Davey Richards/Tony Kozina/Kyle O'Reilly bringing unprofessional-ism to new lows

The company I work for (3XW) helped a couple smaller local groups book Richards, Kozina, O'Reilly and one of their flunkies for a triple shot this weekend.

They worked for us Friday night. Everything went perfectly smooth. They were totally professional and already asking about coming back to work for us again.

Saturday night, I wasn't at the show. They set up camp outside the locker room, talking Poopie about everyone and everything involved with the show. Kozina went out for his match with Ryan, who is 16/17 years old, and told him he was changing the plan, and was going to teach him about respect. I haven't watched the video yet, but everyone I've talked to said he roughed the kid up, and legitimately choked him out in the finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPMp86PRrzU


Sunday afternoon, we show up at the venue and find the promoter, a friend of mine, peed off. The show starts in 20 minutes and none of them have arrived. Davey has been texting him all day and is now demanding to change the card and put the four of them in an 8 man tag. Jeremy has already changed up the card for them multiple times through the day, but will not take them all out of separate matches, because of promises made to other workers, to the fans, and the price that had been negotiated for 4 separate matches. Show starts, Jeremy goes out and breaks the news to the crowd that they won't be on the show, and life goes on.

They finally do show up at the building before the main event goes on and demand to speak to Jeremy. He takes the issue out of the locker room and goes outside to meet them. They threaten to kick Jeremy's ass (and he's all of 140 pounds soaking wet) if he doesn't give them their money. He finally works out a deal that KOR and DR will work for a slightly reduced fee in the main event. He pays them upfront as a gesture of good faith (trying not to urine them off further, or get his ass kicked). They change into their gear and work out the plan for the match. As they're doing that, their stooge trainee is quietly running their bags back out to their truck. "Where's the wrist tape?" "Oh, I left it in the truck. Be right back." They run out the back door, into a waiting car with Kozina behind the wheel, the promoter out $350 mostly from his own pocket.

Meanwhile nearly every reference to it on Facebook from someone involved gets a bunch of responses from the four of them tagged #TeamBandit and other Poopie, basically bragging about getting away with it.

Calls have been made to ROH and Sinclair, but apparently Richards has been done with ROH for a few weeks now and is not being brought back.


What a bunch of ****

source: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/ijkske

Sad if true, I have a lot of time for Richards and O'Rielly but this story leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Also Richards might be winding up in the bussiness but O'Rielly is just breaking through as a major player in ROH and storys like this won't help his cause.

Kyle O Reilly released a statement on the incident over the weekend.


Regarding the “incident” in Iowa, Sunday, July 29, 2012.



I feel obliged to clear the air regarding the accusations against Team Ambition this past weekend. The accusation I’m referring to is that Davey Richards, Tony Kozina, Darren Dean and myself deliberately showed up late to an Indy show in Iowa after demanding to have the card changed, physically threatened the promoter to pay us and left before wrestling. It boggles one’s mind how stories stray from one individual to the next, altering truths and facts into self-fulfilling myths. I admire the passion that is being displayed amongst people obviously outraged by these accusations, and I think it’s tremendous when people stand up for their beliefs on morality. I am simply going to recount the story as I saw it unfold to help shed some light on the matter and perhaps bring forth some clarity to those made ignorant by false claims.



I had my first professional wrestling match in October of 2005, so that would put me at coming up on seven years of having matches. By no means do I consider myself above anybody else or do I consider myself an experienced veteran of the wrestling business. I’m constantly learning and improving to better myself both physically and mentally towards the game. However, I do have a genuine respect for wrestling and those that paved the road before me. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve worked my ass off and sacrificed a lot of time, money, friends and well being of my physical health to get to where I am today. “Mouth shut, ears open” is a saying not practiced enough amongst many “workers” and through practicing this phrase I’ve learned how things operate on the road and what is and isn’t acceptable.

Anybody that has ever worked me, booked me or for that matter met me will tell you that I always wrestle with conviction and with passion regardless of how much money I’m making or how small the crowd is. The same can be said for any member of Team Ambition because we have pride and belief in what our team represents. On the road we find a gym, we train, we show up to the show (not always on time) and we deliver matches that people expect of our work ethic. This weekend was no different.



After a show in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday and a show in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Saturday the Earth’s rotation had brought us to Sunday. Now if you had asked anybody from these two shows about Team Ambition’s work ethic and attitude on these two shows I’m sure most responses would have been satisfactory. Providing the best matches on both nights and delivering an open training seminar on Saturday before the show, which included the attendance of said “promoter/worker” that we supposedly would threaten 24 hours later. No demeaning or insulting comments were made during these shows towards individuals like is what’s now being claimed. An altercation between Kozina and Ryan Kidd happened and it is nobody’s business but Tony and Ryan Kidd’s. They both know why this happened and Tony isn’t a bully, he’s a veteran that was providing a lesson to someone that had disrespected him. I won’t elaborate on the matter because it’s not my place but contact Tony for an account of the unbiased simple truth.

