.jpg) Richards in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Stephen Manna (1971-10-09)October 9, 1971 (age 54)[4][10] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Stevie Night Heat Big Stevie Cool[1] Dr. Stevie[2] Dr. Stevie Richards[3] Steve Richards[4] Steven Richards[5] Stevie Richards[6][7] Stevie Flamingo[4] Stevie the Body[4] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[8] |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (104 kg)[8] |
| Billed from | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[8] "New York City'sBellevue Hospital" (as Dr. Stevie) |
| Trained by | Jimmy Jannetty[9] |
| Debut | November 10, 1991 |
| Retired | 2021 |
Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by hisring nameStevie Richards, is an American retiredprofessional wrestler and media personality. Since June 2024, Richards has hostedThe Stevie Richards Show, presented by co-host James Romero on the WSI Network.[11][12][13]
Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for majorprofessional wrestling promotions includingEastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling,World Championship Wrestling,World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment,Total Nonstop Action Wrestling andRing of Honor.Championships held by Richards include theECW World Tag Team Championship, theWWE Hardcore Championship (21 times),[14] theNWA National Heavyweight Championship and theExtreme Rising World Championship.
Michael Manna trained as a professional wrestler under Jimmy Jannetty atMike Sharpe's wrestling school inBrick Township, New Jersey. He wrestled his first match on February 25, 1992, for theTri-State Wrestling Alliance as "Stevie Richards", facing Jannetty. He wrestled a handful of matches forEastern Championship Wrestling before spending two years working on theindependent circuit for seasoning.[9]
Richards returned to Eastern Championship Wrestling on June 26, 1994, as "Steve Richards" (later tweaked to "Stevie Richards") in a preliminary wrestling role. His first televised appearance was on the June 28, 1994, episode ofNWA Eastern Championship Wrestling, teaming withHack Meyers in a loss toDory Funk Jr. andTerry Funk. Shortly after his return, Richards was given avalet, Angel. In addition to his in-ring role, Richards answered calls to the ECWhotline under the pseudonym "Lloyd Van Buren".[15]
AtHeatwave '94: the Battle for the Future on July 16, 1994, Richards lost toTommy Dreamer. In late-1994, he developed an "identity crisis", performing under the ring names "Stevie Flamingo", "Stevie the Body", and "Stevie Polo"—all references to former ring names used byScott Levy inWorld Championship Wrestling and theWorld Wrestling Federation. After sustaining another loss to Dreamer, Richards became irate and claimed he would present "the real Johnny Polo". On the January 7, 1995, episode ofECW Hardcore TV, Levy—now known as "Raven"—made his ECW debut, with Richards as the first member ofRaven's Nest, Raven'sstable oflackeys. As a member of Raven's Nest, Richards began wearingjean shorts andhalf shirts forglam metal bands such asCinderella,Nelson,Poison andWinger. His behavior attracted the scorn of commentatorJoey Styles, who repeatedly described him as a "cluelessputz" and referred to his attending theBlue Oyster Bar, a (fictional)gay bar.[16]
Immediately upon debuting in ECW, Raven beganfeuding with Dreamer.[17] On April 8, 1995, atThree Way Dance, Raven revealed that he and Dreamer had attendedsummer camp together as teenagers, where Raven slept withBeulah McGillicutty, an overweight girl with acne who had been spurned by Dreamer. Richards then revealed that he had tracked down McGillicutty, who was now aPenthouse model, who also harbored a grudge against Dreamer.[18] Later that night, Raven wrestled Dreamer for the first time, defeating him following interference from both Richards and McGillicutty. The feud between Raven and Dreamer would continue for another two years, with Dreamer constantly unable topin Raven.[19][20]
In May 1995 atEnter the Sandman, Dreamer introducedLuna Vachon to ECW to counter the continual interference from Richards and Raven's Nest. On June 30, 1995, atMountain Top Madness, Raven and Richards defeatedThe Public Enemy to win theECW World Tag Team Championship.[21] AtHardcore Heaven on July 1, 1995, Raven and Richards defeated Dreamer and Vachon in atag team match. Two weeks later atHeatwave '95: Rage in the Cage!, Vachon defeated Richards in acage match.[22]
In the summer of 1995, an unnamed woman began appearing in the audience during Richards' matches. On August 26, 1995, Richards introduced her to Joey Styles as his girlfriend,Francine.[23] Francine began accompanying to Richards to ringside, but tensions quickly arose between her and McGillicutty. On August 26, 1995, McGillicutty defeated Francine after Richards turned on her by super kicking her at the behest of Raven.[24] Francine subsequently aligned herself withThe Pitbulls, helping them defeat Raven and Richards for the ECW World Tag Team Championship atGangstas Paradise on September 16, 1995. Raven and Richards regained the titles from The Pitbulls on October 7, 1995 atSouth Philly Jam, only to lose them to The Public Enemy later that evening.[25]
