Stevie Richards discusses WWE vs AEW, the 24/7 Championship and conspiracy theories (Exclusive) 

SK: It really does feel like they're trying to slightly reincarnate the Hardcore Championship recently. Do you think it has any sort of potential to reach the same heights if they use it the right way?

SR: I think taking out the headshots, which we took plenty of back then, is a big deal. Taking out a lot of the danger, because we weren't thinking much about that, taking bumps on a floor, on the back concrete, in the locker room or loading dock area but there could be a happy medium - they can't just have everybody schoolboying everybody, and it's so safe. Who's going to not kick out on the lightest [roll-up]?

I'm not blaming them because I don't want someone to bang my head on the concrete on a schoolboy backstage but there should be creative ways to do it - someone falling asleep at the airport and getting pinned... Just interesting things. The best thing they've done so far was the FOX Founder's Day with the host - that's interesting, getting more mainstream people involved. That might help it out.

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SK: That brings me onto a side note about WWE transcending wrestling - you were around while during the first incarnation of the XFL. Do you think it can succeed this time around?

SR: I'll tell you another little fun fact. Gene Snitsky and myself... You know Gene Snitsky, the one that kicked the baby? He and myself were considering trying out for XFL teams. He was a former lineman, a lineman or a linebacker, one of the big trench guys. I was going to try out for field goal kicker because, back in high school, I was a field goal kicker, so I felt like it may be a cool thing to try out for. There was no team locally here for me to try out for so I didn't end up doing it.

I think they were a year or two late because, last year, NFL were wavering in their popularity and XFL didn't really capitalise on calling them out for the Kaepernick stuff, or the pass interference play. They didn't really try to get on the NFL radar. In fact, I think they were trying to be a feeder league for the NFL, which has not been successful.

The AAF, the Alliance of American Football, tried to do that - they're done. The XFL will survive, I believe, maybe one season and that's about it, because the NFL has it locked down.

It's pretty much like everybody else with WWE. WWE, for whatever criticism you have of their product, they are the ones that you always equate with professional wrestling, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

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SK: Well, competition is needed! Now, you're one of the few wrestlers who can claim to have worked in WWE, ECW and WCW - where do you feel you did your best work in?

SR: ECW - week in, week out - I was used to the full extent of my potential. I was young, didn't know but they accentuated my strengths and hid my many weaknesses, but...

You'll probably be surprised at this, people think it's Right To Censor, people think it's bWo, but I really think it's Stevie Night Heat because that's really where I was really truly allowed to do what I could do without being hindered, handcuffed.

I wasn't noticed either because they weren't paying attention either but Coach, myself, Al Snow, and then the people that were involved - we were all booking the show. They didn't care. That went on for about six or seven months until they found out. Then you hear the stories. Stephanie walking in, seeing me with a apron on, "Kiss the GM," chocolate pie on Victoria's face, Johnny Ace denying he knew anything about it - absolutely true.

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