Anyone who has followed Davey Richards’ pro wrestling career for any significant amount of time will remember that there have been several points when he has either announced he is leaving the business, or he is about to. For the past few years, he’s been working as a paramedic when not working as a wrestler, and the former Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla world champion has already publicly stated that 2017 will be his last year as a pro wrestler.
Meanwhile, the changeover in management and ownership over at Global Force Wrestling, née Impact Wrestling, née TNA, has resulted in a real shakeup of the roster. There are some new faces like ACH, Sammy Guevara, and Alberto El Patron, while others like Mike and Maria Kanellis, Shane Helms, and Al Snow have taken their leave from the company.
Now these two bits of info are dovetailing, as Richards announced on Monday that he has come to terms with GFW on his release. According to Richards, this is an amicable split, and both sides are walking away happy. Richards stated that he intends to continue on his path and his dream of becoming a doctor, and to focus on being a father.
https://twitter.com/RichardsWesley/status/889573195212349441
The full statement from Richards:
“Today I came to terms with GFW for my release. The story however is a happy one. I have nothing but good memories and great things to say about my time there.
“Truth is — I love wrestling. But my goal is to be a doctor. I have managed my time in doing both my school, my job as a paramedic, being a dad, and a wrestler as best I could for as long as I could. But the demands as I head into the last couple years of medical school have brought me to a point where I have to choose one or another.”
Richards had been with TNA/Impact/Global Force since 2014. During his wrestling career, he has been world champion in CZW, FIP, PWG, and ROH. He has been a five-time TNA Tag Team Champion, a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and has wrestled a five-star match as rated by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Not a bad 13 years in the business for a man who is still only 34 years old.
We here at With Spandex are very happy for Richards, and we hope that he finds personal fulfillment in his chosen career path.
