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Greg Valentine

Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "the Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.

Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championships, including the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Tag Team Championship, and WWF World Tag Team Championship. An alumnus of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

Early life
Born in Seattle, Washington, Wisniski traveled around Texas in his teens with his father; Johnny Valentine. During a summer vacation, he decided to drop out of college and become a wrestler. His father initially tried to deter him, but eventually ceded to his wishes and sent him to Canada in 1970 to train under Stu Hart in Calgary.

Early career (1970–1976)
Wisniski was trained to wrestle by Stu Hart, wrestling his debut match in July 1970 against Angelo "King Kong" Mosca (he lost in around five minutes). Six months later, Wisniski relocated to Detroit to complete his training under the Sheik.

Initially reluctant to take his father's ring name, Wisniski wrestled as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, one half of the Fargo Brothers with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers initially competed in the Buffalo and Cleveland based National Wrestling Federation before moving on to Texas. They split in 1974 and Wisniski went to Florida, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine Jr., hopeful that he could live up to his father's legacy. He later changed his ring name to Greg "the Hammer" Valentine, and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, not his son, because of fears that the elder Valentine would be thought of as too old to be a legitimate threat. Valentine remained in Florida for a year while also working in Los Angeles and in Japan under Antonio Inoki in 1975 and early 1976.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1976–1978)
In August 1976, Valentine debuted in Jim Crockett Jr.'s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and booked by George Scott, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance based in the Carolinas and Virginias. Valentine was hired to replace his father, who had been forced to retire after he broke his back in a plane crash in 1975. He immediately began feuding with Johnny Weaver, who he "retired" with a top rope elbow drop. Valentine's elbow drop was promoted as a deadly move, with tapes of him breaking wooden boards with his elbow shown to the audiences before his debut.

Valentine then formed a tag team with Ric Flair, with whom he twice won the NWA World tag team title and held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (between June 30 and August 22, 1977). They first defeated Gene and Ole Anderson on December 26, 1976 (who nine years later would become in storyline Flair's "cousins") in Greensboro, injuring Gene so badly that he had to be stretchered out. They held the titles until May 8, 1977, when the Andersons defeated them in a steel cage match in the old Charlotte Coliseum.

Flair and Valentine regained the tag titles from the Andersons on October 30, this time leaving Ole unable to leave under his own power. The team split after they were stripped of the titles in April 1978 by NWA president Eddie Graham as a result of their "unprofessional conduct". Flair then set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, while Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championships once more with Baron von Raschke in 1978.

At the same time, Valentine feuded with Chief Wahoo McDaniel over the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship. Wahoo had cost Valentine and Flair their first tag team championships (Wahoo, the then-nemesis of Flair, had been the special referee in the steel cage match), so Valentine was eager for revenge. On June 11, 1977, in Raleigh he defeated Wahoo, breaking his leg in the process. Though Wahoo's legs were too thick for Valentine to apply his signature Figure Four leglock, he managed to break Wahoo's ankle using a leg/ankle suplex. The heel Valentine then began wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "I broke Wahoo's leg" on the front and "No more Wahoo" on the back. Wahoo returned on August 9, 1977, and took back the title. Valentine would hold the title once more, defeating Wahoo again on September 10 and losing to Ken Patera on April 9, 1978.

World Wide Wrestling Federation (1978–1979)
Valentine began working on a casual basis for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), then owned by Vincent J. McMahon, in November 1978. Managed by The Grand Wizard, he was given the gimmick of a methodical wrestler who broke the legs of all his opponents, including Chief Jay Strongbow. In February 1979, he wrestled then WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to a one-hour time-limit draw at Madison Square Garden.

Return to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1979–1981)
Valentine returned to the NWA in late 1979 and asked Flair to reform their tag team. Flair, by then a face, declined. Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championship once more with Ray Stevens in 1980. Four days after their victory, the promoter, David Crockett told Valentine and Stevens that he possessed film which proved that the illegal man had been pinned in the tag match, nullifying the win. When Crockett threatened to send the film to NWA president Bob Geigel who said he would overturn their victory, Stevens and Valentine attacked him and cut the film up with a pocketknife, destroying the evidence. Valentine later claimed to have "seen the light", and re-formed his team with Flair, who believed that Valentine was now a face. In a tag match against Jimmy Snuka and the Iron Sheik, Valentine abandoned Flair, leaving him outnumbered. Flair was beaten, and then Valentine snapped Gene Anderson's hickory cane over Flair's head, legitimately breaking his nose and splitting his lips. The former partners began feuding over Flair's NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, with Valentine finally defeating Flair for the title on July 26 in Flair's adopted hometown of Charlotte. He held the title until November 24, when he was beaten by Flair; Flair became one of Valentine's main opponents in the Mid-Atlantic territory.

