During recent interview with the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling Podcast, Davey Richards discussed Kurt Angle leaving TNA Wrestling, his surgery and recovery and more. Here are some highlights:
On how his recovery is going: “It’s going well. I had surgery February 17th. I tore my left ACL and it’s just of those things that it’s weird but it’s funny to see fans write and say that me and Eddie are injury prone and it displays their innocence but obvious ignorance. It’s weird. My whole stint in Ring of Honor I was never hurt and I never got hurt in Japan and my only two injuries I’ve ever had in wrestling which are breaking my leg (which is not a serious thing, it was a hairline/tiny fracture) and blowing my ACL both happened to happen in the span of one year. You take a twelve year career and I’ve got hurt twice and it just happened to be in the same year. It was a long time coming and to be kind of honest I am glad it happened and I know that sounds weird but there have been a lot of things wrong with my movement and my body and not that I was beat up it was a lot of things that were off balance. Knowing how predisposed I was to injury I was really lucky because I could have done some very serious damage to my body with how imbalanced I was.”
On the timetable for his return: “I literally blew my ACL on January 31st in Birmingham and on February 17th had surgery. On February 15th I did 500 squats. I’m recovering now and nobody can believe that I am recovering as fast as I am. I laugh when people say I may be out 6-9 months and I kind of say yeah we will see because if you understand the science of it you understand that the body is giving it the fuel to repair itself. I also had a really great orthopedic surgeon and have great physical therapist.”
On TNA’s transition to POP TV: “It’s been fine with me. I came in at the very end of Spike TV but it seems like right before me and Eddie got there TNA kind of left a bad taste in people’s mouths which is unfortunate but I had nothing to do with that and I don’t want to and simply don’t know the whole circumstances behind that because it kind of is what it is. With Destination America, they started off really good and I think they just thought all pro wrestling (not just TNA) on their channel was going to do gangbusters and when they saw that it wasn’t they turned their back on pro wrestling. Us getting with POP they’ve done everything they said they were going to do and have been very gracious with us and it’s been smooth sailing. It’s been an absolutely positive experience for me personally but the thing with me is and I’m probably not the best person to ask. TNA has been a positive experience for me because I wasn’t there in what people say was the “dark” time like with Bischoff and Hogan and what other people say are “dark” times with Vince Russo. Everyone has their own dark period and I haven’t experienced that.”
On Kurt Angle’s recent TNA departure and the reaction backstage: “As far as I’m concerned it was one of gratitude because when you really truly care for someone like how that locker room cares for Kurt and Kurt cares for that locker room it’s always sad to him go. He’s got to do what is best for him and his family and his body. He’s done all he needs to do and he needs to go and be with his family and heel up. He’s the one guy I really wanted to wrestle and I did not get that chance and that really sucks. As it is going to play out he gave me a very special gift which people will see soon. I am sad to see him go but it is for the best.”
On whether Daniel Bryan’s forced retirement hit close to home with his injury: “It is absolutely just terrible and it just sucks! There is just no other word for it and I’m trying to be diplomatic here but it just sucks. At the same time I am happy because before he had to retire he got to the top and he got to main event a WrestleMania and on top of that as bad as injuries got, it could of gone a lot worse. With me having a medical degree I’ve seen how bad head injuries can get and so he got out and it sucks but at the same time he is alive and is going to be okay and it could have been a lot worse. It’s sad on one hand and happy on the other.”
On his own history with concussions: “I know I got knocked out and when I woke up I didn’t know where I was but that was back in my ever first month of training when a fat dude dropped a leg on my head. But I’ve never been knocked out in TNA. In Ring of Honor when I won the title from Eddie at Best in the World I got knocked out. Other than that just one time in Japan and those are the only three times that I’ve ever had it happen. I’ve never experienced a traumatic brain or post-concussion symptoms at all and believe me if I did that right there would have been my last match. I get my blood work done every three months and get my hormones tested because hormonal abnormality will show things like a traumatic brain injury or post concussive syndrome symptoms so I’m pretty diligent about getting everything tested for that and everything is always good and within the normal limits.”
