10 Things You Didn't Know About Ricky Steamboat
A true Hall of Famer...
There are few wrestling fans, even today, who don't know about the legendary career of the great Ricky Steamboat. While he never achieved the mainstream fame or continued main-event success of some of his greatest rivals, Steamboat's reputation as an incredible worker and one of the sport's best babyfaces has preceded him - as has his colleagues' assertions that the star was a consummate professional.
Though mainly recognized as a mainstay of the NWA/WCW, Steamboat was one of a select group of men to achieve success in that organization and WWE, even prior to the wild days of the Monday Night Wars. He famously feuded with Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-match series that many consider the best of all time, but he also defeated Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship in a classic at WrestleMania III.
Even in 2009, Steamboat turned heads when he came out of retirement for a brief feud with Chris Jericho - one that proved he could still go. With that program, a whole new generation of fans got to briefly experience the greatness that is Ricky Steamboat.
Still, in his decades in the sport, there was a lot about the legend that fans weren't in on...
10. He Started Out Wrestling Under His Real Name
Ricky Steamboat first broke into the wrestling business in early 1976, competing for Verne Gagne's Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association. Though his tenure in the organization wouldn't last long, it gave him the wrestling background that he needed before he took his talents to the National Wrestling Alliance, courtesy of territories like Championship Wrestling from Florida and Jim Crockett Promotions.
While in the AWA, though, Steamboat would compete under his real name - Rick Blood. The 23-year-old babyface, after being trained by Verne Gagne and The Iron Sheik, stuck to the sobriquet his parents gave him once he was ready to get in the ring - and for good reason. When it comes to legitimate names in pro wrestling, few are more intimidating than "Rick Blood" - perhaps only "Brock Lesnar" is at the same level.
Nevertheless, the name wouldn't last long, as by the following year Rick Blood was rechristened with a familiar appellation...