World Wrestling Federation (1981–1982)
Valentine returned to the WWF, now known as the World Wrestling Federation, for a year in 1981 and continued to pursue the title. On October 19, he was pinned by Backlund, but then handed the title belt by the dazed referee. The title was held up, and Backlund defeated Valentine cleanly in the November 23 rematch. In January 1982, Valentine met Backlund yet again, this time in a steel cage, for the WWF Heavyweight Championship at the Philadelphia Spectrum, which Backlund won.

He also feuded with Pedro Morales over the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, who he "injured" by suplexing him on the concrete floor of the arena. Valentine was not successful in winning this title either, and in mid-1982 left the promotion.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1982–1984)
Valentine would hold the United States Championship twice more, renewing his feud with Wahoo in 1982 and defeating him for the title on November 4 with the assistance of his manager, Sir Oliver Humperdink. Roddy Piper began pursuing the title, and, after Piper gave Valentine a cake with a dog collar inside, the two had a series of brutal dog collar matches, most notably at Starrcade 1983, where Piper pinned Valentine in a non-title match after repeatedly whipping him with the steel chain. The feud was intensified by Valentine's propensity to focus on Piper's ear, which had been injured earlier in his career and would bleed easily. Piper would eventually defeat Valentine on April 16, 1983, but Valentine regained the title on April 30 in Greensboro, NC; after the match, where he regained the US Title from Piper, Valentine hit Piper in the ear with US Title. He dropped the title to Dick Slater on December 14, just before leaving them for the World Wrestling Federation.

Intercontinental Champion (1984–1985)
Valentine went back to the WWF in 1984, predicting that Vince McMahon's plan for national expansion would succeed. His first manager was Captain Lou Albano, and he was later managed by Jimmy Hart.

On September 24, 1984, in London, Ontario Valentine defeated Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, focusing on Santana's injured knee throughout the match. Santana initially thought he had the match won, but had in fact only achieved a two-count. As Santana was celebrating, Valentine rolled him up for the pin and the title. Following the win, Valentine put Santana in the figure four leglock, reinjuring him. While Santana was sidelined having leg surgery, Valentine feuded with the Junkyard Dog, who he faced in an Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Title match at the very first WrestleMania held in Madison Square Garden. Valentine pinned the JYD after using the ropes, but Santana came to ringside and informed the referee, who restarted the match. Valentine then walked out, losing the match by count-out but saving his title. Santana eventually healed and fought Valentine in many matches. He went on to win the title back on July 6, 1985, in a steel cage match in Baltimore, ending Valentine's 285-day reign, the fifth-longest in Intercontinental title history. Valentine, incensed over losing the championship belt, destroyed it in the steel cage, forcing the WWF to get a new Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship belt (in reality, this was pre-planned as the WWF already had a newer, more modern Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship belt made and destroying the old title belt was seen as the perfect way to introduce the new one).

The Dream Team (1985–1987)

Valentine would then form a tag team with Brutus Beefcake known as The Dream Team, managed by Luscious Johnny V. Initially the team was managed by both Jimmy Hart and Johnny V, but the WWF dropped Hart from the group and he went on to manage The Hart Foundation (Bret "Hitman" Hart and Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart). On August 24, 1985, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, the Dream Team defeated The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) for the WWF Tag Team Championship when Beefcake (kayfabe) rubbed Johnny V's lit cigar in Windham's eyes allowing him to be pinned. They held the titles until April 7, 1986, when they were defeated at WrestleMania 2 by The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid). At WrestleMania III, The Dream Team defeated The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond) as a result of interference by Johnny V and Dino Bravo. Upset because of a missed move by Beefcake during the match, Valentine left with Bravo and abandoned Beefcake, resulting in Brutus turning face later on in the night.

Replacing Beefcake with Dino Bravo, Valentine formed The New Dream Team. Valentine was unhappy about teaming with Bravo, who he felt he had little chemistry with. After the WWF asked him to "kidnap" Matilda, the bulldog mascot of The British Bulldogs, Valentine resigned. He was brought back soon after, with Jimmy Hart again as his new manager (while the "kidnap" angle was reassigned to The Islanders) but was used in a much diminished role between 1987 and 1990.

