You Didn't Know THIS WWE Legend Had A Kayfabe Uncle

If you ever thought that surname sounded weird, then brace yourselves!

by Jamie Kennedy
Ricky Steamboat Intercontinental Championship
WWE

Did you know that Ricky Steamboat was originally supposed to be the nephew of Hawaiian wrestler Sammy Steamboat?

Florida promoter Eddie Graham was the one who changed Ricky's ring name from Rick Blood to Ricky Steamboat, because he thought the young star could pass as family for Sammy - Graham didn't want to go the father and son route, so he pretended that Steamboat was Sam's nephew instead.

Fans bought it.

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Ricky told JBL and Gerald Brisco that he wasn't sure if the kayfabe claim would work, but it did. What's more, the then-WWF kept the ruse up (without specifically mentioning Sammy Steamboat - that wasn't exactly the done thing for Vince McMahon in the 1980s) and Ricky continued Sam's legacy there too.

They weren't actually related, and Ricky had never even met the man who was supposed to be his uncle. That didn't matter to promoters outside McMahon's WWE though. They proudly proclaimed that Steamboat was the next coming of "his uncle", and wrestling crowds lapped it up.

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This isn't something that's been talked about a lot during Ricky's career, but it does explain the Steamboat surname. He didn't even pick it!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.