10 Things You Didn't Know About Ricky Steamboat
6. He Lost The Intercontinental Title Because He Wanted To Spent Time With His Family
The highlight of Ricky Steamboat's WWE career came at WrestleMania III, where he beat Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title in a bout that many still consider the best ever held at the show of shows. At the time, Savage had held the title for well over a year, and many thought that the huge win would serve to make Steamboat a top star for the company.
It wasn't to be. Just over two months later, Steamboat lost the title to The Honky Tonk Man, who in turn would go on to become the longest-reigning IC Champion in the belt's history. So what happened?
Soon after WrestleMania III, Steamboat asked Vince McMahon for some time off - his wife, Bonnie, was pregnant with their son, Richard Jr. McMahon didn't appreciate Steamboat's putting family before wrestling, and so he took the title off of the star. Richie was born in July, and when Steamboat came back to action in November, management was no longer interested in pushing him. After WrestleMania IV, where Steamboat failed to advance past the first round in the WWE Championship tournament, he left the company.