Feuds with Don Muraco and Ron Garvin (1988–1990)
Valentine was entered in the WWF World Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV, where he defeated Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat in the first round before losing to "Macho Man" Randy Savage, the eventual winner of the tournament, in the quarter-finals.

In May 1988, Jimmy Hart fitted Valentine's left shin with a shin guard, citing a mysterious injury to his wrestler, and proclaiming the shin guard as Valentine's "road to the gold."

Later in 1988, Valentine feuded with "The Rock" Don Muraco, who had turned face a year earlier. The feud was triggered when Valentine viciously attacked Muraco's manager, former WWF Heavyweight Champion Superstar Billy Graham. Graham, walking with a cane, tried to intervene when Valentine held the figure-four leglock on jobber Ricky Ataki, after already winning the match. Valentine then put the figure-four leglock on Graham, who had a plastic hip. The feud was abruptly halted when Muraco was dismissed by the WWF, despite Valentine's pleas for Muraco not to be fired so that the promising program could be allowed to run. (Kayfabe magazine Inside Wrestling had run a story on the feud, conversely claiming that it was Muraco, yearning to personally avenge Graham's injuries, who had begged the WWF not to dismiss Valentine).

In April 1989 he began feuding with "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin. Two weeks after WrestleMania V (where he teamed with the Jimmy Hart managed Honky Tonk Man in a loss to the now babyface Hart Foundation), he defeated Garvin in a retirement match on Superstars of Wrestling by reversing a small package and holding on to the ropes. Garvin became a referee until Valentine and Hart managed to have him fired. Garvin then became a ring announcer, and began aggravating Valentine. At SummerSlam 1989, for his match with Hercules, Garvin announced Valentine as being Hercules' "so-called opponent" and at 249 lbs looking to Garvin like he was "overweight by thirty pounds" as he approached the ring. Other insults by Garvin during the introduction included Valentine not knowing whether he was "coming or going" and being the only wrestler Garvin knew who had "two left feet" and that he had a "pipsqueak, poor excuse for a manager". Following the match, Garvin then announced Hercules as the winner when Valentine cheated to win, despite the referee declaring Valentine the winner. Valentine knocked Garvin out of the ring before having a further punching match with Hercules while Garvin climbed back in the ring and nailed Valentine. Valentine and Jimmy Hart eventually demanded that Garvin be reinstated so that they could fight in the ring.

For some time Valentine had been wearing a shin guard, which he would rotate (so it covered his calf, not his shin) in order to increase the pressure exerted by the Figure Four Leglock. He referred to the shin guard as the "Heartbreaker". Valentine would also (illegally) attach the shin guard to his arm in order to accentuate his elbow drops. In the course of the feud, Garvin countered with a rotated shin guard of his own, which he dubbed "the Hammer Jammer". The feud culminated in a submission match at the 1990 Royal Rumble. Garvin utilized the "Hammer Jammer" during the match, using it to "counter" Valentine's figure-four leglock when Valentine applied it on Garvin during the match (rather than writhing in pain as normal during the hold, Garvin was smiling and making faces at Valentine). Jimmy Hart managed to remove the "Hammer Jammer" from Garvin's leg, after which Valentine systematically wore down Garvin's leg, but eventually lost after Garvin hit him with the Heartbreaker and applied a sharpshooter, forcing Valentine to submit.

Rhythm and Blues (1990–1991)
Shortly after, Valentine formed a tag team with The Honky Tonk Man. For around eight months Valentine resisted dying his hair black (an idea of Jesse "The Body" Ventura) but eventually relented and the team became known as Rhythm and Blues and were managed by Jimmy Hart. Rhythm and Blues feuded with The Bushwhackers (Butch and Luke) and The Hart Foundation against whom they received title shots, but were overshadowed by the Legion Of Doom (Animal and Hawk), who were by then dominating the tag division, feuding with former champions Demolition in six man tag main events also featuring WWF World champion The Ultimate Warrior while the Harts' tag team title defences against Valentine and Honky were relegated to opening match status. Famously during the time of Rhythm and Blues, WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon would proclaim every time Valentine got on the microphone and sang (while also attempting to play a guitar) that "if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you would hang an innocent person".

