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Richard Blood (born February 28, 1953 in West Point, New York), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a former American professional wrestler.
Career
Ricky debuted in 1976 in the American Wrestling Association and became one of the greatest professional wrestlers of the 1980s and early 90s. He took the name Sam Steamboat, Jr. from older Hawaiian wrestler Sam Steamboat, to whom he is not actually related, and also wrestled for a time under his real given name before settling on the name Ricky Steamboat, by which he would be known for the remainder of his career. He went from the AWA to Championship Wrestling from Florida (NWA), then to Georgia Championship Wrestling (NWA).
In 1977, he entered the National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned Jim Crockett Promotions, Inc. (based out of Charlotte, North Carolina), where he would remain for the next eight years of his career.
Steamboat, who had been brought in by JCP booker George Scott on the recommendation of Wahoo McDaniel, was initially billed as a protege of Wahoo, and barely spoke above whispers in interviews. In the ring, he was a spectacular performer who showed Bruce Lee-like fire, and quickly became one of the territory's most popular performers. Matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural.
Steamboat stepped up to the plate during an interview on the syndicated "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" when Flair, the then-Mid-Atlantic television champion, began goading the youngster. Steamboat knocked Flair out with a backhand chop to set up a match between the two.
Steamboat's star making performance came when he pinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win the Mid-Atlantic TV title at WRAL studios in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat would go on to capture the United States Championship three times and the World Tag Team championship six times (once with Paul Jones and five times with Jay Youngblood). He also held the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight singles crown and wore the Mid-Atlantic tag straps four times (twice with Paul Jones, once with Dino Bravo, and once with Jay Youngblood). He also won the TV title a second time (which by that point had changed its name changed to the "NWA" television championship).
Fans in the JCP territory to this day talk about classic Steamboat moments. The day Flair dragged his face around the television studio to scar his face and Steamboat's retaliating the following week by ripping Flair's expensive suit to shreds; Steamboat being turned on by his longtime tag team partner Paul Jones at the end of a two-ring battle royal; Steamboat and Youngblood painting yellow streaks down the backs of Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke in order to embarrass them into defending the World tag team title against them; Steamboat and Youngblood's amazing (and top drawing) feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle; Steamboat and Youngblood being turned on by their friends Jack & Jerry Brisco; Steamboat in a shocking (and surprisingly emotional) feud against former mentor Wahoo McDaniel; and his last great series in the territory, feuding with Tully Blanchard over the "NWA" TV title.
After having creative differences with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat, who, along with Flair, had been the face of the Crockett promotion for nearly a decade, accepted an offer from Vince McMahon and jumped to the World Wrestling Federation in 1985.
In his initial three-year WWF stint, Steamboat feuded with Don Muraco, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and the "Macho Man" Randy Savage. At WrestleMania III on March 29, 1987, Savage and Steamboat competed in what many wrestlers consider the best match in WWF history, in which Steamboat captured the WWF Intercontinental Championship. It was after seeing this match that Chris Jericho decided to become a wrestler.
Several weeks after winning the Intercontinental Championship, Steamboat asked WWF owner Vince McMahon for some time off to be with his wife Bonnie, who was expecting the birth of their first son Richard, Jr. This did not sit well with WWF management, as he had been molded to become a long-term Intercontinental Champion. He lost the belt on June 2, 1987 against the Honky Tonk Man. His son was born later that month.
Ricky came back in time for the first annual Survivor Series in November 1987. However, management was still bitter over his impromptu sabbatical from his first WWF run, and he was not pushed or given any meaningful feuds. His last major WWF appearance was at WrestleMania IV in March 1988. Shortly thereafter, he announced his retirement.
Ricky Steamboat made a triumphant comeback in January 1989 and returned to "the NWA" (specifically NWA affiliate World Championship Wrestling, the new company set up by media mogul Ted Turner after buying out JCP) where he had a legendary series of matches with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. He ended up capturing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Flair in February. Aside from several rematches with Flair, he was also the last NWA World champion to defend the belt in All Japan Pro Wrestling in a match against Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa). He lost it back to Flair in May.
After losing the NWA title, Ricky again ventured into semi-retirement in late 1989. Ricky did return briefly to the WWF in the summer of 1991 wearing a dragon man costume and blowing fire before his matches. He was not promoted as a major star, as it seemed that there was still some bitterness from his first run with the company. Theories also suggest that since he had won the NWA title (the WWF's main competitor at the time), he was purposely buried to give the impression that he won the title in a smaller, less competitive league than the WWF. The highlight of that run was at SummerSlam 1991, where he wrestled in a six-man tag team match with the "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and The Texas Tornado. Shortly therafter, he again left the WWF.
