 Steamboat in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Henry Blood (1953-02-28)February 28, 1953 (age 72)[1][2] West Point, New York, U.S. |
Spouses | |
| Children | Richie Steamboat |
| Family | Vic Steamboat (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rick Blood[1] The Dragon[2] Richard Blood[1] Ricky Steamboat[1][2] Sam Steamboat Jr.[1][2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Honolulu, Hawaii[1] Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Trained by | Verne Gagne[1] The Iron Sheik[1] |
| Debut | March 1976[1][4] |
| Retired | November 27, 2022 |
Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953),[1][2] better known by hisring nameRicky "the Dragon"Steamboat, is an American retiredprofessional wrestler currently signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his work with theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA),Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP),World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, nowWWE). Steamboat is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time.[5]
In JCP and WCW, he was aone-timeNWA World Heavyweight Champion,[6] afour-timeUnited States Heavyweight Champion,[7] afour-timeWorld Television Champion,[8][9] a 12-timeWorld Tag Team Champion (eight under theWCW banner,[10][11]one (though unofficial) under theNWA banner,[12] andthree under theMid-Atlantic banner),[13] and atwo-timeMid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion.[14] In the WWF/E, Steamboat was aone-timeIntercontinental Heavyweight Champion[15] and was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
Richard Henry Blood born on February 28, 1953 inWest Point, New York,[16] to aJapanese American mother and awhite father.[17] He went to high school first in New York and later graduated in 1971 fromBoca Ciega High School inGulfport, Florida, where he was on theamateur wrestling team. He was a two-time New York state qualifier and a Florida state champion.
Blood was trained to wrestle byVerne Gagne andThe Iron Sheik.[1] He debuted in March 1976 as ababyface in Gagne'sMinneapolis, Minnesota–basedAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA), wrestling as "Rick Blood".[1][18] His early opponents includedScott Irwin,Buck Zumhofe,Mad Dog Vachon, andBlackjack Lanza. In May 1976, he took part in a two ring, $50,000battle royal that was won by Mad Dog Vachon andLarry Hennig. He left the AWA later that month to joinChampionship Wrestling from Florida.[19]
Before Blood's debut inChampionship Wrestling from Florida,Eddie Graham gave him the ring name "Ricky Steamboat" based on his resemblance to Hawaiian wrestlerSammy Steamboat.[1][20][21] According to Steamboat, Graham thought "Rick Blood" was a good name for a heel, but not a face.[22]
In 1977, Steamboat entered theNational Wrestling Alliance-sanctionedJim Crockett Promotions (JCP) (which ran under the concurrent brand names "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and "Wide World Wrestling"—later "World Wide Wrestling"—as well as airing syndicated TV programs under those respective names), where he would remain for the next eight years of his career. Steamboat, who had been brought in by JCPbooker George Scott on the recommendation ofWahoo McDaniel, was initially billed as ababyface 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 syndicatedMid-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 hepinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win theNWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship at theWRAL-TV studios inRaleigh, North Carolina.[8]
Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat captured theNWA United States Heavyweight Championshipthree times[7] and theNWA World Tag Team Championshipsix times (once withPaul Jones and five times withJay Youngblood).[10] He also held theNWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship singles crowntwice[14] and theNWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championshipfour times (three times with Paul Jones, once with Jay Youngblood).[13] He also won the Television title (which had been renamedNWA World Television Championship) asecond time.[8]
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 (an angle that would be reworked several times involving other wrestlers in the years that followed); when longtime tag team partner Jonesturned heel on Steamboat at the end of a two-ring battle royal; Steamboat and Youngblood painting yellow streaks down the backs of Paul Jones andBaron von Raschke to embarrass them into defending the World Tag Team titles against the two; Steamboat and Youngblood's top drawing feud withSgt. Slaughter andDon Kernodle; Steamboat and Youngblood being turned on by their friendsJack andJerry Brisco; Steamboat in a shocking (and emotional) feud against former mentor McDaniel; and his last great series in the territory, feuding withTully Blanchard over the NWA TV title. After creative differences with JCP bookerDusty Rhodes, Steamboat left the NWA.[23]
In 1985, Steamboat was offered a contract byVince McMahon and joined theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF). Shortly after his debut (where he defeated Steve Lombardi onChampionship Wrestling), Steamboat was given thegimmick of a babyface nicknamed "the Dragon"; Steamboat's jacket-and-trunks attire was replaced by akeikogi and long tights. Steamboat's mother isJapanese American, hence his Asian features crucial for his "Dragon" gimmick. Steamboat kept the nickname and gimmick for the remainder of his career.