AtNovember to Remember on November 18, 1995, Richards introduced a lackey of his own,The Blue Meanie. Over the following year, Richards and The Blue Meanie would perform numerous parodies of other wrestlers, including "Baron von Stevie" and "Colonel DeMeanie"; "Lord Stevie" and "Sir Meanie"; "Stevie Alexander Bagwell" and "Meanie Riggs"; and "Flyboy Stevie Rock" and "Meanie Grunge". In late 1995, Richards received another lackey,Super Nova.[2][20][26]
During the opening ofHoliday Hell on December 29, 1995, Richards received a kiss fromMissy Hyatt, who was seated at ringside, after claiming he could get her "a date with Raven" in return. Later that evening, Richards and The Blue Meanie weresquashed by Dreamer in consecutive matches. Dreamer went on to face Raven, who defeated him yet again after repeated interference from Richard and The Blue Meanie.[27] AtHouse Party on January 5, 1996, Richards attempted to kiss McGillicutty, who refused, eventually announcing that she was pregnant. After Raven angrily confronted McGillicutty, she informed him that he was not the father, causing Raven to attack Richards. McGillicutty then revealed that Tommy Dreamer was the father, with Dreamer storming the ring and beating down Raven, Richards and The Blue Meanie.[28] On February 3, 1996, atBig Apple Blizzard Blast, Richards announced that he wassuing Missy Hyatt—who had aligned herself withThe Sandman—forsexual harassment (a reference to Hyatt's lawsuit against her former employer, World Championship Wrestling).[29] On June 1, 1996, atFight the Power heserved Hyatt by stuffing asummons into her cleavage.[30][31] The angle concluded atNatural Born Killaz on August 24, 1996, when Richards offered to drop the lawsuit if Hyatt would insult The Sandman. After Hyatt complied, The Sandmancaned her, breaking their alliance.
In August 1996, Richards, The Blue Meanie, Super Nova andDon E. Allen parodied the rock bandKiss atThe Doctor Is In as "Stevie Stanley", "Meanie Simmons", "Nova Frehley", and "Don E. Criss" respectively. At the same event, Richards substituted for Raven in hisECW World Heavyweight Championship title defense against The Sandman, with Raven entering the ring at the end of the match and pinning The Sandman.[20][24] Later that month, Richards took part inECW's first tour of Japan, defeating Keizo Matsuda in a bout inKorakuen Hall as well as helping Raven defend his title against Tommy Dreamer.
The relationship between Raven and Richards began to deteriorate in late 1996. AtUltimate Jeopardy on October 5, 1996, Raven was scheduled to team withBrian Lee against Dreamer and The Sandman in a match with Raven's ECW World Heavyweight Championship on the line. After Raven was announced as being unable to compete, Richards substituted for him, with Raven losing his title after The Sandman pinned Richards. Upon his return, Raven blamed Richards for the loss.[32]
At "High Incident" on October 26, 1996, Richards was involved in one of ECW's most controversialangles, with Raven's Nest "crucifying" The Sandman by tying him to across and placing a crown made ofbarbed wire on his head. The angle, which was widely criticised as being in poor taste, led toOlympic gold medalistKurt Angle severing his links with ECW and delayed the promotion's debut onpay-per-view.[32][33][34][35]
AtNovember to Remember on November 16, 1996, Richards debuted theBlue World Order (bWo), a comedy stable parodying theNew World Order (nWo) inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW). Richards began performing as "Big Stevie Cool", a reference to nWo memberKevin Nash, formerly "Big Daddy Cool". Later that night, Richards inadvertentlysuperkicked Raven during his ECW World Heavyweight Championship bout against The Sandman. The tensions between Raven and Richards continued to build until, on December 28, 1996, Richards turned on Raven by superkicking him during a match with The Sandman.[36] AtHouse Party in January 1997, Richards once again superkicked Raven.[37]
At "Crossing the Line Again" on February 1, 1997, Raven scored an upset victory over"Dr. Death" Steve Williams after interference from Richards backfired. AtCyberSlam on February 22, 1997, Richards and the bWo came to the ring to berate Raven and Brian Lee, who had given aconcussion toTerry Funk. After Leechokeslammed Richards, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman entered the ring, eventually fighting off Raven and Lee. Dreamer then helped Richards to his feet and the two shook hands, marking an end to their lengthy rivalry.[38]
As part of an agreement between ECW and theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF), Richards and several other ECW wrestlers appeared on February 24, 1997, episode ofRaw is War, with Richards defeatingLittle Guido.
