Stevie Richards didn’t maintain again after Ric Aptitude went after him lately— and he made certain to reply level by level.
After Ric Aptitude went off throughout The Ariel Helwani Present — name-dropping celebrities and taking pictures at Stevie Richards — Richards has now come again swinging. Talking on The Stevie Richards Present on April 23, 2026, Richards first addressed how Aptitude even referred to him throughout the rant, stating the dismissive tone and identify confusion.
“At first, he acted just like the previous Stevie one thing or different, and he calls Dutch Zeb Coulter, however then he referred to as us effing punks—or, you realize, punks like effing Stevie, what’s his identify?” He stated that his pinky is greater than my neck.”
From there, Richards shifted to Aptitude’s claims about his superstar connections — the place Aptitude had bragged about having direct entry to names like Charles Barkley, Shaq, Mark Wahlberg, and Snoop Dogg. Richards fully dismissed that as meaningless.
“Aptitude then listed the individuals he has direct entry to… ‘I can name Charles Barkley. I can name Shaq. I can name Mark Wahlberg… I’ve all their numbers proper right here on velocity dial prefer it’s a landline.’ Guess what? Everyone’s obtained the contact on the cellphone, you blithering fool.”
Richards additionally zeroed in on Aptitude’s declare that critics solely generate income by speaking about profitable individuals — flipping that argument proper again at him. He then expanded on the concept of “relevance,” immediately difficult Aptitude’s perception that staying lively robotically retains somebody necessary in right this moment’s wrestling panorama.
“‘The one approach they make a dime—and I’m certain it’s a minimal sum of money—is by cracking on individuals which are profitable.’ However, by the best way, he simply buried himself saying he can’t draw. If we discuss him… as Cena stated famously—and he’s proper—they’ll neglect about Cena three weeks later… not as a result of Cena’s not nice… however as a result of the enterprise and life and every thing strikes so quick… individuals are likely to say, ‘What’s new? What’s now? What have you ever finished for me recently?’”
That led right into a direct critique of Aptitude himself — and why Richards believes the criticism exists within the first place. Richards didn’t cease there. He went even additional, evaluating Aptitude’s present mindset to a personality obsessive about consideration.
“So when he says related—extra related as you become older… we haven’t essentially seen that development from you, Ric. That’s why you’re calling us out… as a result of we’re speaking about your pizza social gathering in Gainesville… the Aircraft Trip from Hell… the barf cameo… your girlfriend… There’s nothing we’re making up right here, are we? He’s like Bender from Futurama… after they make him construct that large statue… ‘Keep in mind me, bear in mind me.’ That’s Ric Aptitude. His foreign money is fame—that’s it. That’s how he measures success, as a result of he has nothing else.”
Lastly, Richards turned to his personal expertise being round Aptitude, explaining how youthful wrestlers considered him — and what they might have taken from it. He wrapped it up by acknowledging the distinction between notion and actuality — even throwing in a self-aware comparability about coping with frustration.
“I’ve seen Ric… particularly at TNA… quite a lot of younger wrestlers that appeared as much as him and needed to emulate all of the flawed issues… cash, financials, spending… Ric Aptitude’s foreign money with different individuals is the novelty of Ric Aptitude. That’s me after I’m making an attempt to determine audio and video… 20 minutes later… I come out and I’m going, ‘That didn’t hassle me in any respect,’ to my spouse.”
This isn’t only a one-off response anymore — it’s turning right into a full-on back-and-forth between two wrestling names, and neither facet feels like they’re backing down. If Aptitude responds once more, this might escalate even additional — as a result of proper now, the pictures are touchdown on either side and the scenario is much from over.
Do you assume Stevie Richards’ response crossed the road, or was it a good response to Ric Aptitude’s feedback? Tell us what you assume.
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