He appeared atthe inaugural WrestleMania, where he defeatedMatt Borne in the card's third match.[24] On the September 14, 1985, edition ofChampionship Wrestling, Steamboat defeatedMr. Fuji, but after his victory was attacked by Fuji's protegeDon Muraco, pitting Steamboat in afeud against Muraco and Fuji.[25] During a televised episode ofChampionship 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 byTito Santana and theJunkyard Dog. On the November 2Saturday Night's Main Event III, he defeated Fuji in a kung-fu challenge.[26] 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 atag team match.[27]
In the opening round atWWF The Wrestling Classic, Steamboat facedDavey 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. Thereferee was distracted byMiss Elizabeth as Savage took advantage and pulled outbrass knuckles from his tights and hit Steamboat before pinning him to win the match.[28]
After a victory overHercules Hernandez at theLos Angeles portion ofWrestleMania 2,[29] Steamboat began his nextfeud withJake "The Snake" Roberts. Their feud began when Roberts attacked him before their match on the May 3Saturday Night's Main Event VI, which did not occur due to Roberts assaulting Steamboat.[30][31] 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 bookerGeorge 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.[32] They later battled each other in a Snake Pit match (no DQ) in front of 74,000 fans atThe Big Event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which Steamboat won with a small package despite Roberts dominating virtually the entire match to that point.[33] Their feud finally ended on the October 4Saturday Night's Main Event VII, when Steamboat defeated Roberts in their Snake Pit rematch.[34] 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.[35]
On the November 22, 1986 edition ofSuperstars, Steamboat got a shot at theIntercontinental Heavyweight Championship againstMacho Man Randy Savage. Steamboat lost the match by countout but after the match, Savage continued to assault him and injured Steamboat's larynx (kayfabe) with the ring bell, beginning anangle between the two.[36] On the January 3, 1987Saturday Night's Main Event IX, Steamboat returned from his injury and prevented Savage from attackingGeorge Steele like he had done to Steamboat six weeks prior.[37] AtWrestleMania III, Steamboat defeated Savage for the Intercontinental Championship.[38][39][40] The highly influential match was considered an instant classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by bothPro Wrestling Illustrated and theWrestling Observer.
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 initiallydrop the title toButch Reed, but Reed did not show up that night, so he dropped toThe Honky Tonk Man on the June 15 edition ofSuperstars;[41] his son was born a month later. Steamboat came back in time for theSurvivor Series in November 1987.[42] WWF management was still bitter over his impromptu sabbatical from his first WWF run, however, andhe was not pushed or given any meaningful feuds. Steamboat himself has implied in interviews that he was being punished for one-upping theHogan-Andre main event at WrestleMania III. After defeatingRavishing Rick Rude bydisqualification at1988 Royal Rumble,[43] Steamboat was entered into the tournament for the vacantWWF World Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania 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 opponentGreg "The Hammer" Valentine.[44] 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.
Steamboat made his comeback to wrestling in January 1989 and returned to the NWA (specifically, NWA affiliateWorld Championship Wrestling) on the January 21, 1989 edition ofWorld Championship Wrestling (it would later become the name ofthe promotion) as a surprisetag team partner of"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert against NWA World Champion,Ric Flair andBarry Windham in a tag team match that saw Steamboatpin Flair.[45] This earned him a shot at the title atChi-Town Rumble where Steamboat defeated Flair in themain event for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship.[6][46] He was also the last NWA World Champion to defend the belt inAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in a match againstTiger Mask II.[2] After Steamboat retained the NWA title against Flair in a controversial ending on the April 2Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun,[47] Flair and Steamboat would then face each other in their final rematch atWrestleWar in May,[47] where Steamboat dropped the title to Flair.[48]
After losing the title, Steamboat remained the number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a fact that irked fellow babyface U.S. ChampionLex Luger. This dispute culminated in Luger attacking Steamboat on the June 14Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory, thus turningheel. Luger stood over the fallen Steamboat and arrogantly said, "There lays your number one contender!"[49] Steamboat then demanded ano disqualification match against Luger atThe Great American Bash for the title, but just before the bell Luger demanded the clause be dropped or there would not be a match.[50] Steamboat lost the match bydisqualification after hitting Luger with a chair.[50] Due to a contract dispute this would be Steamboat's last match of note in WCW in 1989.[1]
After leaving the NWA, Steamboat underwent surgery on his injured foot. Fully recovered, he returned to the ring in February 1990 for the North Carolina–basedNorth American Wrestling Association (later renamed South Atlantic Pro Wrestling in July 1990), where he feuded withRobert Fuller over the NAWA/SAPW Heavyweight Championship, until leaving the promotion in October 1990.
