A new approach for The Man, The Myth, The Legend

By Jay Felsberg

Correspondent

Fans who followed Blake Richards in Hartford and Dothan can be excused for being puzzled when they see him in Chipley as American Wrestling Federation World Champion. Formerly, the fans idolized the charismatic Richards, and electricity went through an arena when The Man, The Myth, The Legend hit the ring with his valet, Tristen.

The electricity is still there, but Blake Richards is no longer a fan favorite – far from it. Now Richards is among the wrestlers most hated by AWF fans, and many look forward to the day when Richards loses the coveted AWF belt.

Richards is not just comfortable with his role of the man the crowd loves to hate – he appears to relish being a heel. In an interview before the April 5 card at the Roulhac Community Center in Chipley, Richards discussed the “heel turn” of The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

“Pops are cool, but I can be more myself as a bad guy”, Richards said. “I would be their hero, but the people need to wake up and smell the coffee, ‘cause I’m the baddest thing around”.

Boasting what he calls his “24-inch pythons”, (which one wrestler said were actually measured from wrist to shoulder), Richards struts to the ring to a chorus of boos. Despite the heat he gets from the fans, Richards is confident that he is the best thing around in the AWF.

“The Man, The Myth, The Legend is not cocky, just overly confident”, Richards said. “I’m the greatest superstar of all time – no brag, just fact”.

Richards defeated popular Jason Hero to win the AWF championship tournament, and HOW Richards won the tournament is a matter of debate among fans. It’s a debate Richards said he could care less about.

“The fans don’t help me win my matches – I win my matches,” Richards said. “They say I cheat, but I ain’t losing like a dog – not likely”!