In November 1991, Steamboat made a surprise return to World Championship Wrestling after its purchase by Ted Turner). He captured the then "unified" WCW and NWA World Tag Team Championships (represented by two sets of belts) with Dustin Rhodes and Shane Douglas on different occasions. He also captured the Television & United States Heavyweight Championships. While feuding with "Stunning" Steve Austin in 1994, Ricky Steamboat took a bad bump off the top turnbuckle and serverely injured his back. He managed to pin Austin to win the United States title but had to give up the belt due to the injury.
Steamboat was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff via Federal Express package, thus ending a nearly two decade relationship with the Crockett/Turner wrestling organization. He retired for good in September 1994.
Steamboat is widely regarded as one of the top in-ring performers in modern wrestling history and is one of the most respected and well-liked wrestlers in the business. Notable stars such as Austin, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and Ric Flair consider Steamboat to be one of their greatest opponents. Flair's only, minor, criticism of Steamboat is that he never worked as a heel since the beginning of his career, though this statement could also be seen as praise since it attests to how well Steamboat played the babyface role.
Ricky Steamboat played an important role in the genesis of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he refereed the first Gauntlet for the Gold for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the four-way double-elimination match to crown the first holder of the TNA X Division Championship. He has also made appearances for Ring of Honor.
In early 2005, Ricky Steamboat returned to World Wrestling Entertainment as a road agent and was introduced as a WWE Legend at WWE Homecoming in October 2005.
In early 2006, Ricky Steamboat told WWE management that he would like to come out of retirement at WrestleMania 22 and work a match with Ric Flair, but the idea was nixed.
Recently Ricky Steamboat has been the special referee in main event matches between WWE Champion John Cena, Triple H or/both Edge in WWE house shows.
Steamboat's mother is Japanese-American, hence his Asian features which were crucial for his "Dragon" gimmick.
Wrestling facts
Finishing and signature moves
- Flying crossbody
- Double chickenwing
- Dragon Arm drag
- Leaping Judo chop
- Knife edge chop
- Skin the cat
Entrance music
Championships and accomplishments
- defeating Paul Jones on June 10, 1979
- with Paul Jones, defeating Ric Flair and Greg Valentine on August 22, 1977
- with Paul Jones, defeating Ric Flair and Big John Studd on November 5, 1978
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Don Kernodle and Jim Nelson on August 22, 1982
- defeating Ric Flair on October 22, 1977
- defeating Dick Slater on April 21, 1984
- 6-time NWA World Tag Team Champion
- with Paul Jones, defeating The Masked Superstar and Ken Patera on April 23, 1978
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Baron von Raschke and Paul Jones on October 22, 1979
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine on May 10, 1980
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Sergeant Slaughter and Don Kernodle on March 12, 1983
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Jack Brisco and Jerry Brisco on October 3, 1983
- with Jay Youngblood, defeating Jack Brisco and Jerry Brisco on November 24, 1983 at A Flair For the Gold
- defeating Ric Flair on December 18, 1978
- defeating The Iron Sheik on November 1, 1980
- defeating Ivan Koloff on October 10, 1981
- defeating Ric Flair on February 20, 1989
- PWI ranked him # 19 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years, with Jay Youngblood.
- PWI ranked him # 82 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years, with Shane Douglas.
- PWI Rookie of the Year Award (1977)
- PWI Tag Team of the Year Award, with Paul Jones (1978)
- PWI Editor's Award (1995)
- PWI Match of the Year Awards, versus Randy Savage (1987)
- PWI Match of the Year Awards, versus Ric Flair (1989)
- 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion
- with Dustin Rhodes, defeating Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko on November 19, 1991 at Clash of the Champions XVII)
- with Shane Douglas, defeating Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes on November 18, 1992 at Clash of the Champions XXI
- defeating Steve Austin on September 2, 1992 at 20th Anniversary
- defeating Paul Orndorff on August 18, 1993 at Clash of the Champions XXIV
- defeating Steve Austin on August 24, 1994 at Clash of the Champions XXVIII
- defeating Randy Savage on March 29, 1987 at WrestleMania III)
- He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996).
- 1983 Tag Team of the Year (with Jay Youngblood)
- 1987 Match of the Year (vs. Randy Savage)
- 1989 Match of the Year (vs. Ric Flair)
- 5 Star Match: vs. Ric Flair (February 20, 1989)
- 5 Star Match: vs. Ric Flair (April 2, 1989)
- 5 Star Match: vs. Ric Flair (May 7, 1989)
- 5 Star Match: with Sting, Nikita Koloff, & Barry Windham/Dustin Rhodes vs. Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko (War Games, May 17 1992)
Championship succession
| Preceded by: Randy Savage | WWF Intercontinental Champions | Succeeded by: The Honky Tonk Man |
American professional wrestlers | 1953 births | People from New York | People from North Carolina | People from Charlotte, North Carolina | Professional wrestling executives | Professional wrestling referees | Living people
"Ricky Steamboat"