10 Things You Didn't Know About Ricky Steamboat
2. Ryback Ended His Career
A couple of years after his TNA appearance, Steamboat would do some work in Ring of Honor and ultimately come to WWE's attention. He was signed as a road agent in 2005 and, while the company wasn't keen on his idea to come out of retirement at WrestleMania 22 and take on Ric Flair, he did eventually get to make a comeback. At WrestleMania 25, he showed he could still go in a handicap match against Chris Jericho, and the two clashed in a great singles contest at Backlash.
That was Steamboat's last televised match, but he continued to compete sporadically at house shows until the next year. On June 28, 2010, Steamboat appeared on Raw, but was attacked by the brand-new Nexus stable. Unfortunately, a lariat from Skip Sheffield (who would become Ryback) badly injured Steamboat, causing him pair in his neck and shoulders and chronic headaches that lasted for years afterwards. Though he had wrestled as recently as June 18, he would never compete again.