Could Stevie Richards Actually Become an Impact Player?

[jccool420]

I was very surprised to see that Stevie went over on Abyss last night and his match at Hardcore Justice was pretty good...

He isn't really that old and he is in the best shape of his life... He has always been solid in the ring, probably more now than ever... He has good charisma when given the right gimmick...

I know many will say there are more talented people on the roster than Stevie... But, does anyone think he deserves a decent push?

I think he should have a chance to just be hinself like he's been doing and see how people respond to him... I'm not saying he should ever be a main eventer, but the guy has talent and is in great shape... He could be a damn good mid to upper mid-carder...

Thoughts?

 

[LoganFate]

I've always thought of Stevie Richards and the "budget" Shawn Michaels. But surprisingly, Stevie Richards is in way better shape then Michaels was when he retired. I think he should definitely be given a decent gimmick so he could shine.

 

[boombox77]

I've always liked Richards, at least when he is not Dr Stevie. He has the look and good mic skills. If given the chance I really think he could do something

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I think that Stevie is good and I've always liked him. I think that he has good in ring skills and decent mic skills. Stevie could be a good mid card wrestler but nothing more than that.

 

[mrhexum]

Stevie has suffered some major injuries over the years.....but, he looks to be in good shape. It would be nice to see a guy like him get a push. He's not really a main eventer, but it would be cool to see him win a TNA singles belt and have a short run with it, he derserves it.

 

[ssvegita77]

I'd love to see it. The man has paid his dues several times over and I always thought he had potential. I think the worst thing he ever did was go to WCW right before ECW was gonna finally stop letting him be a comedy face and let him be a top guy. ECW was gonna let him breakout of that shell and he left for WCW to continue doing just that. It was just a poor choice.

If he gets a shot in TNA to hold the TV title (at best) I'd be really stoked for Stevie.

 

[Nikeo]

Stevie Richards last chance of stardom came in WWE's ECW when he was getting good air time as a face. His inspirational, underdog style character was getting fairly large reactions from the crowd and I found myself rooting for him more often than not. I'm not a fan of the "they dropped the ball with him" accusations many in the IWC throw around but I believe this to the case with Stevie. His push was halted before it could really get going, something I believe was a mistake.

However, at no other point in his career do I think he showed the same promise that he showed during those short couple of months......especially not as Dr. Stevie. Midcarder? Sure. Upper-Midcarder/Main-Eventer? That ship sailed long ago

 

[blackmetalbuick]

I can only echo most of the responses here. I have always been a fan of Stevie, and I'm not usually a big fan of people outside of the upper card. He's in great shape and it great on the mic, which seems to be getting rarer these days. I actually remembered to watch Impact these week and I loved seeing him get the win over Abyss. Not sure if that was to build up Stevie, or just to further the Abyss storyline, but if Richards got a good push I certainly wouldn't complain.

 

[Montague]

Richards is in great shape, hes good on the mic, good in the ring
i really like Richards, ill admit there is better but he does deserve a solid X-division reign and maybe a world title feud, not win the title but get his face in the picture

 

[manstis1804]

I've heard nothing but negative comments about Stevie as a guy in the dressing room, so maybe thats what has held him back in the past. Unlike the rest of EV2 at least he looks like an athlete.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

IMO...he has got everything a wrestler needs...

I hated him when he was leader of RTC...but hey the character suited him soo well, he got booed a lot...that time, when I saw him perform...I thought he was great...he led a good faction...he was great on the mic aswell...

He just needs the right push, the right matches, and the right gimmick...and he could be on his way again!

 

[wushady]

He's probably in better shape than anyone in EV2. He's been held back so long I wouldn't mind seeing him get a descent push. I don't see him as a main event guy, but he deserves at least a mid card push in my opinion.

 

[MoizH28]

Im a big fan of stevie too and thought he was great in Censor Group I loved how he would interupt the diva matches and try to cover them up but idk how would push him or even do with him after the whole Ev2 thing is done.

 

[fenfool]

Seeing Richards on iMpact this week gave me a new respect. He was always a decent worker, but didn't do anything as Dr. Stevie, and has sporadically been on the TV wrestling scene as a flunkie. He had some good intensity this week, I would like to see more of that from him. I don't really see him getting into any of the title mixes, but I can see him getting a decent push. I could see a program between him and Kendrick as potentially being a lot of fun...

 

[Rayne]

Stevie Richards is a career midcarder. That's not an insult or a slight.

