10 Things You Didn't Know About Ricky Steamboat
5. He Defended The NWA World Heavyweight Championship Against Mitsuharu Misawa
This article has already covered Ricky Steamboat's NWA World Heavyweight Championship run in 1989 - just as pretty much every article about Steamboat has. Here's a rare fact, though - during that reign, he went to All Japan Pro Wrestling to defend the belt against Tiger Mask II, who would soon become known as Mitsuharu Misawa.
In February and March of 1988, Steamboat worked the "Excite Series" tour for All Japan, teaming with Johnny Smith and taking on the likes of Shunji Takano, Shinichi Nakano, and Tiger Mask II. In his last bout of the tour, though, he defended his championship in a one-on-one dream match pitting two of the greatest workers of all time against one another.
The bout, held in Tokyo's Budokan Hall, may not have been a five-star classic, but it was an exciting match that showed how Misawa was on the verge of breaking out as a top guy (his star-making performance came a year later in a bout with Jumbo Tsuruta). Steamboat ultimately won in 13:47, reversing a cover into a roll-up for the three count.