How Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat Got His Ring Name

Ricky Steamboat has earned a huge name throughout his career. Although Ricky was primarily recognized by his ring name, fans were unsure of how he came up with the moniker. Finally, Ricky Steamboat talked about how he got his ring name.

Steamboat is one of the most well-known names in wrestling history. The WWE Hall of Famer recently discussed how his name got originated and how he was regarded by a different name than his birth name.

Ricky Steamboat’s birth name was Richard Blood, which is arguably an even better name for a pro wrestler. He previously revealed on Stories With Brisco & Bradshaw that Eddie Graham changed his name to something else because he didn’t think Richard Blood fit a babyface. The following highlights are listed: Eddie Graham renamed him.

“When I came down to Florida in 1976, I walked into the office and Eddie Graham said, ‘I remember you, kid. When you were in high school, you wrestled Mike.’ He says, ‘Rick Blood is a great wrestling name. But that’s for heels. Blood, that’s for heels.’ He said, ‘I’d like to call you Ricky Steamboat. We had a guy here in the late ’60s and through the early ’70s, that campaigned here. His name was Sammy Steamboat, he was from Hawaii. And I’m going to start putting your name out there, but I’m not going to call you his son. I’m going to start listing you as a nephew. You’re the nephew of Sammy Steamboat.”

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Steamboat’s name change as a result of this generated a significant amount of industry response. Upon hearing Ricky’s new ring name, many were exotic. The response to the name change was genuinely unforeseen.

“I’m in the ring, I’m in the corner. They’re doing old-school announcing in the middle of the ring with the mic. And he announces, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a substitute this evening! Taking the place of Dick Blood — give it up for the nephew of the great Sammy Steamboat, Ricky Steamboat!’ And the crowd jumped out of the seats. I went like, ‘Holy moly, what the–?’ Prior to that, whenever they announced Dick Blood, when I worked with Verne up in Minneapolis, I’d get beaten in two to three minutes and I’d get a couple of claps out of the house. But then when I went to Florida, just because of the name change. The fans, they must’ve loved Sammy dearly because they jumped outta their seats.”

Fans clamored for an explanation of Rick Steamboat’s ring name’s origins, so he finally gave one. Although it was difficult for him, he eventually succeeded in becoming known by his ring moniker. What are your thoughts about his struggle? Let us know in the comments. Keep checking Thirsty for more updates.

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