYAL RUMBLE LIVE BLOG 1/29: Ongoing random thoughts in chronological order
RADICAN'S DGUSA OPEN THE GOLDEN GATE iPPV REPORT 1/27 - coverage of DGUSA Los Angels debut
RADICAN'S EVOLVE 10 iPPV REPORT 1/14: Complete review of final show from ECW Arena
RADICAN'S UWF "THUG ASSASSINS" PPV REPORT 1/22: Former champion killed off, Bestia vs. Masada, Ruckus vs. Brown
KYGHT'S PPV EVALUATION - TNA GENESIS (01-08-12): Best/Worst Match, Biggest Surprise/Letdown, What It Will Be Remembered For
CALDWELL'S TNA GENESIS PPV RESULTS 1/8: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Roode-Hardy, Angle-Storm
KYGHT'S PPV EVALUATION - ROH Final Battle 2011: Best/Worst Match, Biggest Moment/Letdown, Best Quote, Final 2011 PPV Rankings
PARKS'S BLOG: ROH Final Battle Hangout Report, including ROH's gate, Ultimo Dragon, and TNA Tag matches
TV REPORTS
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN BLOG 2/3: Random Thoughts on Chronological Order including Orton vs. Barrett, Vegans, Farts
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 2/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Randy Orton vs. Wade Barret in a no-DQ match
TURNER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 2/2: Alt. perspective review of TNA in London, Hogan's return, Storm wrestles twice, Overall Reax
JAMES'S WWE SUPERSTARS REPORT 2/2: U.S. champ in main event, Kelly & A. Fox, Mahal
JAMES'S WWE NXT REPORT 2/1 - Week 48: Riley & Showtime vs. Young & Titus, Bateman and Slater debate "losers," Overall Reax
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT WRESTLING BLOG 2/2: Random thoughts in chronological order on big show from Wembley Arena
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT 2/2: Wembley Arena Edition - Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of TV show
KELLER'S WWE RAW BLOG 1/29: Ongoing analysis of the follow-up on the Royal Rumble including WWE vs. World Champ, Laurinaitis's fate, Orton vs. Ziggler
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 1/30: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Huge Return, Champion vs. Champion, Rumble PPV fall-out
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN BLOG 1/27: Final Royal Rumble hype barely touches on the Rumble match, but does hype Bryan vs. Show vs. Henry
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/27: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including a returning Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT BLOG 1/26: Tables match main event with Hardy & Storm vs. Roode & Bully Ray, Knockouts twice, Daniels shines
OPINION & ANALYSIS
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN BLOG 2/3: Random Thoughts on Chronological Order including Orton vs. Barrett, Vegans, Farts
CALDWELL & PARKS WEEKLY CHAT 2/3: Rumble fall-out, Taker's return & Hunter feud, Punk-Jericho Ch. 1, Impact in London, Hogan Games, Smackdown tonight
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: "Glory By Honor X" 11/19 - Young Bucks vs. Briscoes, Steen invasion, Richards vs. Generico
RADICAN'S BLOG: Details on new Radican's Wrestling Community fan page on Facebook, details on contest and new discussion topics
QUESTION OF THE DAY 2/3 POLLS - WM28: Should anything be added to Taker-Hunter?, Should Foley have a spot on the PPV?
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT WRESTLING BLOG 2/2: Random thoughts in chronological order on big show from Wembley Arena
PWTORCH POLL RESULTS: Raw Highlight & Top question to be answered, strong or weak Raw Chamber line-up?, D-Bryan champ at WM28?
PWTORCH POLL RESULTS: Royal Rumble PPV - Highlight of Rumble match, Ripped Off or Satisfied?, Best Match, 0-10 Score
WWE Raw Reax #3: "Every Raw on the Road to WrestleMania should be at this level"
WWE PPV Reax #4: More strong opinions for/against Rumble, did Brodus & comedy have a place on this PPV?
WWE Raw Reax #2: "I didn't want Raw this week to end"
QUESTION OF THE DAY POLL 1/31: Which big question from Raw do you most want answered?
THE SPECIALISTS
HITS & MISSES - TNA Impact 2/2: Big Arena setting, James Storm, Tag Brawl, Knockout & Divisions, Bischoffs, Hogan backstage promo
NXT WEEKLY RANKINGS & EVALUATION 1/25 - Week 47: Comments on latest Rookie performances, Usos's new YouTube show
TUCKER'S INSTANT REACTION - Impact 2/2: How much did a change of scenery affect this week's show?
COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Latest TNA Cards Offer Signatures from Big Names & First-Time Signers, new Sloppy Signature Trivia
ALPHABET SOUP - Raw 1/30: Humor column breaks down Raw A-to-Z - Books, Boxes, Edges, Funks, Quotes, Takers, Vegans, Wizards
DONOFRIO'S FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE 2/1: Wednesday column returns with review of top stories in WWE, TNA, independents, Social Media
PWTORCH ROUNDTABLE - Jericho vs. Punk: How will their feud play out?, Will it relate to Jericho's "end of the world" Rumble proclamation? (Part 2)
1/30 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Orton vs. Ziggler, Punk vs. Bryan, Cena - Kane, Undertaker Returns
ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - Raw: Hunter Denies Taker A Mania Payday For Hair Plugs, Kane Bet His House On Cena Beating Rock, Brodus Clay Matches Now With The Cast Of "Glee"
ROBERTS'S LIVE REVIEW - Royal Rumble in-person: Does the Rumble format inherently lead to criticism?
PWTORCH ROUNDTABLE - Jericho vs. Punk: How will their feud play out?, Will it relate to Jericho's "end of the world" Rumble proclamation? (Part 1)
COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Action Figure Spotlight on Ridiculous Samoa Joe Figure; Collectibles News, Sloppy Signature Answer, and more
PWTORCH EXCLUSIVES
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: "Glory By Honor X" 11/19 - Young Bucks vs. Briscoes, Steen invasion, Richards vs. Generico
ROYAL RUMBLE FLASHBACK - last year (01-30-2011): Del Rio wins Rumble, Ziggler challenges Edge for World Title, Orton vs. Miz
WWE ROYAL RUMBLE FLASHBACK 2004 (01-25-04): Benoit wins Rumble from #1 spot, Hunter vs. HBK, Lesnar, Dudleys vs. Flair & Batista
WWE ROYAL RUMBLE FLASHBACK 1995 (01-22-95): HBK wins Rumble from #1 spot, Diesel vs. Hart WWF Title, Razor vs. Jarrett IC Title
PWTORCH POLL RESULTS: When will Jericho speak?, Rumble winner prediction, Highlight of Raw
VIP - New PWTorch Digital Newsletter #1237: Cover story on Four Horsemen in Hall of Fame, Mitchell on Stephanie McMahon's EW profile, Keller's WM28 predictions, TNA Genesis Roundtable Reviews (16 pgs.)
KELLER'S WWE RAW FLASHBACK - 1 year ago (01-17-01): Cena vs. Punk main event, Nexus angle, Orton-Ziggler
EATON'S RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW - WCW World War III PPV (11-26-95): Savage wins WCW Title, Sting vs. Flair, DDP, Luger, Duggan, Benoit, Nakano
RADICAN'S RESISTANCE PRO DVD REVIEW SERIES: "Black Friday" 11/25 - Steen vs. Smith, Briscoes vs. Akuma & Hart
RADICAN'S ROH DVD SNAPSHOT - "Gateway to Honor" 11/6: Wolves vs. ANX, Future Shock vs. WGTT, Women of Honor in action
PWTORCH POLL RESULTS - How funky was Clay's return?, Best TNA PPV Match, Steph or Laurinaitis as GM?, payoff to 1-2-12, Will Lesnar return to WWE?
