Edwards hopes Wolves’ success continues in TNA, abroad

They have multiple tag title wins under their belts from various promotions. They travel the world year in and year out. And they have just surpassed the one-year mark in their new home, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

The American Wolves — Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards — are three-time TNA World Tag Team champions, chomping at the bit to get their titles back. The past year, according to Edwards, has been an experience “better than ever expected.”

“They have treated us so well. Since day one we could tell that it was going to be a fun place to work,” Edwards said. “It’s a real family atmosphere and everybody has the same goals.”

Having already been to the top of the tag team division, Edwards said he hopes the Wolves remain a team and put the division in the spotlight.

“(I’d like us to) stay together as long as possible as a team and show everybody what makes tag-team wrestling something special,” Edwards said.

But Edwards, also a former Ring of Honor singles and tag champion, is coming off a heel injury sustained at TNA’s One Night Only pay-per-view. He said he “got off lucky” and did not need surgery.

“The bone was in a good enough place where we could actually let it reset on its own,” Edwards said. “It’s been a long and frustrating healing process, but it continues to get better every day.”

As the healing progresses, the Wolves plan to take a bite out of the competition on Sunday in Toronto, when the duo descends on Smash Wrestling. They will take on Biff Busick and Drew Gulak.

Edwards has past experience with both Busick and Gulak, having met them in tag and singles scenarios, respectively.

“They are both great, hard-hitting technicians. I am really excited to see what we can all do in there together,” Edwards said.

James Kee, Smash Wrestling managing director, said the main factor in bringing the Wolves to Smash is that “as a tag team, they are one of the absolute best in the world.”

“A lot of my favorite matches personally in the last several years have involved one or both of these men,” Kee said. “We at Smash Wrestling pride ourselves on having outstanding tag team wrestling, and I don’t think you can say you have an elite tag team division without involving the Wolves at some point, because they truly are in that top-tier, upper echelon of tag teams all time.”

The American Wolves, according to Kee, add excitement, intensity, skill and “another huge seal of legitimacy” to Smash Wrestling.

“These are world travelled and very well accomplished athletes. If you haven’t seen the Wolves live — and at least in our area here in Toronto, it’s been a few years since that’s really been possible — you’re in for a treat,” Kee said. “Deadly strikes and unrivalled precision. You watch any Wolves match, and you always find yourself walking away going ‘Wow. That was something special.’”

Plus, with the opportunity team them against Gulak and Busick, Kee said it was “a no-brainer.”

“You have a matchup on your hands that is simply guaranteed to blow the roof off the place,” Kee said.

Though TNA regulars, the American Wolves “enjoy working as many places as possible,” according to Edwards.

“It’s sometimes tough due to scheduling conflicts, but when we are able to get to some new places, we jump at the chance,” said Edwards, with the main factor in choosing companies how they treat the talent.

Richards and Edwards began discussing teaming up during a tour in Japan for Pro Wrestling NOAH.

“We realized we had similar styles while being different enough. We immediately started brainstorming about what we could do as a team both in and out of the ring,” Edwards said. “At that time, Davey was a much bigger name in Ring of Honor and, luckily for me, he went to bat and pitched us tagging together. The rest, as they say, is history.”

And their history includes tag team gold from the likes of ROH and Squared Circle Wrestling (New York), as well as individual rankings on the PWI 500 in 2010 (Edwards at No. 37 and Richards at No. 32) and Tag Team of the Year from Wrestling Observer Newsletter.