Making his debut in 1978, he first began wrestling in the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association as Mad Maxx defeating Disco Dog and Rocky Guerrero in singles matches before teaming with Super Maxx as the Wild Warriors defeating Jeff Van Kamp and Calypso Jim on July 7 and later Jeff Van Kamp and Dick the Bruiser for the WWA Tag Team Championshipin September 1984. Although suffering a loss to Dick the Bruiser and Moose Cholak by disqualification on November 10, Richmond and Super Maxx successfully defended the titles for several months including close matches against Bobby Colt and Bobo Brazil; although the tag team title history during this time is largely unrecorded, at least one source claims the Maxx Brothers lost the titles to Bobby Colt and Bobo Brazil on December 29. They later feuded with The Untouchables in Windy City Pro Wrestling facing them at the Battle of the Belts supercards, including a steel cage match in which Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart would be in the corner of The Untouchables. After losing the titles to Dick the Bruiser & Bobby Colt in March 1985, he and Super Maxx jumped to the American Wrestling Association the following year facing The Midnight Rockers and later feuded with The Samoan Connection over the Polynesian Pacific Tag Team titles during the summer which was later aired by Atlanta promoter Joe Pedicino during the Hot Summer Night in Aloha Stadium television special. During that year, they would later tour Japan facing Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura.
In early 1987, Richmond began wrestling for the Universal Wrestling Federation teaming with "Wild" Bill Irwin to defeat The Fantastics at the Sam Houston Coliseum on January 23 and in a rematch the following night. He and Irwin would later participate in the UWF Tag Team Title Tournament being eliminated by Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase in the opening rounds on February 7, 1987. Along with Irwin, Richmond soon aligned himself with manager Skandar Akbar's Devastation Inc. and eventually followed Akbar to Fritz von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling later that year. Feuding with Spike Huber, he and Abdullah the Butcher lost to Spike Huber and Red River Jack at the 4th annual Parade of Champions on May 3, 1987. During his time in the promotion, he would regularly appear on WCCW's weekly television program later facing Jeff Gaylord and Chavo Guerrero. In late 1987, he would return to Japan losing to Super Strong Machine at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on October 25, 1987. From there he appeared in Ken Mantel's Wild West Wrestling out of Fort Worth and was managed by Sunshine. He feuded with Fabulous Lance, Missing Link, and Savannah Jack.