So it was Sunday morning and as per usual we found a gym. Body Masters Inc. Run by a gentleman named David who had also performed on the Magnum wrestling show the previous evening. Ask him about Team Ambition’s “devious ways”, or ask him about the unrequested donation we made to his awesome self-run business. The point I’m getting at is that we are men of routine and consistency and if we are shown respect and generosity we will show it back, plain and simple. Thanks again to Body Masters for the great training facility and I highly recommend it to anybody living in or traveling through Omaha, Nebraska.

Following my match the previous night and our training session that morning, my back had been giving me a lot of grief. After a full weekend of wrestling, and a full schedule of upcoming appearances, we decided amongst ourselves it would be best for everybody involved if we got our singles matches changed to an 8 man tag team match for the show. By no means was this an excuse to call it in and have a lazy match, this was simply a way of evening the work load and still putting his guys over clean in an outstanding 30 minute match. This request was met with hesitance from the promoter, claiming that his fans had expected specific singles matches from us and that he couldn’t come to an agreement with us on the matter. After several back and forth attempts of an agreement, he simply told us we were then cancelled off his show. “You can’t just cancel us like this” Tony replied, “I just did” was his response. Let me remind you we are in the middle of a cornfield laden highway in friggen Iowa and we’re being told that we no longer have a booking for today and to just go home.

Davey Richards and myself make a living from wrestling, being told to turn around and just drive home was insulting and disrespectful. At that moment, canceling us completely meant he owed us the full amount of pay whether we showed up or not. It’s understandable that he wanted specific matches and we were willing to work with him on the matter but cancelling us then and there shows a level of immaturity and ignorance. So after getting lost we finally arrive at the show an hour after bell time, which admittedly, isn’t unusual for us. This is where we supposedly threaten him. According to the promoter himself and one witness that was with him. Davey basically reiterated everything I just wrote about regarding our lives, how we wrestle for a living and how disrespecting Tony, a guy who trained us and paved the road is unacceptable. Davey just said it in his own words, which can come off as extremely intimidating and were obviously misconstrued as threats. We DO NOT threaten people unless it’s a matter that makes it completely justified like a Flip r***ist is stalking your girlfriend. People with legitimate backgrounds are usually the last to threaten or hurt others. I spend almost every day being humbled by legitimate fighters who tap me out constantly, which is basically me admitting to them that they could have killed me but I tapped out so “please release the choke”. And they’re all cool as Poopie, the people who fulfill their own self-righteous agenda are the ones who pretend to be something they’re not and are more often then not bluffing and hiding something.

So after dealing with all of this we continue to negotiate some way for us to wrestle and make at least some of the money that we were promised. I’m starting to feel bad for the guy as he clearly has no idea how to run a wrestling promotion, (bear in mind I have no idea either). He then has the audacity to say and I quote:

“Well nobody here really knows who you guys are anyway…”

Well which way is it?! Do you have fans expecting certain singles matches out of us that you promised or do they not know who the Flip any of us are and it doesn’t matter if we do a damn 8 man tag?! It’s all well and fine if the 25 people there don’t know who we are, but don’t tell us something and then completely change your words. That statement was the breaking point for Davey and Tony. So we agreed to work a tag, Davey and myself against 2 of his guys, who I wont mention because after all the Poopie talking they’ve done in the last 24 hours they don’t deserve any more publicity. We take a pay cut, yet still enough to cover our gas and all of our food for the day, put our gear on, got paid and walked out the back door.

Was what we did wrong and unethical? Perhaps. Was what we did completely justified and reasonable? Perhaps. The fact of the matter was we felt disrespected and so “give and you shall receive”. The point being that sometimes you have to be the bad guy and stand up for what you believe in. I’ll be completely honest in saying the entire thing made me feel really uncomfortable and I felt a sense of guilt. Am I going to apologize? Absolutely not, because you have to live and die by the sword. Regardless of regrets, one must stand by their decisions and at the end of the day a guy disrespected two of my close friends that I look up to and that’s simply, morally wrong.

The majority of you reading this is probably in complete disagreement with me on the matter and thinks what went down in Milo, Iowa yesterday was a crime. Most of you reading this probably have a strong dislike for me, being my wrestling style, my selling, my promos and character ability (or lack there of) or just you know me and personally dislike me for whatever reason. I’m okay with that. Hopefully this whole incident won’t affect anybody’s desire to book me or Team Ambition. However, if it does that’s okay because I’m a man of honour and regardless of what you say or think I’m going to continue being the best possible professional wrestler I can be. I’m standing by the decision that was made whether I regret it or not. It’s in the past and to those people who are hiding behind a computer screen “Wishing Team Ambition would get in a car wreck and sustain career ending injuries” just makes me sad for you. You live everyday through other people’s successes and mistakes and you feed off it to just have something to talk about amongst your pro-wrestling sewing circle. To anybody making an overly elaborate blown out of proportion attempt to create hateful energy towards myself you can stop wasting your time. Go and read a book, put on some “Beatles”, smoke a fat joint and try to incorporate a little love and positivity in your life. Focusing on negative aspects only dumbs everyone around you down, get over it and move on. XOXO

Ring of Honor star Davey Richards has issued the following statement in response to a recent incident at an Iowa indy event during which he and several other ROH stars left the show without competing as scheduled:

Concerning the Iowa ordeal:

I don't have any philosophic phrases like O'Reilly, nor empty threats which seems to be the darling way to be tough now-a-days behind the protective veil of the Internet (the quickest sure fire way to prove your an absolute coward). But what I do have is the truth and I'll indulge you.