AtHostile City Showdown on March 15, 1997, Richards faced Raven and Dreamer in athree-way dance for Raven's ECW World Heavyweight Championship.[39] The match was won by Raven. At ECW's firstpay-per-view,Barely Legal on April 13, 1997, Richards facedTerry Funk and The Sandman in atriple threat match, with the winner facing Raven for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. The match was won by Funk, who went on to defeat Raven.[40]
On May 1, 1997, episode ofECW Hardcore TV, a controversial angle took place in which a morose Raven confronted Richards, telling him he had one final "mission" for him. Raven then attacked Richards before begging him to "end my pain". AtThe Buffalo Invasion on May 11, 1997, Raven and Richards reformed their tag team to face Dreamer and Funk, with Richards pinning Funk despite bickering with Raven throughout the match. In the main event, Raven, Richards, Funk, and The Sandman faced one another in a four-way elimination match for Funk's ECW World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Raven DDT'ed both Funk and The Sandman and then demanded that Richards pin them and then lay down for him. Richards refused, instead super kicking Raven and enabling Funk and The Sandman to pin him.[41] During the match, Richards suffered a neck injury when Funk slammed the metal guardrail onto his back and neck. Shortly thereafter, he announced his retirement from professional wrestling, making his final appearance with ECW on the May 29, 1997, episode ofECW Hardcore TV.
Richards broke his retirement upon signing a contract withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in mid-1997. He made his WCW debut on the July 13, 1997, episode ofWCW Monday Nitro, confronting Raven, who had also just signed with WCW.[42] AtClash of the Champions XXXV on August 21, 1997, Raven defeated Richards in ano disqualification match.[43] In September 1997, Richards rejoined Raven, sitting with him in the audience during WCW events.[44] He left WCW in November 1997.
After leaving WCW, Richards wrestled a handful of matches for ECW in December 1997, defeatingChris Chetti atBetter Than Ever, before returning to the independent circuit, where he primarily competed in thenortheastern United States.
In August 1998, Richards defeatedDoug Gilbert to win theNWA National Heavyweight Championship. Gilbert regained the title in October 1998 at theNWA Anniversary Show. In November 1998, Richards joinedMaryland Championship Wrestling, winning the MCW Tag Team Championship with Earl the Pearl in his debut match. The duo held the titles until February 1999. In April 1999, Richards won an eight-man tournament for the vacant NWA 2000 Heavyweight Championship. At the independent supercardBreak the Barrier on May 15, 1999, Richards won the APWF Heavyweight Championship, which he held until August 1999.
Richards planned on retiring from professional wrestling to studyinformation technology at theCommunity College of Philadelphia. His plans changed when he was offered a contract with theWorld Wrestling Federation in mid-1999.[2]
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In 1999, Richards joined the WWF full-time. He debuted on August 15, 1999, episode ofSunday Night Heat, helping his old bWo partner,The Blue Meanie, win a match againstAl Snow. The two formed a short-lived tag team, before Richards adopted an impersonator gimmick.
AfterSable left the WWF, Richards and The Blue Meanie filmed a series of vignettes lampooning her titled "The Blonde Bytch Project" (a parody ofThe Blair Witch Project). One vignette aired on the August 23 edition ofRaw. The rest ultimately did not as WWF chairmanVince McMahon did not feel they would be understood.[45]
Mocking other wrestler's gimmicks, he appeared as anAcolyte, aDudley Boy and a vampire ofThe Brood, until briefly settling onMick Foley's Dude Love persona. After that, he impersonatedTest,Chyna, andChris Jericho, before being sidelined by an ankle injury. He returned to wrestle matches onJakked andMetal, where he lost more often than not. He challenged bothDean Malenko[46] andScotty 2 Hotty[47] for theWWF Light Heavyweight Championship in this period, unsuccessfully.
