9 Wrestlers WWE Never Turned Heel
5. Ricky Steamboat
Before they ever even locked up, Ricky Steamboat was the perfect performer to stand in polar opposition to World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.
'The Nature Boy' lived every bit of the life he gleefully detailed in his audacious and ostentatious promos, brilliantly contrasting the level-headed family man Steamboat presented in opposition. Their in-ring chemistry was forged from incredible instincts and years of working marathon matches together, but it was augmented by the pair so naturally playing the roles that suited them best.
When it came to Steamboat in particular, Vince McMahon concurred. 'The Dragon' and The Chairman had fallen out in 1987 over Ricky's intention to spend more time with his family during a time McMahon couldn't abide anything other than total robotic commitment to his global domination cause. Even in life, Steamboat was too great a babyface to ever turn heel on those that really mattered.
Though WWE never managed to book a meeting of the two greats during their brief crossover period with the organisation in 1991, the company did rebadge Ricky as a literal Dragon rather than attempt to reinvent him as a rule-breaker.