In September and October 1990, he toured withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he faced high-profile stars likeHiroshi Hase andThe Great Muta and teamed up with the likes ofOwen Hart,Pegasus Kid,Riki Choshu,Shinya Hashimoto, andMiguel Perez, Jr., and also having matches with aspiring starsHiro Saito andTakayuki Iizuka.
In 1991, Steamboat would return to the World Wrestling Federation after signing a two-year contract.[51] Billed simply asThe Dragon, a series of vignettes began airing in February 1991 that featured him breathing fire. Despite his previous success in the WWF as a one-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, Steamboat was mainly treated as a brand-new wrestler, save for the announcers occasionally making reference to his WrestleMania III match and former title reign.[52] Steamboat's first match came on aSuperstars taping on March 11 in Pensacola, FL when he defeated Jeff Sword. His first televised match was on the March 30 edition ofSuperstars when he defeated theBrooklyn Brawler with his signaturediving crossbody. On subsequent episodes ofSuperstars andWrestling Challenge, Steamboat would go on to win numeroussquash matches. He would also be victorious on televised Madison Square Garden events, defeating the likes ofHaku,Demolition Smash,Paul Roma,Col. Mustafa,Pat Tanaka, andThe Warlord.
Steamboat's only pay per view appearance during his second WWF tenure was atSummerSlam. Teaming withKerry Von Erich andDavey Boy Smith against the Warlord, Hercules, and Paul Roma, Steamboat got the victory for his team by pinning Roma.
The Dragon was undefeated on television during his 1991 run and lost only one match, ahouse show bout againstSkinner. The day after hisdark match loss, Steamboat gave his notice to WWF management and then quit the company shortly thereafter. He had been booked for theSurvivor Series, teaming withJim Neidhart (who would be replaced bySgt. Slaughter due to injury),Jim Duggan, and Kerry Von Erich against Col. Mustafa, Skinner,The Berzerker, andBig Bully Busick (who would be replaced by Hercules after Busick left the WWF), but he left before the event and was replaced byTito Santana. It is rumored that Steamboat was booked to be squashed byThe Undertaker onSuperstars to build Undertaker for his impending WWF Championship match against Hulk Hogan, and that Steamboat chose to quit the WWF rather than lose to Undertaker. Undertaker instead squashed Kerry Von Erich onWrestling Challenge weeks prior to Survivor Series.
During his time in the WWF, Steamboat askedPat Patterson to work as a heel. Steamboat proposed to fight as a masked heel until somebody would remove his mask, but Patterson said he was a consummate babyface.[22]
In November 1991 atClash of the Champions XVII, Steamboat returned toWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the surprise tag team partner ofDustin Rhodes, substituting for an injuredBarry Windham. Steamboat and Rhodes defeated theEnforcers (Arn Anderson andLarry Zbyszko) to win theWorld Tag Team Championship, Steamboat's first World Tag Team Title under the WCW banner.[11][53] They lost the titles to Arn Anderson and his new partnerBobby Eaton at alive event in January 1992.[54] Steamboat beganfeuding with theDangerous Alliance at this point, facing them in a critically acclaimedWarGames match atWrestleWar, which received a5-star rating fromDave Meltzer. He unsuccessfully challenged Dangerous Alliance member andUnited States Heavyweight ChampionRick Rude for the title atSuperBrawl II.[55] Their rivalry culminated in a non-titleIron Man Challenge atBeach Blast, which Steamboat won.[56]
On the September 2, 1992Clash of the Champions XX: 20th Anniversary, Steamboat defeated"Stunning" Steve Austin to win his firstTelevision Championship under the WCW banner.[9][57] He lost the title toScott Steiner at a television taping[58] on September 29.[59] He however, won both his firstNWA World Tag Team Championship (unrecognized by NWA) and his second WCW World Tag Team Title withShane Douglas (NWA and WCW titles wereunified) on the November 18Clash of the Champions XXI by defeatingBarry Windham andDustin Rhodes.[11][60] On the March 27, 1993 edition ofPower Hour, they lost the NWA and WCW titles toThe Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin).[61][62] On the August 18Clash of the Champions XXIV, he defeatedPaul Orndorff to win his second and final WCW World Television Championship.[9][63] In September 1993, atFall Brawl, Steamboat's TV title reign was ended when he lost toLord Steven Regal.[64] AtStarrcade, the two fought in a rematch for the title which resulted in a time-limit draw.[65]
Heading into 1994, Steamboat engaged in one last feud over theWCW World Heavyweight Championship with longtime rival Ric Flair, which culminated in a match in the main event ofSpring Stampede where the title was briefly held up due toboth men's shoulders being pinned at the same time.[66] On the May 14 edition ofSaturday Night, Flair defeated Steamboat to reclaim possession of the title.[67] Their final singles match was onMain Event in July which ended on a disqualification when Steve Austin interfered. Steamboat and Flair's last encounter was in a tag team match on the July 31 edition ofMain Event where Steamboat teamed withSting against Ric Flair and Steve Austin.[68]