Richards returned on the June 26, 2000, episode ofRaw, with a new look and gimmick, shorthaired and in a shirt and tie, reminiscent ofMichael Douglas's character from the movieFalling Down. Over the next few weeks, he cut promos condemning the risqué content of WWF programming and preaching conservative values (the gimmick was a mocking reference to theParents Television Council (PTC), which was publicly criticizing WWF content at the time). He became a full-fledgedheel, formalized his name to "Steven Richards" and formed astable known as theRight to Censor. He spoke for, managed, and tag-teamed with his recruits:The Godfather (renamed the Goodfather),Bull Buchanan,Ivory, andVal Venis. WhenChyna was featured inPlayboy magazine, the Right to Censor objected and feuded with her and her (onscreen) boyfriend,Eddie Guerrero.
After Right to Censor broke up, Richards disappeared from television for a short time. He returned toSmackDown! to cut a promo condemningThe Undertaker for attacking Right to Censor and causing it to disband. When The Undertaker confronted Richards,KroniK attacked him. Richards announced his alliance with the WCW tag team, thus becoming a de facto member ofThe Alliance. He managed KroniK in a match against The Undertaker andKane, after which KroniK was released from the WWF.
Richards then appeared mainly on the "B shows",Jakked andMetal, until Team Alliance lost atSurvivor Series in 2001. Richards was then fired (in storylines) along with the rest of the Alliance roster byVince McMahon.Ric Flair was able to save his job and get him drafted to theRaw brand.
There, he became a twenty-two-time Hardcore Champion, trading it several times withBubba Ray Dudley,Booker T,Crash Holly,Shawn Stasiak,Justin Credible,Bradshaw,Terri, andTommy Dreamer.[48]
Richards formed an alliance withVictoria in late 2002, as a mentally unbalanced couple helping each other win their matches. He often helped her retain theWWE Women's Championship. This led to a feud with Bubba Ray Dudley and Trish Stratus, who would win their titles in a tag team match on RAW. As Victoria turnedface, the duo quietly separated.
Around this time, he proclaimed himself "General Manager ofHeat", a title that carried no actual authority. In August 2004, Richards began appearing in drag as "The Mystery Woman" during Victoria's matches, helping her win.[1] The Mystery Woman's painfully obvious identity was "revealed" atUnforgiven, after "she" saved Victoria fromTyson Tomko andTrish Stratus. Richards then quickly lost an impromptu match to Tomko.[1] He went on a losing streak onHeat from April 19, 2004, until December 3, 2006 (when he defeatedRene Dupree).[49][self-published source?]
Richards was legitimately injured during theRaw debut match ofChris Masters in February 2005, when a botchedPolish hammer broke his nose and orbital bone. After healing, Richards faced Masters in a rematch but lost again.
Richards appeared at the ECW reunion event,ECW One Night Stand in 2005, reuniting with his bWo comrades and proclaiming "We have only three words for you. We're taking over!" He then dropped The Sandman with a Stevie Kick.
Richards was traded toSmackDown! on June 30, 2005, and reformed the bWo withNova and The Blue Meanie. AtThe Great American Bash, the bWo lost toThe Mexicools (Juventud Guerrera,Psicosis, andSuper Crazy) in a six-man tag team match.
Richards then had a short stint onWWE Velocity, dropping the bWo gimmick as he lost toHardcore Holly andBooker T. After September 6, he disappeared from TV for over six months. He returned for an 18-Man inter-promotionalBattle Royal atWrestleMania 22.
Shortly after the introduction of theECWbrand in 2006, Richards left the SmackDown! brand to join it on the "WWE vs ECW Head to Head" show on June 7, 2006. He wrestled on ECW's weekly show under his oldring name of Stevie Richards. He soon returned to hisheel persona, turning on the otherECW Originals and siding with the newer stars. His first win on ECW's weekly show was on September 5, 2006, overBalls Mahoney, after interference fromKevin Thorn, who was feuding with Mahoney at the time.[50]
Richards wrestled before the ECW brand's first pay-per-view,December to Dismember, defeatingRene Dupree in a dark match.[51] Other than this match, he did not appear on ECW between September 2006 (when he joined up with the first version of ECW'sNew Breed—Test, Mike Knox, and Hardcore Holly) and February 2007 (when he lost toCM Punk for a second time).
Richards was a lumberjack in the pre-WrestleMania 23 Lumberjack Tag Team match. He then went on to lose to CM Punk three more times. In mid-2007, Richards turnedface again, and teamed withTommy Dreamer against The New Breed onhouse shows, replacing The Sandman (who was drafted to Raw) in the ECW Originals.
