JAMES

Stevie Richards Shares His Story Of Idol Worship Gone Wrong

Stevie Richards Shares His Story Of Idol Worship Gone Wrong

Stevie Richards’ “Stevie Kick” was clearly inspired by Shawn Michaels’ “Sweet Chin Music,” and in a recent episode of his YouTube show, the ECW original spoke about his backstage experiences with the WWE Hall of Famer who inspired him to begin wrestling. However, rather than a positive story, Richards revealed that, while things started well, he received the cold shoulder after telling the former WWE Champion how much he looked up to him, seemingly shifting from a peer to a fan in Michaels’s eyes.

“Every interaction before that was literally like, this guy’s really encouraging me. He’s coming up to me, talking about working out, cardio, dieting, telling me how lean I look, how good I look. ‘That was a good match.’ ‘Try doing this.’ I said to him, ‘You’re the reason I got into the business. I always wanted to tell you that. Thank you.’ His expression almost instantly changed. He just kind of looked at me. And then walked away. Every interaction after that felt awkward. Condescending. I didn’t want to be around him anymore. And I think the mistake I made was I overcompensated, I tried to get him to like me, which probably made it worse.”Stevie Richards

54-year-old Richards, real name Michael Manna, debuted in wrestling in 1992, eight years after his idol. Subsequently, he gained prominence in ECW as part of Raven’s Flock and as the co-founder of the parody stable Blue World Order. Still, many fans best remember Richards for his time in WWE between 1999 and 2008, where he was memorably the leader and mouthpiece of the Right to Censor heel faction. Sadly, he was forced to retire due to a spinal condition, but he remains involved in the business via his podcast.

JAMES
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