Left My Wallet: Erick Stevens on his wrestling return, BJJ, and football
“Left My Wallet” is back and so is former Ring Of Honor star Erick Stevens.
After stepping away from the squared circle in 2010, Erick recently returned to the ring two weeks ago. We met at Beyond Wrestling, where he had his second match back, and he’s here to tell all about it.
We talk about what prompted him to step away from the ring, his decision to leave Ring Of Honor, what brought him back, his mindset before his first match back, how he felt after, how he kept up with wrestling while he was away, coming up on the Florida indie scene with Roderick Strong, and more.
Erick is also a huge Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, so we delved into his fandom for his hometown swashbucklers. We discuss what led him to be a fan, his longtime love for football, the heyday of the Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden years, their history with running backs, their 2002 Super Bowl, the heartache they faced against the Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense, Jameis Winston, Bruce Arians, his thoughts on the current regime, and where he sees the team in the next few years.
Finally we talk some jiu-jitsu as Erick is an avid practitioner.
It took him nine years to step back in the ring and those that have seen his two matches back know that it was worth the wait. It’s a fun, honest, and heartfelt talk with a truly talented and humble individual.