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He once KO’d Ric Flair. Now, ‘The Dragon’ is coming back for a Charlotte wrestling event

Joe Marusak
·2 min read
3

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, the pro wrestling Hall of Famer who once knocked out Ric Flair, is set to return this month to the Charlotte arena where his bouts with other top wrestlers of the ‘80s and ‘90s made him a legend.

Steamboat will serve as “special matchmaker” for the SuperFight hosted by Major League Wrestling, which makes its Charlotte debut at Grady Cole Center on Feb. 26.

Ricky Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
Ricky Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

MLW world heavyweight champion Alex Hammerstone will headline the event against Davey Richards. Doors to the center at 310 N. Kings Drive open at 6:30 p.m., with the bell ringing for the match at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $65.

“It’s with great pleasure to return to Charlotte and serve as MLW’s special matchmaker for this big card,” Steamboat said in a statement released by the league. “This is where I got my ‘main event status.’”

“I know a thing or two about delivering some great Carolina wrestling for the great Charlotte fans,” he said.

Steamboat, who turns 69 on Feb. 28, debuted in the American Wrestling Association in 1976, according to ProWrestlingFandom.com.

Public records show that Steamboat, whose real name is Richard Blood, has lived in the Lake Norman area in recent decades.

“Ricky Steamboat had everything — charisma, work rate, intensity and one of the best bodies in our business,” Ric Flair said on Ricky Steamboat’s WWE bio page, describing Steamboat as his greatest rival. “He was just amazing.”
“Ricky Steamboat had everything — charisma, work rate, intensity and one of the best bodies in our business,” Ric Flair said on Ricky Steamboat’s WWE bio page, describing Steamboat as his greatest rival. “He was just amazing.”

Ric Flair’s greatest rival

With World Championship Wrestling, Charlotte-based wrestling enterprise Jim Crockett Promotions and World Wrestling Entertainment, Steamboat won many individual heavyweight and tag-team championships over his career. He also had a long rivalry with “Macho Man” Randy Savage over the WWE’s Intercontinenal championship.

According to the WWE, four legendary bouts helped make Steamboat an icon: His WrestleMania III bout against Savage in 1987, and his three-match series against Flair for the National Wrestling Alliance championship in 1989.

Steamboat once knocked Flair out with a backhand chop during an interview on a Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling broadcast, according to ProWrestlingFandom.com.

Flair, the champion at the time, had goaded Steamboat on, according to the site. While the pair were rivals, Flair did make Steamboat an ally when his reign as champ was threatened by another wrestler.

“Ricky Steamboat had everything — charisma, work rate, intensity and one of the best bodies in our business,” Flair says on Steamboat’s WWE bio page, describing Steamboat as his greatest rival. “He was just amazing.”

Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

MLW SuperFight

Tickets to the event are available on Eventbrite.com.

Wrestling Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is set to return this month to the Charlotte arena where his bouts with other top wrestlers of the ‘80s and ‘90s made him a legend.
Wrestling Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is set to return this month to the Charlotte arena where his bouts with other top wrestlers of the ‘80s and ‘90s made him a legend.