Richard Michaels on Wrestling at the Chris Candido Memorial Cup

Fred: Fred Richani here for National Wrestling Superstars with Richard Michaels, and he’s kind of had a bad night with the Sicilian mob. It was obviously a great honor for you to be on the card of the Chris Candido Memorial Cup, but things didn’t go your way.

Richard Michaels: It was an honor wrestling for Chris Candido. It’s a memorial show. What happened in that ring in the battle royal, things really didn’t go my way, but maybe next time. I love the NWS family. They gave me the opportunity to come into their company, and that means a lot to me, because I really appreciate a lot of the guys in the back.

Fred: What’s it like being on a card with great veterans, guys like Candido and Dreamer?

Richard Michaels: That gives me chills right now, if you can see that. I’ve wrestled shows with Tommy Dreamer and Kurt Angle, and it’s such an honor. I watched these guys on TV. I’m only 23 years old, man, and I’ve been doing this since 2006. I started all the way at the bottom, a young kid playing with his little wrestling figures with his brother, doing whatever I could, and I’m really, really happy I’m in this business. I’ve been in so many factions. Everybody out there who knows me knows I went from being Canadian to being Italian to being Puerto Rican. Everybody asks me, “What’s up with these gimmicks, Rich?” I tell them straight out: The fans want Richard Michaels back, and that’s what they’re going to get. Hopefully I’m coming back into that ring to do what I’ve got to do.

Fred: What’s one thing you learned from watching Chris Candido? I don’t know if you ever met him.

Richard Michaels: Believe it or not, I’ve still got an autograph from Chris Candido in my room. I was about 12 years old, and he did an ICW show at the Elks Lodge in Queens, back in the day when ICW was still around, with guys like the Maximo Brothers. If you don’t mind, I want to personally thank my trainers. I’ve never done this before. Chris Dickinson, Joel Maximo and the rest of you guys really got me where I am right now, and I want to thank each and every one of you.

Fred: You mentioned the Maximos. Amazing Red, who also cut his teeth in the Northeast like the Maximos, recently left TNA, and I think that’s a big loss. What makes the Northeast wrestling scene as great as it is?

Richard Michaels: I’ve done a couple of shows with Joel, Red and a couple of other guys. You’ve got all these guys from TNA Impact Wrestling doing shows for the independents, small crowds or big crowds, it doesn’t matter. If you’re a wrestling fan, come out. There are a lot of promotions out there you can watch, like NWS and ICW in Queens, and hopefully one day you’ll see me on the show. Even if you’re a wrestler watching your boys wrestle, there’s nothing wrong with that. You sit in that chair and cheer your boy on. It ain’t about being a mark in this business. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You know how that goes.

Fred: Where can fans find you online?

Richard Michaels: If you want to learn more, look up Richard Michaels on Facebook and hit me up.

Fred: You’ve got a long way to go at 23, and I know you’ll be doing your thing for a while.