Now O'Reilly already told the story so and he's a much more patient man than I so I'll just drop the main points: I was trained that you don't disrespect veterans. There's a pecking order in this business, and if you go against it you get your ass handed to you. I was trained that the boys stick up for each other and don't allow others to disrespect them, because it reflects on the business as a whole. So when a guy who took my seminar the day prior and all of a sudden, over text message (everyones got balls of steel behind texts/twitter/fb) disrespects the guy who helped bring me and Kyle up, and more importantly, my friend, I feel 100% justified taking action. So, not over text/twitter/fb but in person (I know, can you imagine some people actually confront people face to face?? Insanity!!) I tell this guy how disrespectful he was and if this was 10 yrs ago he would have gotten his ass beat. He agreed and apologized and insisted he shake Tony's hand. Before this he tried and admitted to lying saying he didn't know whom he was talking to on text so he didn't know he was disrespecting Kozina (a lie Tony quickly called out as, and we have the text messages to prove, Tony said in the beginning, "This is Kozina".)

Now understand I'm in the middle of Iowa, 7 hrs from home in the middle of corn fields (which is beautiful scenery btw) and this guy looked out and saw 25 people at his show, knew he was going to lose his ass and tried to cancel us off when we're 2 hrs away. Tony and Kyle were hurt, an unfortunate and common aspect of how we train and work. So we tried to get an 8 man. The promoter at first said the fans paid to see singles (to which Tony responded, and we have the texts, "ok well do the singles") which contradicted his later statement of "well noone here knows who you guys are".

As far as me physically threatening him, sorry ace, never happened, and if you truly think it did - press charges! I have nothing to hide, do you?

I came to you face to face like a man, told you how I felt. I don't do backstage rumors, gossip, social media tough guy stuff. I tell people how I feel in person and take full responsibly for it all.

Ok, and now to the blockbuster crime of the century: we took -- wait for it -- drum roll -- people are on then edge of their seats -- 350$!!!!!

Did I? I sure did, I took 350$ and left on Saturday. Tuesday afternoon I paypaled him -- wait for it ----- drum roll ---- 350$ back!! So he lost ----- 0 dollars! No one asked me to do this. I said to him, well here you read the text:

"Ok I'm going to pay pal you your money back. I never spent it, it was on principle. You'll have it today. I'm sorry things got to this level. Please text me to let me know you got it. Yea dude it's crazy. I don't hold any grudges man. I wish you and your crew the best."

I've said for years, I don't talk, I do. I let him feel what we felt -- to be disrespected an screwed. So the same thing doesn't happen to another wrestler (remember what I said about the boys sticking up for the boys?).

I have the PayPal receipt as well to prove it.

Ok so stealing and threatening have been covered, what else?

Oh I know! Ya know I could, I could slander your name as you have mine, wished harm on you as you have me (the getting in a car wreck bit was sure classy) or I could post your phone number on a social media site like you did mine. But I won't, I won't hang at the bottom of the barrel with you buddy.

And really 15 min after this ordeal this loser is on twitter begging for a match in ROH, like a certain someone in the ROH office said, "This is this losers big shot at getting some attention and he's going all out". Well friend I'm not mentioning you by name. Your going to have to get attention the same way I did in this wacky business- work your ass off and earn it.

I know it's the socially dictated right thing do to apologize and try to make amends. But c'mon that wouldn't be ol DR now would it?

So instead of trying release myself from responsibly by saying it was "anger taking hold or it was emotionally driven actions and comments" I'll simply say from the bottom of my heart that I don't apologize for anything, I'm proud that I stood up for my friend, what I was taught, and how I was raised, and most of all what I believe to be right. I meant every word and every action and take full responsiblity.

I don't talk, I act. I treat people how they treat me. I stand up for what I was taught and for my friends.

If I'm the bad guy for it, I welcome it with open arms. I'm more than willing to take shots for what I believe in.

I'll always be the first help people out (ask Adam Cole, Eddie Edwards, Kenny Omega, Kyle O'Reilly, and countless others) but I will also to call out what I don't believe to be right.

Maybe I just have rebel blood running through me, but I don't bow down, I don't keep my mouth shut, I don't run from what I disagree with. I speak up, I stand up and I fight for what I believe in. That's how I raised. If it's the end of ol DR then I couldn't be more proud.

It's like my grandma used to say to me, "It's better to hated for who you are than loved for who you're not".

In the end, to the guys in Iowa -- god bless ya, I wish you guys nothing but success. Hopefully y'all wake up but that's your cross to bear not mine

I think when he next comes to UK it is in all likeliness going to be Zebra Kid vs Davey pt 2. especially if he screws up like he did at the KOE cup a few years ago