On July 24, Richards defeated Kevin Thorn by reversing acrucifix powerbomb into abackslide pin.[52] This was his first victory on WWE television since December 2006. In a rematch the next week, he was dominated, yet again defeated Thorn, via roll-up. On August 7, he was ambushed by Thorn while giving an interview backstage. He again defeated Thorn on August 14 by a reverse decisiondisqualification, when Thorn continued to assault him after initially winning the match. Richards ambushed Thorn during an interview the next week. He teamed with Tommy Dreamer and lost to Thorn andElijah Burke. A week later, he teamed with CM Punk and defeated them.
Richards was eliminated from theElimination Chase for theECW Championship on the September 18 episode ofECW. He then disappeared from WWE programming to have throat surgery.[53]
Richards made his return on the February 12, 2008, episode ofECW, defeating Rory Fox with his signatureStevie-T.[54] He beatJames Curtis next, thenMike Knox (Richards' final victory on WWE TV).
In the following months, Richards wrestled in the pre-WrestleMania 24-Man Battle Royal, lost toShelton Benjamin,The Great Khali and Mike Knox in singles matches, teamed withKelly Kelly to lose to Mike Knox andLayla and was one of fourteen ECW wrestlers who facedTriple H andMr. Kennedy in a 14 on 2 Handicap Match onRaw. He commentated on the Extreme Rules match between Mike Knox and Tommy Dreamer on the 100th episode ofECW.
Richards remained on the ECW brand after the June 2008 Draft, but wrestled his final three WWE matches onSmackDown. He lost toVladimir Kozlov on July 11, 2008, and toThe Brian Kendrick on July 25. He was released from his WWE contract shortly thereafter.[55]
Before returning to the independent circuit, Richards' lung collapsed while undergoing abiopsy to determine the cause of a lung infection, causing him to wear achest tube for several days and miss a scheduled appearance forMaryland Championship Wrestling (MCW).
Richards then occasionally wrestled for MCW and other promotions. He won the Force One Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship on February 28, 2009, in Barnegat, New Jersey, defeatingDanny Doring,[56] as well as the TRP and Showcase heavyweight championships.
On May 28, 2011, Richards debuted as an announcer forLucha Libre USA.[57] At the next taping on June 18, he turned heel by helpingR. J. Brewer win theLucha Libre USA Championship, joining his anti-Mexican stable, The Right, in the process.[58] He made his promotional wrestling debut at the next taping on July 30, defeatingRocky Romero after interference from stablematePetey Williams.[59]
In 2012, Richards wrestled regularly for theExtreme Rising promotion, as well as for theNWA and Florida-based promotions CCW and ICW. On June 16, Richards retained his Showcase Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Title againstMarty Jannetty.[60] On October 6, 2012, Richards defeated Aramis to win the American Championship Pro Wrestling (ACPW) Heavyweight title in Vineland, New Jersey.
Stevie spent the majority of 2013 and 2014 either defending the Extreme Rising World Championship on the indie circuit or challenging for titles in other promotions, such as the WildKat Revolution Title,[61] the SCW Southern Heavyweight Championship,[62] the DWE Heavyweight Championship,[63] the Freedom Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, the CCW Southeastern Heavyweight Championship,[64] the W.O.W Heavyweight Championship[65] and theMPW Heavyweight Championship.[66]
Other notable Independent appearances included a one-off return to the Steven Richards Right to Censor gimmick where he defeated Jack Hurley at theSCW Fallout in Florida,[66] reuniting the b.W.o once again for a Pro Wrestling Syndicate iPPV in New Jersey,[67] teaming again withVictoria for Tommy Dreamer'sHouse of Hardcore promotion at"HOH 3"[68] and main-eventing as the titular star of Canada Wrestling Elite's"Stevie Night Heat" event.[69] Richards challengedDrew Galloway unsuccessfully forEVOLVE Championship in Nebraska on September 9, 2014.[70] On November 16, 2014, at House of Hardcore VII, Richards defeatedDanny Doring.
