He was arguably one of the greatest talents ever to step inside the squared circle. Few, if any, have been as consistent across the board from a standpoint of in-ring workmanship, fan acceptance and overall positive credibility as a ring performer. And it is those attributes which have garnered Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat a slot in WWE’s Hall of Fame, Class of 2009.
Making his debut as part of the AWA in 1976, Steamboat continued to ply his craft that year with stops in Florida and Georgia. But it was the following year in the Mid-Atlantic area where the Hawaiian began gaining considerable notice. Outside the ring, Steamboat was modest and soft-spoken; yet once battle was underway, he exuded unrivaled fire and energy, endearing him to that area’s fans.
During his nearly eight-year Mid-Atlantic tenure, Steamboat would hold great success in tag team action, forming a dynamic and highly successful tandem with Jay Youngblood. In singles action, his most memorable confrontations took place against the “Nature Boy,” Ric Flair – an unforgettable rivalry that would re-ignite at WCW in 1989, and saw Steamboat gain the NWA World Championship from the Nature Boy.
Through the years, many of the Steamboat-Flair match-ups rank among the best one-on-one contests ever held, so much so that even the Nature Boy credits his long-time adversary as one of his greatest opponents ever. “Steamboat had everything – charisma, work rate, intensity and one of the best bodies in our business,” he wrote in his New York Times bestseller To Be The Man. “He was just amazing.”
Today, “The Dragon” is a producer for WWE, applying his vast knowledge, savvy and psychology of his years of in-ring competition to WWE’s current crop of Superstars. Ricky Steamboat’s entry into WWE’s Hall of Fame speaks volumes about truly one of the most admired and respected individuals that the wrestling industry has even seen.