Responding to The Godfather 

For Stevie to look at the logistics of the situation instead of being emotionally personal about it, shows Stevie is a true class act.

Godfather took it out on Stevie over his issues with money and merch, but how he treated Stevie absolutely could have affected how much money Stevie was gonna make. That's pretty shit.

"I'm not one of them. They've told me and shown me every day of my 31 years in the business - I do not belong it in. I do not fit in. I'm different." Man, that hits so hard.

Stevie seems like a good human being of course he didn’t fit into a locker room full of men with multiple failed relationships and drug problems.

Stevie sure seems like a heck of a nice guy

I also think Stevie was ahead of his time. If he broke in now I think he'd fit in a lot better with the roster being a lot less cutthroat and more supportive of each other.

I remember as a kid getting physically bullied for years and asking the same questions Stevie asked in this situation. Why me? What did I do? It takes a toll on you man. You begin to ask less questions and simply blame yourself. I deserved it. It's my fault. Etc. Sucks man. I feel for anyone that goes through that of any age.

What a good guy stevie seems to be. He handled himself in the best way possible

It sounds like Godfather wasn't man enough to take it up with Vince and decided to bully a guy lower down on the card.

Quite honestly, Godfather passively aggressively threw a temper tantrum because he didn't wanna be in the RTC. He chose to be unprofessional and Stevie acted like a pro. Bitch move on Godfather's part.

18:13 It's actually quite heartbreaking to hear Stevie say this. Even today you very rarely hear other wrestlers talk about him in a positive light (if at all). Stevie deserves so much more for what he has done in the wrestling business.

Hated hearing about how he’d been shown that he didn’t fit in and wasn’t ‘one of them’ Nah Stevie you’re not one of them, you’re better than that fella. You’re not a pain pill riddled pin cushion who thinks they are their gimmick. From one dude who’s never quite fit in to another, keep up the good work mate

As a late-identified autistic adult, my heart breaks for you so many times in this video. Not out of pity, but out of the shared experience of feeling so othered and outside of the environment you're giving your whole soul to. You speak with a wisdom that a lot of folks never reach. I'm really touched by your humanity throughout this series.

I hated right to censor as a kid which means they did a great job. Stevie was easily the most dislikeable heel at the time but in a brilliant way. Like he just said here, you need personalities. Id imagine they didn't think they could get away with Val or the Godfather anymore after the turn of the century because that is a huge loss to get rid of those characters.

Stevie comes off as one of the nicest guys in the business!

The RTC is great television and a great gimmick. Having Goodfather and Val in the group was absolutely essential to make it legitimate. The stable should have dominated and then a slow face turn for Godfather again. The reduction in merch sales is tough, but on the entertainment side, the Goodfather was a nice change in character.

GOD bless you brother, you're in a lot better place now. I'm glad you're who you are

I would absolutely love to see Stevie as a producer or in some type of position to help young talent. This man exudes professionalism and definitely has the best intentions.

RTC was Stevie's first real push in the WWE but Godfather felt like his push had been taken away from him as well as loss of money. I get that but it still wasn't Stevie's fault.

I was backstage once and met The Godfather when he was with Right to Sensor and in their gear. My dad was in the clothing business with his sister so she got us backstage at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago burbs. He was so down to earth and smiled the entire time chatting with us. Right before he had to film a backstage segment he told me he misses being The Godfather.

I hated Right 2 Censor so much as a kid! Great job at making me feel that way! I appreciate the entertainment you have given me :) I actually have the right 2 censor song on my huge song play list presently... just as a prank on myself that every once in a great while I get that alarm in my ear that triggers shock, anger, trying to skip the rest of it as quick as I can, and then laughing at myself for what I subject myself too. Great video thanks again!~

Honesty and vulnerability is strength man and you probably helped other people who are being or have been bullied (which is most people to be fair) . Respect you alot for this one Stevie

