Every Original WWE NXT Black & Gold Roster Member - Where Are They Now?

21. Richie Steamboat

Richie Steamboat
WWE

What was he doing at the time?

Richie Steamboat defeated Rick Victor on the second ever episode of NXT, and it was far from his first win on either of WWE's developmental brands at the time. For more than just his genes, he  seemed poised for bigger things, but the injury bug sadly bit harder than the wrestling one. He won more than he lost on NXT in particular, but time on the shelf turned into a career path completely shelved.  

What is he doing now?

The second generation double edged sword threatened to cut Steamboat the entire time he donned tights and boots, particularly with 'The Dragon's shadow being such a massive one to leap out of. Steamboat wasn't the best on the stick either; but the comparison point every time he hit an arm-drag was an unnecessarily heavy cross to bear. The back injury that ended Richie’s career by the end 2012 sounds brutal, but father Ricky was later pleased to report that his son was very happily retired.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.