Biography of Richard Henry Blood, better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat:
Born to a Japanese mother and an American father, Richard Henry Blood would go on to become a legendary professional wrestler, making a name for himself in the old Mid-Atlantic territory in the Carolinas, where he trained under the renowned Verne Gagne.
Steamboat's early career was marked by a series of legendary matches and feuds with the likes of Ric Flair, culminating in their iconic "Holy Trilogy" of matches at WCW/NWA Chi-Town Rumble, Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun, and WCW/NWA WrestleWar in 1989.
One of the most notable feuds of his career was with Randy Savage over the WWE Intercontinental Title, which Steamboat ultimately won at WrestleMania III in 1987, a match that many consider to be the greatest WrestleMania match of all time.
Throughout his illustrious career, Steamboat held numerous championships, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Tag Team Championship, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, and WCW Television Championship.
At various points in his career, Steamboat would "retire" to spend time with his family and run his gym, only to return to the ring later on. However, a back injury suffered in a match with "Stunning" Steve Austin at Clash of the Champions XXVIII in 1994 ultimately forced him into retirement.
A true babyface throughout his career, Steamboat was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and the NWA Hall of Fame in 2012.
Interestingly, Steamboat was given the name "Ricky Steamboat" by wrestling promoter Eddie Graham due to his striking resemblance to wrestling legend Sammy Steamboat, who even endorsed the name change and allowed them to bill the "Ricky Steamboat" character as his nephew. The two remained close friends until Sammy's passing.
In addition to his in-ring accomplishments, Steamboat also played an on-air executive role in the early days of NWA TNA and received the 1995 PWI Editor's Award.
Following his Intercontinental Championship win, Steamboat asked Vince McMahon for some time off to be with his wife, who was expecting the birth of their son Richard Blood Jr. However, this did not sit well with WWF management, and shortly after, he was forced to drop the belt to the Honkytonk Man. Still bitter, the WWE did not push him or give him any meaningful matches upon his return, leading him to leave for WCW shortly after.