Стиви, я из России, недавно стал смотреть рестлинг, и ты один из ярких представителей этой профессии, ты сразу запоминаешься, ты харизматичнен. Я начал смотреть с 1996 с king of the ring wwf, потом wcw и затем ecw, там я и увидел тебя и мне сразу стало интересно, что ты за рестлер. Чем больше я узнаю какими неприятными людьми являются рестлеры за кадром, тем больше я уважаю людей, которые вели себя достойно. Надеюсь, что у тебя всё будет хорошо ты молодец и хороший человек, если бы таких как ты было больше в этом бизнесе, он был бы наверное лучше. ❤ Dear, Stevie! I'm a man from Russia. I started to watch wrestling maybe year before, first 1996 wwf than wcw and later ecw, where I saw you for the first time. And from the start I felt that you have it and that you a star with charisma. The more I knew about different stars and how they was mean backstage the more I RESPECT YOU! YES YOU ARE DIFFERENT BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOOD MAN AND MAYBE THAT'S WHY THIS "alpha males" TREAT YOU THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU ARE JUST BETTER. Feels like you are still in pain for all the shit from this business but man I'M SO HAPPY THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THE WORLD. I'm just a 29 years guy from Russia who wish you all the best in life. I can't wright all I want because of my level of English language but I think when all the smoke is clear people will realize who was a real hero and who was a scumbag, and in history of wrestling you will be treated as LEGEND. I don't want to meet the Rock or Hogan but I'll be happy to meet you, just to chat or have a beer or go to russian banya. So best of luck to you. You are great! ❤

Always wanted to hear Richard's side on this about Godfather. Glad to hear it finally! It was hard to believe someone as nice and as chill as Godfather didn't like Richards who is also a really nice guy,

ironically, in wwf smackdown KYR, he had his goodfather gimmick in the game but his winning annimation was still the godfather because he was dancing around in the ring. Kinda hilarious tbh. Either the devs forgot or ran out of time because they was making soo many last minute changes or because he hated it soo bad it was a hint

I am absolutely, positively disgusted at how good of a human being that Stevie Richards is. This dude is such a kind and understanding man.

It's messed up how childish the stuff in the back is man. Instead of being adults and just talking shit out and squashing any problems you get the kind of nonsense that ends with people taking a shit in other people's bag, or getting thrown out of locker rooms for months, and worse, you know that the promoters and shit use that against the talent. If anything I'd say Stevie was the kind of guy that is better for wrestling and should be the kind of guy that 'fit in' with all the others being the outliers.

RTC was so underrated and undervalued.

He and Maven are showing to all what class and humility are all about.

Stevie is the absolute best human being in the wrestling universe

Its a good ol boys club Stevie and you werent In it, I know you think that sucks but I honest to god believe thats why you are still here and most those guys arent.

This level of breakdown and empathy for this situation tells you all you need to know about Stevie, this podcast from the start James and Stevie have said they gonna try be different, and look how different can a wrestling podcast really be. They are trying new angles, new production, new structures, ok some work some dont but this here is why its a great podcast. I have issues with stevies hands here poping up here and there, look i know silly but the whole discussion is amazing and open and they evolving this podcast alot and trying diff things, Its a new podcast, Full disclosure I am english but this and James and Dutch podcasts and ofc his work for years before this tells me James is a real talent, he can ebb and flow, his idea was for this if you see first ep is be very back seat and Stevie even then said that will not happen. He has a talent for research for asking good questions and being able to ask tangent questions and then listen to the convo. I love him and Dutch together, you can tell as ornary as both can act with each other is all love there. Stevie would be a boon to any company as a producer I would think....

He could’ve made the Goodfather gimmick go way farther than any of his other gimmicks. Imagine if his character was a hypocrite and he got caught doing things backstage that weren’t aligned with his morales but made excuses for it😂 it could’ve been comic relief also but I don’t know I’m not in the business

I hate when someone has something going on in their personal life, but then take it out on the people around them even though they didn't nothing to deserve it. I think we all have done it at one point or another without even realizing it. Glad you were the bigger person and chose to avoid a confrontation with Godfather, but he does seem to be regretting those actions he did all those years ago. Same thing could been said about Shawn Michaels in the late 90s

God bless Stevie what a great guy 🫡

I agree Ivory would have been the best leader of the RTC. It’s just a shame chyna sqwashed her at WM17

Love you Stevie! I’m happy that you are still alive & kicking. F*ck anyone in your life that has ever wrongfully bullied you. You are awesome 😎

I am not sure why this fad of "I was a bully ... ain't I great" is supposed to be a wonderul thing

Much love and respect too you Stevie my bro 🇵🇰🇬🇧

I'm glad Richards does this I have so much more respect for him and his career. He was given very little and had such a long healthy career.

That's why Jacques Rougeau was such a boss. Even though he wasn't really a tough guy, he still physically put it on Dynamite Kid, Shawn Michaels and Scott Steiner for being pricks towards him. Correction: He didn't put it on Shawn Michaels, but he threatened Michaels to punch his teeth out if he disrespects him one more time. And Rougeau would have absolutely done it.

That's one of the reasons I respected Brock, he laughed at all of the backstage politics and customs and told them to come and see him if they had an issue with him not adhering to them.

