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Stevie Richards changed his opinion of Arn Anderson after the veteran producer made a derogatory remark about him in WWE.
Richards suffered a broken nose against the debuting Chris Masters on the February 21, 2005, episode of RAW. Following the match, Anderson reassured Masters that he did not need to worry about the part he played in the unfortunate botch.
Speaking on Rene Dupree’s “Cafe de Rene” podcast, Richards recalled how Anderson unintentionally insulted him while discussing the incident with Masters.
“I remember Arn going up and trying to console him right in front of me, and said, ‘Hey, man, don’t worry about it, it’s only Stevie,’” Richards said. “I swear. And I lost a great deal of respect for him that day. I forgive him because I know he didn’t mean it, but I’ll never forget it.” [1:41-1:58]
The injury occurred toward the end of the two-minute match when Masters clasped his hands together and forcefully hit Richards across the face. Moments later, blood landed on the ring canvas as Masters locked his opponent in The Masterlock submission move.
How Stevie Richards would respond to an Arn Anderson apology
The Four Horsemen member is widely regarded as one of the best wrestling producers of the last two decades. He worked for WWE between 2001 and 2019, during which time he oversaw the majority of John Cena’s high-profile matches.
Richards, a 21-time WWE Hardcore Champion, would have no problem addressing Arn Anderson’s comment if the Hall of Famer reaches out.
“If Arn called me and he said, ‘First of all, I have no recollection of that,’ I would honestly believe him because he’s had to deal with so much," Richards continued. “It’s all a blur. He wouldn’t even need to apologize, but I’m sure Arn being the guy he would call and apologize. I would accept and say, ‘Hey, man, sorry I even had to tell the story, but it’s the truth.’” [3:11-3:35]
Richards missed two months of in-ring action due to the broken nose he suffered. Upon his return, the former ECW star lost another match against Masters on the May 23, 2005, episode of RAW.
Please credit “Cafe de Rene” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
