Ricky Steamboat

Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953),^[2] better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American professional wrestler. He was one of the most well-known professional wrestlers of the late 1980s and early 1990s, notably competing in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Steamboat became a member of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Ricky Steamboat
Steamboat at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2022
Birth name	Richard Henry Blood
Born	(1953-02-28) February 28, 1953 (age 72)[1][2] West Point, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Maureen Powers ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1980)​ Debra Blood ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1985)​ Bonny Hastings ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 2003)​ Claudia Sobieski ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2012)​ Sandi McAlister ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	Richie Steamboat
Family	Vic Steamboat (brother)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Rick Blood[1] The Dragon[2] Richard Blood[1] Ricky Steamboat[1][2] Sam Steamboat Jr.[1][2]
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[3]
Billed weight	237 lb (108 kg)[3]
Billed from	Honolulu, Hawaii[1] Charlotte, North Carolina
Trained by	Verne Gagne[1] The Iron Sheik[1]
Debut	1976[1][4]
Retired	November 27, 2022

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Performance Award (1980) – with Dick Slater^[5]
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fair Play Award (1980) – with Dick Slater^[5]
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1982) – with Jay Youngblood^[6]
• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Lou Thesz Award (2012)^[7]
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2009^[8]
• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)^[a][9]
• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[b]
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)^[10]
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic/NWA/WCW World Television Championship (4 times)
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Paul Jones (3), Dino Bravo (1) and Jay Youngblood (1)
  • NWA/WCW World Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with Paul Jones (1), Jay Youngblood (5), Dustin Rhodes (1) and Shane Douglas (1)
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)^[11]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Match of the Year (1987) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage at WrestleMania III
  • Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair at WrestleWar
  • Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2009)
  • Rookie of the Year (1977)
  • Stanley Weston Award (1995)
  • Tag Team of the Year (1978) with Paul Jones
  • Ranked No. 6 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1992^[12]
  • Ranked No. 13 of the Top 500 Singles Wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[13]
  • Ranked No. 19 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Jay Youngblood in 2003.^[14]
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2002^[4]
• World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[15]
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Tag Team of the Year (1983) with Jay Youngblood
  • Match of the Year (1987) vs. Macho Man Randy Savage at WrestleMania III
  • Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions VI
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Footnotes

1. During this time, the title was almost exclusively defended in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. However, on occasion, the title was defended in other promotions through arrangements made with Mid-Atlantic.
2. Steamboat won the title after Ted Turner purchased Mid-Atlantic Championship wrestling from Jim Crockett and renamed it World Championship Wrestling.