High school idiot godfather acted like..i feel bad for stevie being a locker room doormat .. wrestlers percieve kindness for weakness.

I wanted to be a wrestler when I was a teenager, but whenever I hear about these types of stories I know I wouldn't have made it. I'm not great at reading social cues, but I can still navigate the world. Wrestlers seem to be a bunch of children who make irrational demands of people. I couldn't navigate that world.

On the road to 50k Subs! Congrats Stevie!

In middle school i loved hating white socks and RTC

The Godfather is a punk- doesn't seem remorseful and actually laughs at the circumstance. He couldn't put over any of his gimmicks: Kama, Papa Shango, Godfather (only over because of the ho's)

Right to censor had so much heat they used Stevie Richard in no mercy instead of the big show

Pretty messed up how he took out his frustrations on Stevie Richards.

Godfather should've manned up and went to Vince, man to man, and voiced his grievance. He had a LOT of cover being in the Bone Krew, so he could've spoken his mind because he had Taker as a strong ally. Stevie is really cool for be so understanding.

Godfather what gives? Stevie cool is cool man! I remember as a kid hating the right to censor lol. However looking back , the stable did exactly what it was meant to do, generate heat!

Stevie, man. You’re teaching us valuable lessons on how to behave and conduct ourselves not just in the circus of wrestling, but life in general. Love this show. Also James, I’ve been watching since episode one and watching you grow into this role as host and develop this confidence you have in front of a camera now. I look forward to seeing where your career takes you.

Stevie has been through hell over the years but has perservered and is still here today. You have to give the guy credit. I always thought he was underrated. He was versatile and could play several different characters well. He was a solid mid-carder but never really seemed to get much of a push anywhere he went.

You're a legend Stevie. Just so you know.

I want to sincerly thank you for being so upfront about your experience. I'm fighting my housing authority regarding a grievance when I moved in and they are doing everything you talked about. I've felt so alone this past month, despite having friends and a therapist. I feel hated and disgusting for doing what is right. Again, thank you, I needed to hear this.

Big props to Godfather for admitting he was wrong and grew up from it.

Stevie must have loved the Brawl For All when Bart Gunn knocked out the Godfather in a shoot boxing match circa late 90s WWF.

This pisses me off because Godfather was upset with the gimmick costing him money, but Godfather acting out like that, and everyone else that bullied Stevie cost Stevie HIS chance at earning more money. James obviously feels for Stevie, after Stevie explains the situations he was in, James always looks at him with a certain look in his eyes like Stevie didnt deserve any of that. And Stevie didn't deserve any of that. I hope you continue to grind and show them that you can be successful.

Absolute BS. Godfather had his moment in the sun. Here's Stevie's first big opportunity and Godfather had to whine and basically ruin the entire faction. Lost so much respect for Godfather after hearing this

The 01 Rumble was the first Channel 4 free "PPV"

Stevie is too nice of a guy!

In my teens I was a successful amateur wrestler at school, I loved pro wrestling and wanted to become a professional. Now knowing how absolutely grade school so many of the guys were with the bullying, pranks and humor I'm honestly kind of glad I never pursued it beyond a single training week with two of my friends at a school that might not even exist anymore, where Mike Modest and a few other guys were giving lessons.

Tell you what, as a kid I loved to hate the Right To Censor. They were great wrestlers, they were great heels. Looking back, it was such a good time. Steven Richards is one of the best heels ever.

Godfather is an envious little street hustler that could never work. He was lucky he had friends in high places. He had a routine. The same thing every night. That he treated Stevie like that shows the kind of person he is.

You can tell it really hurt Stevie to be treated that way...

man Right to Censor is a genius group and id love to see a remake of them nowadays tbh. they were great

Godfather didn’t get paid to give you heat. You didn’t get paid to take Godfather and his buddies heat. F Godfather

I'm just saying, from the first time I saw Stevie in WWE, he became one of my favorites. My friends and I brought signs to live events cheering on Stevie. This guy should have been pushed to the moon. His personality and skill in the ring is/was incredible.

This is so sad to hear cuz Right To Censor was a perfect group with the transitions from the Attitude Era. Everybody in the group made sense: Stevie Richards no longer doing extreme wrestling Ivory trying to class up the women's division Godfather realizing he shouldn't be pimping Val Venis wearing clothes

Stevie is HOFer as a human being who happened to be a hell of a wrestler

Guys like jbl who bullied and undertaker who was the so called “locker room leader” who condoned the bullying will never sit right with me nor have my respect, knowing godfather did this sucks I hate bullies sure you can change but what was done leaves a scar

The RTC was so ahead of its time. Honestly one of the best executed Factions imo

I obviously don't know and I only saw the clip from this video, but it sounds a little like part of the reason he hasn't sought you out to give you an apology is, he doesn't know what you think of him. He might be thinking you don't want anything to do with him or wouldn't accept the apology.