On September 4, 2015, Richards, Da Blue Guy, and Hollywood Nova reunited as the Blue World Order forChikara's2015 King of Trios tournament. They were eliminated from the tournament in their first-round match by the Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive, Flex Rumblecrunch and Max Smashmaster).[71]
On May 28, 2016, in Louisiana, Richards defeated Curt Matthews to capture the WildKat Revolution Championship. Richards retained the title over Matthews in a rematch on July 23, 2016. He retained again over Bob Holly on September 10, 2016. Following his defense, Richards was offered the opportunity fromTeddy Long to vacate the Revolution Championship and receive a WildKat Heavyweight Championship match in return. Richards accepted the offer.[72] On November 12, 2016, at the Revolution Rumble event, Richards defeated Heavyweight Champion Bu Ku Dao by pin to capture the championship. Richards made his first successful defense the following week in New Orleans, defeatingVordell Walker.[73]
On July 30, 2016, Richards entered a Metro Pro Wrestling tournament to a new MPW Heavyweight Champion. He was eliminated by Mike Sydal when Sydal used Richards' tights for leverage.[74]
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On August 7, 2016, in Nashville, Richards defeated Aramis to win the Freedom Pro Wrestling National Championship.[75] Richards would return to successfully the defend the championship in 2017 against Nick Nero andJohnny Swinger.[76]
Richards remained in title contention on the independent wrestling scene when on November 5, 2016, in Miami, he challenged for the No.1 contendership to the ICW Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat with Shawn Prime and Gangrel, where Gangrel was victorious.[77]
Richards began what he dubbed "The Summer of Stevie" following a heel turn inWildKat Sports Wrestling, which would see him retain the WildKat Heavyweight Championship against Ryan Davidson, Matt Lancie, J. Spade,Mr. Anderson and Luke Hawx.[78] His match against Hawx took place at WildKat's Philadelphia debut at the ECW Arena, where Richards competed inApollo Creed-esque ring gear.[79]
In early 2012, Stevie Richards was announced to take part in theExtreme Reunion event that would take place on April 28 at the Pennsylvania National Armory in Philadelphia, he teamed with The Blue Meanie once more as the b.W.o against old foes The F.B.I (Guido and Mamaluke).[80] The b.W.o were eventually defeated following outside interference that led to the Blue Meanie being pinned, Richards appearing frustrated would Stevie-Kick Thomas "Inchworm" Rodman, with the announcers who had previously been positively remarking on his conditioning and ring-shape that "Stevie was here to win, not for nostalgia".
Richards would then return for the company in June (nowExtreme Rising) and begin a feud withLuke Hawx, who had been verbally attacking the ECW alumni. Hawx defeated Richards using heel tactics in New York but Richards would defeat him the following night in Philadelphia with a Stevie-Kick, earning his first win for the promotion. Richards was then entered into an eight-man tournament to crown the firstExtreme Rising World Champion. On November 17 at the"Remember November" iPPV, Richards would defeatPapadon by submission to advance into the semi-finals. Later in the show, Richards would confront Raven who had been running down the promotion, which led to a "Loser Leaves Town" match which ended as No Contest due to interference from Raven's new Flock, who Richards would decimate through a series of Steve-Kicks and Stevie-Bombs.
On December 29, 2012, Richards would win the tournament and the World Championship by first defeating Luke Hawx in the semi-finals and thenRhino in the final round to become the first Extreme Rising World Champion.[81] He would win all matches by submission with the "I'll Tap You", following this final round win, the Extreme Rising locker room surrounded the ring to congratulate him on his first World Championship.
Following Stevie's championship win over Rhino,[82] he soon took the title overseas where he defended against Tarkan Aslan for the DWA promotion in Germany[83] before returning to America and defending the belt for other independent promotions such as Coastal Championship Wrestling,[84] I Believe In Wrestling,[85] andSouthern Championship Wrestling Florida.[86] Title defenses then became less regular, though Stevie was due to defend the title three times at Extreme Rising'sWrestlemania weekend shows, notably against mentor/nemesisRaven,[87] the events were cancelled[88] which was followed by a brief dispute with Stevie and Extreme Rising.[89][90][91] However, title defenses eventually resumed as Stevie defeated Kenny Kendrick at a SCW show in August 2013[92] prior to him making his first defense in an Extreme Rising ring at the December 28, 2013, iPPV"Unfinished Business" where he defeated formerNWA World,ECW World andWWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionSteve Corino by submission.[93] Later that night he ran-out after the co-main-event andStevie-Kicked top contendersMatt Hardy, Luke Hawx and Homicide as well as Hardy's wifeReby Sky[94] which he would later justify in a video promo.[95]
