Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood Sr., better known by his ring name Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation. Steamboat is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time.
In JCP and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a 12-time World Tag Team Champion, and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. In the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
Early life
Richard Henry Blood born on February 28, 1953 in West Point, New York, to a Japanese American mother and a white father. He went to high school first in New York and later graduated in 1971 from Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, Florida, where he was on the amateur wrestling team. He was a two-time New York state qualifier and a Florida state champion.Professional wrestling career
American Wrestling Association (1976)
Blood was trained to wrestle by Verne Gagne and The Iron Sheik. He debuted in March 1976 as a babyface in Gagne's Minneapolis, Minnesota–based American Wrestling Association, wrestling as "Rick Blood". His early opponents included Scott Irwin, Buck Zumhofe, Mad Dog Vachon, and Blackjack Lanza. In May 1976, he took part in a two ring, $50,000 battle royal that was won by Mad Dog Vachon and Larry Hennig. He left the AWA later that month to join Championship Wrestling from Florida.Championship Wrestling from Florida (1976–1977)
Before Blood's debut in Championship Wrestling from Florida, Eddie Graham gave him the ring name "Ricky Steamboat" based on his resemblance to Hawaiian wrestler Sammy Steamboat. According to Steamboat, Graham thought "Rick Blood" was a good name for a heel, but not a face.Jim Crockett Promotions (1977–1985)
In 1977, Steamboat entered the National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned Jim Crockett Promotions , 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 babyface protege of Wahoo and barely spoke above whispers in interviews. Matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural fit. Steamboat was doing an interview on the syndicated Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling when Flair, then Mid-Atlantic television champion, began goading him. 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 NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship at the WRAL-TV studios in Raleigh, North Carolina.Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat captured the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship three times and the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times. He also held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship singles crown twice and the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship four times. He also won the Television title a second time.
Notable moments involving Steamboat's time in the Mid-Atlantic territory include: the day Flair dragged his face around the television studio, causing facial scarring, and Steamboat retaliating the following week by ripping Flair's expensive suit to shreds ; when longtime tag team partner Jones turned heel on Steamboat 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 to embarrass them into defending the World Tag Team titles against the two; Steamboat and Youngblood's top drawing feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle; Steamboat and Youngblood being turned on by their friends Jack and Jerry Brisco; Steamboat in a shocking feud against former mentor McDaniel; and his last great series in the territory, feuding with Tully Blanchard over the NWA TV title. After creative differences with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat left the NWA.
World Wrestling Federation (1985–1988)
Birth of "the Dragon" (1985–1986)
In 1985, Steamboat was offered a contract by Vince McMahon and joined the World Wrestling Federation. Shortly after his debut, Steamboat was given the gimmick of a babyface nicknamed "the Dragon"; Steamboat's jacket-and-trunks attire was replaced by a keikogi and long tights. Steamboat's mother is Japanese American, hence his Asian features crucial for his "Dragon" gimmick. Steamboat kept the nickname and gimmick for the remainder of his career.He appeared at the inaugural WrestleMania, where he defeated Matt Borne in the card's third match. On the September 14, 1985, edition of Championship Wrestling, Steamboat defeated Mr. Fuji, but after his victory was attacked by Fuji's protege Don Muraco, pitting Steamboat in a feud against Muraco and Fuji. During a televised episode of Championship Wrestling, Steamboat and Muraco were scheduled for a match that never officially started after Muraco jumped Steamboat before the bell. Following the beat down, Muraco and Fuji used Steamboat's karate black belt to hang him outside the ring from the top rope before Steamboat was finally saved by Tito Santana and the Junkyard Dog. On the November 2 Saturday Night's Main Event III, he defeated Fuji in a kung-fu challenge. On the January 4, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event IV, his intense feud with Muraco ended after he and the JYD beat Muraco and Fuji in a tag team match.
In the opening round at WWF The Wrestling Classic, Steamboat faced Davey Boy Smith in a rare match pitting two fan favorites against each other. The match moved back and forth until Smith landed in the ropes trying to attack Steamboat, but Steamboat sidestepped and Smith injured his groin and was unable to continue, so Steamboat was awarded the match by forfeit. He then faced off against Randy Savage in the quarterfinals. The referee was distracted by Miss Elizabeth as Savage took advantage and pulled out brass knuckles from his tights and hit Steamboat before pinning him to win the match.
After a victory over Hercules Hernandez at the Los Angeles portion of WrestleMania 2, Steamboat began his next feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Their feud began when Roberts attacked him before their match on the May 3 Saturday Night's Main Event VI, which did not occur due to Roberts assaulting Steamboat. Roberts was initially reluctant to deliver the DDT on the concrete floor due to his fear that Steamboat would not be able to stop his head from hitting the floor, which, on this particular occasion, was not covered with protective mats. Vince McMahon and booker George Scott were adamant that the spot take place outside the ring. Only after assurances by Steamboat that he would protect himself did Roberts agree to it. However, Roberts' fears came true and Steamboat was legitimately knocked out when his forehead hit the concrete. Roberts later described the sound as like a watermelon bursting. They later battled each other in a Snake Pit match in front of 74,000 fans at The Big Event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which Steamboat won with a small package despite Roberts dominating virtually the entire match to that point. Their feud finally ended on the October 4 Saturday Night's Main Event VII, when Steamboat defeated Roberts in their Snake Pit rematch. Following the match, Roberts continued to attack Steamboat and was about to place his snake Damien on him, but Steamboat took his Komodo Dragon out of his bag and scared Roberts from the ring.
Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and departure (1986–1988)
On the November 22, 1986 edition of Superstars, Steamboat got a shot at the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship against Macho Man Randy Savage. Steamboat lost the match by countout but after the match, Savage continued to assault him and injured Steamboat's larynx with the ring bell, beginning an angle between the two. On the January 3, 1987 Saturday Night's Main Event IX, Steamboat returned from his injury and prevented Savage from attacking George Steele like he had done to Steamboat six weeks prior. At WrestleMania III, Steamboat defeated Savage for the Intercontinental Championship. The highly influential match was considered an instant classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer and are still today considered one of the best match ever in wrestling.Several weeks after winning the Intercontinental Heavyweight 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 groomed to become a long-term champion. The decision was made by WWF management to punish Steamboat by having him initially drop the title to Butch Reed, but Reed did not show up that night, so he dropped to The Honky Tonk Man on the June 15 edition of Superstars; his son was born a month later. Steamboat came back in time for the Survivor Series in November 1987. WWF management was still bitter over his impromptu sabbatical from his first WWF run, however, and he was not pushed or given any meaningful feuds. Steamboat himself has implied in interviews that he was being punished for one-upping the Hogan-Andre main event at WrestleMania III. After defeating Ravishing Rick Rude by disqualification at 1988 Royal Rumble, Steamboat was entered into the tournament for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania IV in March 1988. On WWF television prior to the match, Steamboat appeared in a vignette where he stated that he hoped Randy Savage would win his first round match, thus setting up a rematch of last year's WrestleMania match and "one more classic confrontation". However, Steamboat would lose to his first round opponent Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Although television segments were shot immediately after WrestleMania IV that made it appear that Steamboat would be facing Valentine in a series of matches, Steamboat left the WWF shortly thereafter.