By Daniel P. Moynihan
Times Sports Editor
When Michael Manna graduated from Frankford High School 14 years ago, he had no idea that the road would lead him to Stamford, Conn., home of World Wrestling Entertainment.
“I wasn’t a jock,” recalled the Port Richmond native, who graduated with honors from Frankford. “I was either going to be a teacher or a dentist.”
Manna needed only a few more credits to earn his associate’s degree from Community College of Philadelphia when he wrestled with his future. In fact, in September 1990, Manna decided to enroll in a wrestling school sponsored by the now-defunct Tri-State Wrestling Promotions.
Five months after that first wrestling course, Manna made his professional debut for Tri-State.
Wrestling has had a hold on him ever since.
Today, Manna goes by the name Steven Richards. Yesterday, World Wrestling Entertainment taped its nationally televised Smackdown at the First Union Center. The show is scheduled to air Thursday night at 8 on the UPN network’s Philadelphia affiliate, WPSG-TV Channel 57 (Comcast channel 16).
Manna did not appear at the taping. He is featured weekly on WWE’s Raw, televised live every Monday evening at 9 on cable’s The National Network (Comcast channel 85). Manna last wrestled in his hometown on a WWE show in January.
Manna now lives in Connecticut. Fame, however, did not come easy to the self-proclaimed “jacked-up nerd.”
Between 1997 and 1998, Manna endured several operations after suffering a severe neck injury while performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The quick-witted Manna also underwent surgery on his vocal cords so that he could regain full ability to speak.
“That was a rough year,” he mused.
Manna officially began his professional wrestling career on Feb. 24, 1991, at a time when he was studying to become a teacher. During a bout staged at the old Michael Jack’s Restaurant, which used to be at Eighth and Market streets, Manna wrestled to a 20-minute draw.
He joined Eastern Championship Wrestling soon after and took on the persona of Stevie Richards, a wisecracking troublemaker who routinely received “beatings” from the promotion’s top stars.
When Eastern Championship Wrestling became Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1994, Manna — as Richards — eventually became one of the company’s major players. After serving a brief stint as the sidekick to Raven (Scott Levy), Manna worked a program with two lesser-known talents (Brian “The Blue Meanie” Heffron and Michael “Super Nova” Bucci) and formed an alliance called the Blue World Order, mimicking the World Championship Wrestling faction known as the New World Order.
The gimmick became a cult favorite. It quickly transformed Manna’s character from heel (bad guy) to babyface (good guy).
ECW, which held many of its televised events in South Philadelphia, staged its first national Pay Per View card in April 1997, with Manna featured in a four-man main event.
Just as Manna’s star appeared to brighten, it dimmed quickly when he injured three vertebrae in a match against Terry Funk later that year.
“Don’t get me wrong, at the time (of the injury), I was upset,” he said, “but every experience is a good experience, whether it’s a positive or a negative.”
After rehabilitation, Manna returned to the “squared circle,” this time as a member of the WCW. However, he wouldn’t gain substantial television exposure until 1999, when he inked a deal with the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE).
Manna’s career in the federation peaked when he became the leader of the Right to Censor, a satirical wrestling faction formed in response to the Parents Television Council (PTC). Over the years, PTC has repeatedly attempted to censor WWE programming, while influencing sponsors to remove ads from WWE television.
Manna is now enjoying the fruits of his profession. In ECW, many of the performers would spend countless hours setting up the ring and arranging the seating accommodations.
In the WWE, Manna concerns himself solely with maintaining his physical condition and reaffirming the bond he established with his ECW friends, performers who are also entertaining millions every week on WWE television.
“A lot of the players that were in ECW are now in the WWE — Tommy Dreamer, the Dudley Boys, Tazz. It feels very good to see those guys again,” Manna added. “Actually, I’m better friends with them today than I was back then because I got to know them over the years. There is a certain camaraderie with these performers.”
Manna may not become the WWE champion in the future, but he has enjoyed several title reigns in his career. His titles have included the WWE Hardcore championship (twice) and the ECW tag-team belts (twice).
As a single man, Manna understands the difficulty of maintaining a successful relationship while spending more than two-thirds of the year traveling across the country. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t settle down if the right woman were to come into his life.
“Hopefully she won’t be a psycho,” he jokes. “Right now I’m married to my career. It’s hard on a spouse or a girlfriend when you’re away over 250 days a year. There’s a lot of trust involved.” ••
Times sports editor Daniel P. Moynihan can be reached at 215-354-3035 or dmoynihan@phillynews.com