Extreme Rising and Stevie's World Title reign hit another roadblock when Extreme Rising were forced to reschedule their February/March shows for safety reasons[96][97] where Richards was due to battle Sabu. Following this, Richards would lose a non-title match at anECWA show in Delaware to Luke Hawx following outside interference from Papadon where Hawx would 'steal' the World Championship belt.[98] Following this confusion, Stevie would continue to defend the championship without the belt while Hawx would continue to proclaim himself champion while 'defending' the belt also. During this period, Stevie would retain over Chachi in New York for Warriors of Wrestling,[99][100][101] Ricky Martinez in Pennsylvania for Central PA Wrestling,[102]Ring of Honor andCZW star Azrieal for PWA in Connecticut[103] and Joey Ace in New York again for Warriors of Wrestling.[104]
On the February 12, 2009, episode ofTNA Impact!, Manna made hisTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut asAbyss's therapist, Dr. Stevie.[105] For two months, Dr. Stevie's face did not appear ontelevision, as the camera was positioned behind him during his sessions with Abyss and, later,Daffney.[4] His identity was revealed when he interfered in Abyss's match withMatt Morgan atLockdown, preventing Abyss from using a chair, which caused him to lose.[4] Stevie'sheel role was solidified the next month, when his sessions with Abyss became increasingly abusive.[4] AtSacrifice, Abyss turned on Stevie andchokeslammed him onto a pile of thumbtacks, after he threatenedLauren, Abyss' girlfriend.[4] On the May 28 episode ofImpact!, Raven returned to TNA, attacked Abyss and aligned himself with Stevie and Daffney.[4] Stevie lost to Abyss at the 2009Victory Road pay-per-view.[4]
Stevie scored his first TNA victory on July 19, defeatingCody Deaner with his new finishing move, General Anesthesia, in a match forTNA Xplosion, also streamed on TNA's website.[106] On the July 30Impact!, he announced he was not done with Abyss and placed a $50,000 bounty on his head.[4] On September 1, he defeatedJay Lethal via submission in another webmatch.[107]
AfterLethal Consequences (Jay Lethal andConsequences Creed) andJethro Holliday failed to collect the bounty on Abyss,[4]Kevin Nash claimed it atNo Surrender after pinning him in aLegends Championship match, even though it was supposed to be paid for ending his career.[4] Stevie tried to explain this to Nash, only to receive a Jackknife Powerbomb.[108] On the nextImpact!, Stevie took the money back after using ataser on Nash. The feud ended a week later when Nash defeated Stevie in a non-title match.[4]
On the October 8Impact!,Mick Foley announced that Stevie would be thespecial guest referee in theMonster's Ball match between Foley and Abyss atBound for Glory.[4] The match ended after Abyss pushed the interfering Daffney off the top rope through a barbed-wire board (giving her a legit concussion), Black Hole Slammed the enraged Dr. Stevie onto a pile of thumbtacks and slammed Foley onto the barbed wire board. He covered Foley, pulled an unconscious Dr. Stevie over, and used his hand to count the pinfall.[109]
Two weeks later, Stevie assaulted Abyss after losing a match to him; Foley turned on him and saved Abyss.[110] The next week, Foley explained he had manipulated Dr. Stevie all along and had challenged Abyss to test how tough he really was. He then booked Stevie in a match with Abyss for the following week; if Abyss pinned Stevie, he would have to leave TNA.[111] On the November 12Impact!, Stevie defeated Abyss to save his job, after the lights suddenly went out and came back on with Abyss mysteriously laid out.[112] After the match, Foley (who was commentating during the match) entered the ring and attacked Stevie when the lights went out again. In the darkness, a fireball was thrown in Foley's face. When the lights came back, Raven was revealed as the one who had interfered.[112] Stevie, Raven and Daffney then reformed their alliance and feuded with Abyss and Foley.[4] During the feud, Stevie set Abyss on fire.Spike (TNA's broadcaster) did not allow the footage to air, so it was streamed on the company's website.[4] on the December 3 edition of Impact, Stevie and Raven facedKurt Angle in a losing effort after interference from Abyss. on the December 17 edition of Impact, Stevie teamed withScott Steiner,Brutus Magnus,Doug Williams and Raven for a ten-man tag team match against Styles, Angle, Lashley,Tomko and Abyss but lost the match. AtFinal Resolution, Abyss and Foley defeated Stevie and Raven in a "Foley's Funhouse" tag team match to end the feud.[113] on the January 4, 2010, edition of Impact, Stevie and Raven faced Hernandez and Matt Morgan in a losing effort.