He then feuded with US Champion "Stunning" Steve Austin and earned a US title shot atBash at the Beach, but lost.[69] On the August 24Clash of the Champions XXVIII, he got a rematch against Austin where Steamboat hurt his back,[70] but managed topin Austin for theUnited States Heavyweight Championship.[70][71] However, he had to give up the belt due to the injury atFall Brawl; he was replaced by"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who made his WCW debut after Duggan left the WWF. The match was started, Duggan defeated Austin to become new United States Heavyweight Champion.[70][72] In September 1994, Steamboat was fired by WCW PresidentEric Bischoff viaFedEx package (while injured), thus ending a nearly two decade relationship with the Crockett/Turner wrestling organization.
After an eight-year retirement, Steamboat played an important role in the genesis ofTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was the referee of the firstGauntlet for the Gold for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship.[73] He was also the referee for the four-way double-elimination match to crown the first holder of theTNA X Division Championship.[1] He has also made appearances forRing of Honor where he refereed the first defense of theROH Pure Wrestling Championship.[74] In 2004, he engaged in a series of confrontations withCM Punk over Punk's arrogance in matches Steamboat refereed and then became CM Punk's inspiration to become the better person Steamboat knew he could be.[75] The latter part of 2004 saw Steamboat feud withMick Foley over which style of wrestling was superior, pure wrestling orhardcore wrestling.[76] The two of them had many confrontations and managed teams to face one another, but never had a match against each other.[77] Steamboat's last ROH appearance was at Final Battle 2004 where he and Foley finally made peace.[78]
In early 2005, Steamboat returned to WWE as aproducer and was introduced as a WWE Legend on the "Homecoming" edition ofRaw in October 2005.[79] In early 2006, Ricky Steamboat told WWE management that he would like to come out of retirement atWrestleMania 22 andwork a match with Ric Flair, but the idea was nixed.[1] Ricky Steamboat has been the special referee in main event matches betweenJohn Cena,Triple H, and/orEdge at WWE house shows.[1] In 2006 at the Raw SummerSlam Tour inSydney,Australia, he was a referee for a match between Cena and Edge for theWWE Championship.[1] He also refereed another title match in July 2007 between John Cena andRandy Orton inAnaheim, California.[1] On April 1, 2007, he made an appearance atWrestleMania 23 while various other legends were having a small dance party in the background.[80] He also briefly appeared at theVengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view, being recognized as a former Intercontinental Champion.[81] He made another appearance on WWE television during Ric Flair's farewell on the March 31, 2008 edition ofRaw.[82]
He appeared on the February 23 edition ofRaw, after being named one of the members of the 2009WWE Hall of Fame class. However, Steamboat was attacked byChris Jericho, who began to feud with the Hall of Famers.[83] In his first match in nearly 15 years, Steamboat returned to the ring alongside Piper and Snuka to take on Jericho atWrestleMania 25 on April 5, 2009. While both Snuka and Piper were swiftly eliminated during the match, Steamboat held his own against Jericho, performing his legendarydiving crossbody and even aplancha, although Jericho would eventually go on to win the match. After receiving good reviews for his performance, Steamboat was scheduled to face Jericho in another match atBacklash. However, he lost the match after submitting to theWalls of Jericho. From June to August 2009, Steamboat worked in house shows against Chris Jericho,Drew McIntrye, andSheamus.[84] On August 15, 2009, he teamed up with his son Richie to defeatHiram Tua andOrlando Colon forWorld Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.[85]
Steamboat's last WWE-related match was teaming with his son Richie, as they defeatedTrent Barretta andCaylen Croft atFlorida Championship Wrestling's Father's Day Salute on June 18, 2010.[84]
On June 28, 2010, he returned toRaw to promote his new DVD only to be attacked and injured byThe Nexus. On WWE's website the following day, it was announced that in storyline, Steamboat suffered injuries from the attack. However, on July 1, WWE's website announced that the prior night, Steamboat felt legitimate pain in his neck and shoulders and as a result, was now legitimately hospitalized. This caused WWE to take down any storyline information related to that attack.[86] In a 2024 interview forBiography: WWE Legends, Steamboat stated that he was in the hospital for three weeks following that injury, due to bleeding between the hemispheres of his brain.
