Prime Years: 1982 - 1987 & 1989 Why He Should Be Studied: Much like Ricky Morton, Steamboat was an amazing babyface. In fact, he was so good at playing the good guy, that he never turned heel in his almost twenty-year career. The Dragon once asked WWE official Pat Patterson to turn, outlining an angle in which he would work as a heel under a mask for a year before eventually being revealed, but Patterson shot down the idea, saying 'Steamboat, you're the consummate babyface. I can send you out to the ring with a chainsaw and you can cut off both of Hulk Hogan's arms, and the fans just wouldn't believe it'. Watching Steamboat wrestle, you can see why he was so beloved by fans. Along with his incredible, ultra-realistic selling (he used to study tapes of boxers being hit and mimic their movements in the ring), Steamboat was also an exciting performer, one of the few from the era that consistently went to the top rope. He just had tremendous fire and was also a phenomenal wrestler. Steamboat's 1989 series with Ric Flair and his match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III, are still touted as some of the best of all-time. They are, and they (along with other Steamboat bouts) should be studied by any upcoming WWE babyface. Oh, he also has a pretty nifty arm drag, too.