After months of being off television, he (now billed as Stevie Richards) returned on the June 24Impact!, in the audience beside Raven and Tommy Dreamer.[114] The next week, the three were joined byRhino.[115] On the July 15Impact!, Richards, Raven, Dreamer, Rhino,Brother Devon,Pat Kenney andAl Snow, led by Mick Foley, aligned themselves withTNA World Heavyweight ChampionRob Van Dam, by attacking Abyss and the rest of the TNA locker room, thus turning face.[116][117][118]
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The next week, TNA presidentDixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay-per-view event,Hardcore Justice, a celebration of hardcore wrestling and a final farewell to ECW.[119] At the event, Richards defeatedP.J. Polaco.[120]
On the nextImpact!, the ECW alumni (known collectively asExtreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0)) were assaulted byA.J. Styles,Kazarian,Robert Roode,James Storm,Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan ofRic Flair'sFourtune stable, who claimed EV 2.0 did not deserve to be in TNA.[121][122] During the assault, Abyss came out, fought Rob Van Dam backstage and caused him storyline injuries which forced him to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, and caused EV 2.0 to seek vengeance.[123] On the August 26Impact!, Richards volunteered to take out Abyss, but ended up beaten when he attacked him backstage.[124] The following week onImpact!, Richards defeated Abyss in a singles match. After the match, Abyss was about to attack Richards with a nail-studded board, but he was saved by EV 2.0's newest member,Brian Kendrick.[125]
In late August, Richards began writing a weekly health and fitness column for TNA's website.[126] on the September 2 edition of Impact, Richards defeated "The Monster" Abyss. on the September 24 edition of TNA Xplosion, Richards facedDesmond Wolfe in a losing effort. on the October 7 edition of Impact, Richards participated in a $100,000 Invitational Gauntlet-style Battle Royal which was won by Kurt Angle. on the October 7 edition of TNA Xplosion, EV 2.0 (Richards and Raven) defeatedFortune (Matt Morgan andDouglas Williams).
AtBound for Glory, Richards, Dreamer, Raven, Rhino and Sabu defeated Fourtune members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in aLethal Lockdown match.[127] AtTurning Point, EV 2.0 faced Fortune in a ten-man tag team match, where each member of EV 2.0 put their TNA careers on the line. EV 2.0 lost the match and Sabu was released from TNA. Richards then challengedTNA Television Champion A.J. Styles to a match on the nextImpact!.[128] He failed to bring the Television Championship to EV 2.0, and was taken from the ring in a neck brace, suffering a storyline injury.[129] Despite this, TNA streamed a match on Xplosion, in which Richards defeatedOkada.[130]
On January 11, 2011, Manna announced he had quit TNA.[131] On an October 2014 interview, Manna explained that he quit TNA because TNA was not paying him a living wage at the time.[132] TNA added Manna to their Alumni section on April 17, 2014.[133]
On August 29, Stevie Richards debuted forRing of Honor during an in-ring interview with Kevin Kelly which got interrupted byJay Lethal that led to a brawl between the two before getting broken up. On September 26, Richards fought (and lost) to UndisputedROH World Champion Lethal in a Proving Grounds match. Though Richards lost the match, he indicated that he is not going to quit wrestling and will be back with ROH if the management atSinclair Broadcast Group (ROH's parent company) will have him back.[134] Richards returned to ROH on December 19 in a losing effort toROH World Television ChampionRoderick Strong. Richards returned to ROH in January 2016, losing toAdam Cole.[135]
Richards returned in June 2016, for a series of matches, taking part in the "Road toBest in the World" tour.[136] Richards returned again in September, in a losing effort toSilas Young.[137]
In 2007, Richards started his own technology podcast,The T4 Show (standing for "Tech Today Tech Tomorrow").[138] Josh "Colm" Coleman joined the show as Manna's co-host in 2009.[2]
In 2008, Richards joined theStratford, Connecticut campus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting as an instructor.[139]
The Stevie Richards Show | |
|---|---|
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2024–present |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 83.4 thousand |
| Views | 10.8 million |
| Last updated: January 31, 2025 | |
In June 2024, Richards launched the weekly showThe Stevie Richards Show on the WSI Network.[11][12][13] The show sees Richards respond to wresting-related question from his fans, and his producer and co-host, James Romero, as well as Richardsshooting on his time and experiences throughout his time the professional wrestling business.[11][12]
Manna is ofItalian origin.[140]
In 2011, he pitched aperfect game in theMLB 2K11 video game. A promotional contest offered a million dollars to the first person to accomplish this, but because Manna did so before the contest officially started, he did not win the money.[141][142]
In early 2023, Manna suffered constant and high-level back pain following a morning workout. After treatment at theMayo Centre in Jacksonville, Florida, it was discovered that he had an infection which had recently reached his spine and quickly progressed toosteomyelitis on his L4 and L5vertebrae. Doctors told Manna that if this went undiagnosed it could have been fatal. Manna began to document his recovery on his social media channels.[143] Manna believes the initial infection was a result of a dog bite he suffered at a neighbor's house a few months prior.[144][145]
in October, Stevie endured the first of five surgeries that would continue through the remainder of 2007