Steamboat worked as an NXT trainer and in the talent relations department withTriple H until the developmental release of his son,Richie Steamboat, in 2013. He later moved on to being an Ambassador.[87]
Steamboat was released by WWE on July 19, 2014.[88]
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On the February 25, 2019, episode ofWWE Raw, Steamboat along with special guests Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle and Sting appeared during the main event segment to celebrate the 70th birthday of Ric Flair. However, Flair would be attacked byBatista instead of appearing on screen.[89]
In his first televised appearance on TBS since 1994, Steamboat was the guest timekeeper in a match betweenBryan Danielson andDaniel Garcia on the August 17, 2022 edition ofAEWDynamite.[90][91]
Steamboat returned to the ring on November 27, 2022, at age 69 for the first time since his last match in 2010. He teamed withFTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood) as they defeatedNick Aldis,Jay Lethal andBrock Anderson (son ofArn Anderson) at Big Time Wrestling Return of the Dragon in Raleigh, North Carolina.[92]
Steamboat returned to AEW on the August 5, 2023, episode ofAEW Collision as a special outside enforcer for the "Real World Championship" match betweenCM Punk andRicky Starks due to Starks beating Punk by cheating in their previous two matches. After the match, Starks assaulted Steamboat with Steamboat's own belt.[93][94] It was later reported that Steamboat requested that he be beaten down by Starks instead of the planned finish of him chasing Starks away after the match and AEW had offered Steamboat a producer role backstage, but turned it down due to not wanting to travel weekly.[95][96][97] On the September 2 episode ofCollision, Steamboat presented a contract for a "Ricky Starks vs. The Dragon"strap match atAEW All Out to Starks. After Starks signed the contract, it was revealed that his opponent would not be Steamboat but"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson instead.[98] Steamboat joined the broadcast team for the match at All Out to witness Danielson defeating Starks.[99]
Steamboat was guest timekeeper forAEW Revolution in 2024, which was billed as the final match forSting and his tag team partnerDarby Allin, who defended theAEW Tag Team Championship againstMatthew and Nicholas Jackson, which was held atGreensboro Coliseum.[100]
On November 12, 2025, Steamboat returned to AEW for the2025 Blood and Guts special.[101] During the event, Steamboat attempted to tell a story about meeting he andRic Flair had in 1977, only to be interrupted byFTR. The interruption led to a confrontation, and also lead to FTR attacking Steamboat.[102]
Steamboat appears in 14wrestling video games; he made his video game debut inWCW: World Championship Wrestling in 1989. He later appeared inWCW SuperBrawl Wrestling in 1994 and laterLegends of Wrestling in 2001,Legends of Wrestling II in 2002 andShowdown: Legends of Wrestling in 2004. He made hisWWE video game debut inWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 in 2010, and has since appeared inWWE All Stars,WWE '12,WWE 2K14,WWE 2K16 (two versions; oneDLC),WWE 2K17 andWWE 2K18 as an unlockable character,WWE 2K19 as DLC in the game'sRic Flair-themed "Wooooo!" Collector's edition, inWWE 2K20 as an unlockable character, and inWWE 2K24 as part of the "40 Years of WrestleMania" Showcase.[103]His most recent appearance was inWWE 2K25.
On June 2, 2024, Steamboat was the subject of theBiography: WWE Legends.