"Hello ladies!" Will always be the very first thing I think of when Val Venis is mentioned.

Hearing how much the members themselves hated working the right to censor angle and it being a joke is wild. i loved the stable. Hearing that intro kick off always got my attention and i was always entertained. Underrated and under appreciated heel stable.

Stevie you are such a good dude. Cheers mate.

Well handled dude! Sorry you had such a anxious driven run during those years, but look at you now, well respected by fans for your mind for the business & I for one appreciate that!

You are raw and authentic Stevie 🤘

Stevie, even if you didn't fit in (only you can say that) in my opinion, for what it is worth, you did belong in the business. You dont have to fit in to belong. Ask people you worked with such as meanie if the business was better because you were in it. As for this chapter, I am glad you are doing it because your videos are great

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Stevie is too nice of a guy to have been in the wrestling business.

I've been waiting for Stevie to respond to Godfather bullying him and not liking him.

I’ve never seen such emotional intelligence in a wrestling interview before. I’m a new Stevie Richards fan after this. Very cool guy.

This video makes me a fan for life of Stevie Richard’s.

As a fan of Dancin' Stevie Richards for 30 years, it makes me actually sad to think that he doesn't think he ever fit into the business, and it makes me so angry to think that some of the guys actually told him that.

You got to wonder what the ratio is of how many wrestlers Vince was able to "make" with good gimmicks etc vs how many whose career he wrecked with absurd, never going to work, gimmicks. He had a golden patch in the 80s and late 90s, but the last 15-20 years Vinces creativity went to shite.

A man being mad at another man, and passive aggressively getting his friends to be mean to him, instead of addressing the issue is gayer than 69ing with Elton John.

Love the wresltingbio's shoutout Great channel

I met ivory and rikishi at an autograph session, both super nice people

What a lot of you are missing is...this was wrestling in the 90s. A decade before, it was territories and cutthroat that way before Vince took over the entire industry. We've seen enough stories and interviews in the past couple decades to know how much it's evolved in a short time. It isn't pretty, but if that was your craft and you loved it, you were a certain breed. All these stories about bullies and real life hatred, it was what it was and that was the status quo. You can't look at it through 2024 kayfabe exposed eyes and nitpick stuff from people who literally are in a business that is unlike any other in entertainment. Its uniqueness was the fascination, and all the stories that ended much worse than getting some heat for being the fictional head of what Charles Wright hated can be tragic, but it made pro wrestling what it was and is. It has evolved in this day and age to the point where it's much more acting oriented and accepted, but the shady history will always be a part of it. It's one instance where you can't really compare eras, because so much has changed.

The Right to Censor in hindsight was a very clever move from the WWE, hated them when I was young (as we all did) you look on it with different eyes when you’re older - they allowed WWE to keep pushing their more edgier programming - with an out for the company to not go too far with the tv Networks - this subsequently created a heat vacuum for a group off the back of that - it was more clever than we thought at the time - and Stevie really nailed his role 👏 👏

Could you do a video about Crash Holly? I know he was a good friend, and it’d be interesting to see what you witnessed leading up to his demise since he was living with you and found dead at your house

Stevie, you’re a class act.

The fact that he turned heel and started censoring people only proves one thing. Pimping isn't easy.

Class act. I respect his attitude than any other top wrestler. He put up with bs and still respectful

Love and respect to you Stevie.

Hey Stevie...Do you KNOW how BIG you are??? And how BIG your RTC character is on WWF NO MERCY Game!!??? HUGE!!! We Love you man.

I once went to a smackdown and my sign was Stevie richards for president and it made it on tv

It seems like the comments want this to be a bigger drama than it is. Both parties seem to be ok with it in retrospect and very understanding of the situation and very regretful of the way he acted. It’s nice to see it not escalate into some dumb back and forth. Wish all drama went over this easy.

I wanted to be a wrestler growing up now I appreciate why I didn't take that path. Who got time for the gaslighting and bullying? I'm from South Central Los Angeles. As square kid I got enough of that dodging gang bangers and bullies. Screw being worried about getting "Heat". I feel sorry for Stevie and people who feel they have no choice but to play that game.

Stevie, you're a damn good dude. And as for all us fans, you sure as hell did belong! You are a fantastic entertainer and wrestler.