RADICAN'S UWF DVD REVIEW SERIES: "First Blood" 6/26 - Bestia vs. Facade, Homicide vs. Kingston, DVD extras
REFERENCE
WWE STATS REVIEW 2012 - January: List of Champions, 2012 Win/Loss Records, Most matches & main events, All show results
1/30 WWE RAW BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Monday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Titles, Current Streaks
1/29 WWE ROYAL RUMBLE PPV BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Sunday's PPV - match times, title implications, Star Ratings, Win/Loss Records
TITLES & CHAMPIONS: Updated list of 2012 Titleholders in WWE, TNA, ROH, more (updated 1/30)
1/27 WWE SMACKDOWN BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Friday's show - paltry Match Lengths, Win/Loss Records, Streaks
1/23 WWE RAW BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Monday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, title implications, Current Streaks
1/20 WWE SMACKDOWN BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Friday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Streaks
1/16 WWE RAW BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Monday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Titles, Streaks (rough night for Ryder & Sheamus)
1/13 WWE SMACKDOWN BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Friday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Titles, Streaks (Slater at 20 losses in a row)
1/9 WWE RAW BOX SCORE: Snapshot of last Monday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Streaks
1/6 WWE SMACKDOWN BOX SCORE: Snapshot of Friday's show - match times, Win/Loss Records, Streaks
TNA STATS REVIEW 2011 - Final Review of Champions, 2011 Win/Loss Records, Most matches & main events, Best PPV matches, All show results
PWTorch Free Podcast
FREE AUDIO: Friday PWTorch Livecast (2/3) now available - Alex Greenfield interview with Wade Keller
FREE AUDIO: Thursday PWTorch Livecast (2/2) now available - James Caldwell & Greg Parks
FREE AUDIO: Wednesday PWTorch Livecast (2/1) now available - Shane Douglas interview w/Pat McNeill
FREE AUDIO: Tuesday PWTorch Livecast (1/31) now available - Wade Keller & Jason Powell
FREE AUDIO: Monday PWTorch Livecast (1/30) now available - Bruce Mitchell & Travis Bryant
AUDIO: Special PWTorch Livecast (1/29) following WWE's Royal Rumble PPV - James Caldwell & Greg Parks
FREE AUDIO: Friday PWTorch Livecast (1/27) now available - Greg Gagne Interview with Wade Keller
FREE AUDIO: Thursday PWTorch Livecast (1/26) now available with James Caldwell & Greg Parks
FREE AUDIO: Wednesday PWTorch Livecast (1/25) now available with Pat McNeill interviewing Simon Dean & Gabe Sapolsky
FREE AUDIO: Tuesday PWTorch Livecast (1/24) now available with Wade Keller & Jason Powell
FREE AUDIO: Monday PWTorch Livecast (1/23) now available with Bruce Mitchell & Travis Bryant
FREE AUDIO: Friday PWTorch Livecast (1/20) now available with James Caldwell & Greg Parks
VIP Exclusive Features
VIP - 2/2 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show with Wade Keller, pt. 2: Assembling the likely WrestleMania 27 line-up and then evaluating it's drawing power and depth, Tyson in HOF, Hogan speaks about Roode, more (70 min.)
VIP - 2/2 Wade Keller Hotline - Impact Analysis: TNA in London in front of huge hot crowd including Storm vs. Roode, Hogan revealed as Garett's trainer, Hogan gives another pep talk about TNA (35 min.)
VIP - 2/2 PWTorch Livecast & VIP Aftershow: James Caldwell & Greg Parks: Impact tonight, potential WM28 undercard, restoring titles, Sheamus & Sting interview analysis, WWE/YouTube debut, Taker, Foley, Flair, Hardy, Fart gimmick (95 min.)
VIP - 2/1 East Coast Cast (ep. #73): Rumble fall-out examined, Can WWE sustain Raw's momentum?, How much comedy is too much comedy in wrestling?, more (165 min.)
VIP - 2/1 Wade Keller Hotline - The News: Mapping out the WrestleMania 28 line-up, who's on the outside looking in, what is WWE asking their customers about Royal Rumble, Raw's rave reviews, more (14 min.)
VIP - 2/1 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show with Wade Keller, pt. 1: Undertaker returns to face Triple H, Jericho-Punk, Vegan vs. Straight Edge, Sheamus's post Rumble push, and more Rumble and Raw analysis (63 min.)
VIP - 2/1 PWTorch Livecast & VIP Aftershow: Shane Douglas interview w/Pat McNeill: ECW & WCW Stories, upcoming ECW Reunion event, VIP - Live Events (105 min.)
VIP - PWTorch Newsletter Digital Back Issue #691: Torch Awards for 2002 including Best Match, Best Feud, Rising Star, Career Tailspin, Best & Worst Promos, Most Underutilized, Most Overpushed, more (2-2-2002)
VIP - New PWTorch Digital Newsletter #1239: Royal Rumble Coverage - Roundtable Reviews, Parks and Keller look ahead to WrestleMania, Match Report with dual star ratings, plus news, TV analysis (16 pgs.)
VIP - 1/31 Wade Keller Hotline - The News: Raw ratings, Impact quarter hour trends, Social Media Rankings for Rumble and Raw, Kharma's baby, Jericho and Foley react to Rumble, new WWE creative hire (32 min.)
VIP - 1/31 PWTorch Livecast & VIP Aftershow with Wade Keller & Jason Powell: Royal Rumble and Raw analysis in-depth including a dozen live calls, email questions, and looking ahead to WrestleMania 28 (121 min.)
VIP - 1/30 Wade Keller Hotline - WWE Raw: Post-Royal Rumble edition packed with big happenings, Undertaker's return, World Champ vs. WWE Champ, Vegan vs. Straight Edge, Record Short Divas Title match (32 min.)