Blood is the older brother of professional wrestlerVic Steamboat. His son, Richard Jr. (born 1987), was a wrestler under the ring nameRichie Steamboat.
Is it true you used to wrestle as 'Sammy Steamboat Jr.' when you first broke in? No, I was his 'nephew'.
I walked into Eddie Graham's office, he took one look at me and said, 'You look a lot like Sam Steamboat. We're going to make you his nephew - Ricky Steamboat,' the wrestler recalled.
Ricky Steamboat pinned Mr. Fuji at 4:06 with a roll up after avoiding a back suplex; after the bout, Don Muraco attacked Steamboat in the aisle from behind and broke a chair over his back before he and Fuji went backstage
Jake Roberts fought Ricky Steamboat to a no contest when Roberts attacked Steamboat before the bell and executed the DDT on the concrete floor before rolling Steamboat back inside the ring and allowing his snake to crawl all over Steamboat until a number of officials swarmed the ring (televised footage of the event showed Roberts literally having to drag Steamboat's limp body into the ring as The Dragon was out cold and could not give the usual help); after the bout, Steamboat was taken from ringside on a stretcher while his wife Bonnie looked on from ringside.
Ricky Steamboat pinned Jake Roberts at 6:17 in a Snake Pit match with a reverse cradle; after the bout, Roberts continued to attack Steamboat and was about to place Damien on him but Steamboat took his Komodo Dragon out of his bag and scared Roberts from the ring
WWF IC Champion Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) defeated Ricky Steamboat via count-out after crushing Steamboat's throat against the guardrail, after hitting a double axe handle from the top at 7:03; after the match, Savage attacked Steamboat's larynx with the timekeeper's bell, jumping from the top rope, taking him out of action for several months; moments later, Steamboat was taken from ringside on a stretcher
WWF IC Champion Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) pinned George Steele at around 8:30 after hitting him with the timekeeper's bell; during the bout, Ricky Steamboat came ringside as a surprise of Steele's; moments later, Steele carried Elizabeth backstage and Steamboat was then escorted from ringside by referees and security, with Steele returning to the ring shortly thereafter; after the bout, Steamboat returned to the ring to make the save as Savage prepared to come off the top with the ring bell onto Steele's throat
The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned WWF IC Champion Ricky Steamboat to win the title at 3:53 by reversing an inside cradle and grabbing onto the bottom rope for leverage
Ricky Steamboat (mystery partner) & Eddie Gilbert defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair & NWA US Champion Barry Windham (w/ JJ Dillon) at 15:14 when Steamboat pinned Flair with a gorilla press slam and crossbody off the top
Ricky Steamboat defeated Terry Funk via disqualification at 12:52 when Funk took the ringside mic and repeatedly hit Steamboat with it; after the bout, NWA US Champion Lex Luger ran out with a steel chair, clearing Funk from the ring; moments later, Luger grabbed a mic and defended accusations he had recently been too arrogant; he then helped Steamboat to his feet, hit a clothesline, hit Steamboat with the chair, and then put Steamboat in the Torture Rack to a massive face pop; Luger then grabbed the mic again and said "There lays your number one contender," referring to Steamboat
NWA U.S. Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger vs. Ricky Steamboat. It's been scheduled to be a no-DQ match, but Luger protests because he's the champ and doesn't want a no-DQ match with Steamboat, but he'll wrestle if the no-DQ clause is dropped. Now Steamboat has the chair! Tommy Young tries to stop him, but Steamboat shoves him aside as well and BEATS Luger with the chair to give Luger the DQ win! (10:27)
Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match to win the titles
Scott Steiner pinned WCW TV Champion Ricky Steamboat to win the title with an inside cradle
Steve Austin & Brian Pillman defeated WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas to win the titles at around 19:20 when Pillman pinned Steamboat after Austin hit Steamboat in the back of the head with one of the title belts; the match was shown several weeks after the announcement of the title change, thus the commentary of Eric Bischoff & Larry Zbyzsko surrounded the fact the challengers would be winning the titles
Ric Flair pinned Ricky Steamboat; due to pre-match stipulations, Flair won the held up WCW World Title
Ric Flair (w/ Sherri Martel) & WCW US Champion Steve Austin defeated Sting & Ricky Steamboat at around the 27-minute mark when Austin pinned Steamboat by grabbing the tights for leverage
15.8.2009
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