Every once in a while, you have to give your valuable midcarders a high profile win. That way, in the eyes of the fans, they're still a valuable commodity. That's why Stevie went over Abyss. Now, he's better able to elevate other talent. Someone could go over Richards in a feud and look that much better because he wasn't allowed to go stale. It's the same reason Ric Flair used to make people he personally despised sound like legends when he was on the mic; when he went over them, he looked that much better for having beaten a somebody as opposed to a nobody.

A wrestling organization needs good midcarders. Matt Hardy is a great example of this. He'll never be a world champion, but you can put him in a feud with just about anyone and they'll come out looking better. Stevie Richards is a guy who makes other wrestlers. That's valuable in and of itself.

 

[hatehabsforever]

In a word, nope. I don't see Stevie Richards becoming an Impact Player at this late stage of his career. Although, I guess it would depend upon how you define an Impact Player.

Don't get me wrong, I really don't mind Stevie Richards too much. He's younger than a lot of the EV2.0 guys and is in better shape too. He has two knees that both actually work, at the same time too! He's pretty decent on the mic, and has had some longevity to his career.

But an Impact Player, not so much. His best days were in ECW over a decade ago. Since then, he's bounced around from organization to organization, changing gimmick to gimmick. He's had some good moments (Right to Censor for example). He's had some awful moments (Dr. Stevie comes to mind). But predominantly, he's been average. He's been a mid-carder throughout his career and there's no reason to believe he can aspire to be more than that now. And there's no shame in that, lots of guys spend their entire careers never going beyond the mid-card, and some guys spend a long career in the low card, or even as mere enhancement talent.

So no disrespect to Stevie Richards. He's had a respectable career and likely will continue to have one at the level he's at now and the level he's always been. But an Impact Player? Not so much.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

Stevie has always been as entertaining as he could be, considering that he hasn't exactly been given gimmicks with much potential. He probably did a better job as the head of the RTC and as a wrestling psychiatrist than anyone else could manage. And his time spent as a lunatic along with Tara/Victoria was excellent (as was his hilarious 'GM of Sunday Night Heat' run). Whatever he's handed, he seems to make the most of it.

Stevie is solid enough on the mic and unlike most of the EV2 faction, he can work well in both hardcore and non-hardcore settings. For years now I've wanted to see Stevie pushed. He seems to possess all of the tools necessary to succeed as a solid mid-carder or greater, however it's impossible to be sure as he's never been given such an opportunity (that I'm aware of).

Unfortunately, at this point he may have been hopelessly typecast as a jobber in both the minds of the writers and the fans. It's going to be difficult to break him out of that mold, assuming TNA even bothers trying.

 

[Vintage]

Richards reminds me a lot of HBK but unfortunately has not had even a fraction of his success. It's never too late but if TNA can make us take him seriously they've managed to do the impossible.

 

[NWannabe]

He's midcard. I just wish he had been smart enough to realize this earlier in his career. As a guy so closely tied to ECW, I can only assume his money is blown and this comes with some level of desperation. I really like him too, and was blown away to see just how in shape he was compared to his luminaries. That said, I'm not sure where he fits. He's too small to be an enforcer, not a big enough name to be a leader, and in way too good a shape to be a manager. Maybe not. Maybe he should be a manager. I'd say make him an announcer or commentary, but while he is good on the mic he is not THAT good.

He seems to be a jack of all trades, king of none.

 

[Super Strudel]

I think too much damage has been done to Stevie Richards' reputation wise to be an impact player.
By that, I mean too many people see him as Stevie Richards from Stevie Night Heat, or the guy who would appear on Raw once every two months to get smashed.
Which is a shame. And TNA have given him a few notable wins - I watch a web match where he went over Jay Lethal.
TNA can't push him too much, because with the continual debate from its biggest fanbase, the IWC, that it is full of "WWE Rejects", pushing someone who was a low mid card at best might fuel the fire.
TNA has done well with younger guys who sank in WWE (Burke, Morgan). What works against Stevie is his age. His win/loss record is too ingrained in the mind.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't think we will ever see Stevie high any higher than a low mid-carder but the guy has always had alot of talent, and is in fantastic shape right now.

I wouldn't be against seeing him have a run with a mid card title or the tag titles, the man has earned it in my opinion. If the right push is given to him, and he is over enough with the fans....why not?

Gooooowannn Stevie my son!