In mid December his partner The Honky Tonk Man departed the World Wrestling Federation. An angle was recorded on December 28, 1990, at Madison Square Garden where he was defeated by Saba Simba after accidentally being hit by Jimmy Hart's guitar; afterwards he almost attacked his manager and began to be cheered by the fans. On January 7, 1991, the angle was furthered. In a match that saw Davey Boy Smith defeat Dino Bravo, Valentine was again accidentally hit by Jimmy Hart's megaphone. This time Valentine attacked Jimmy Hart and turned face. However, Valentine abruptly departed the company and along with the Honky Tonk Man's aforementioned departure from the WWF this effectively cancelled the planned feud with Valentine.

Babyface run (1991–1992)
On January 19, 1991, Valentine participated in the fourth annual Royal Rumble match. He lasted forty four minutes. On the February 17, 1991 edition of Wrestling Challenge, the WWF aired footage from the incident with Jimmy Hart at Madison Square Garden at the end of 1990. This began the televised process of his face turn. Valentine lost to the Jimmy Hart managed Earthquake at WrestleMania VII, and was defeated again at SummerSlam 1991 by Irwin R. Schyster. He participated in the 1992 Royal Rumble for the vacated WWF Championship, where he attacked his old rival Ric Flair before being eliminated by the Repo Man. Later that month he finished his run with the company, defeating Skinner at a house show on January 25, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1991)
Herb Abrams had aggressive plans for his Universal Wrestling Federation, announcing the signings of name wrestlers such as Andre the Giant, Steve Williams, The Killer Bees, and Bob Orton. Added to this list was Greg Valentine, who joined the company on January 9, 1991. He made his debut that night at a television taping in the Penta Hotel in New York City, defeating Sonny Blaze. He later defeated Mike Durham at the same taping, and was interviewed by Albano, his former WWF manager in the "Captain Lou's Corner" segment on UWF television. However his stay in the UWF was technically only for that TV taping; as with Andre the Giant, Vince McMahon responded to Abram's announcement by luring Greg Valentine back to the WWF. In an interview in 2000, Valentine stated that Abrams retaliated by withholding payment for his appearances in the UWF.

World Championship Wrestling (1992)
Conscious of his diminishing status, Valentine left the WWF and signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1992. He made his debut on February 4, 1992, at a house show in Norfolk, Virginia. Teaming with Terry Taylor, the duo defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Tom Zenk. On February 15, 1992, he made his debut on television. Two weeks later, he teamed again with Terry Taylor to defeat Ron Simmons and Big Josh to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship. Throughout the spring the duo successfully defended the belts against Zenk and Bagwell on various house shows. On May 17, 1992, at WrestleWar 92 they lost the titles to The Freebirds. At Beach Blast, Valentine pinned Marcus Bagwell. In July, he became involved in an angle with Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes where he confronted the father/son duo on WCW Worldwide. Both Rhodes attacked Valentine, only to then be retaliated upon by Dick Slater and The Barbarian.

Valentine faced Dustin Rhodes on multiple house shows that summer and was winless. While in this series, Valentine also began to regularly team with Dick Slater. The duo wrestled The Freebirds and Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes. On Clash of the Champions XX, Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson defeated Slater and Valentine in a rare heel vs heel match. In September 1992 Valentine engaged in a house show feud with Van Hammer and was undefeated. In the fall he continued to team with Slater in matches against The Steiner Brothers. On television, Valentine's fortunes continued to wane. On the October 11, 1992 edition of WCW Pro he was defeated by Shane Douglas. On the October 19, 1992 taping of WCW Saturday Night he arrived to learn that he was to lose to Sting on that night's taping. In addition he was not scheduled to be booked at any upcoming events, and Valentine resigned from the promotion.

World Wrestling Federation (1993–1994)
He reappeared in the WWF at the 1993 Survivor Series under a mask as The Blue Knight in an elimination match pitting Shawn Michaels (who was substituting for Jerry Lawler) and his three "knights" (who also included Barry Horowitz as the Red Knight and Jeff Gaylord as the Black Knight) against the Hart Family. He would return again, as Greg Valentine, at the 1994 Royal Rumble, lasting over twenty minutes before being eliminated by Rick Martel. That summer Valentine would wrestle three times on a July house show tour, facing Bob Backlund on each occasion.

Independent circuit (1994–1996)
Valentine went on to tour the independent circuit, wrestling in Japan, with the Hamilton based International Championship Wrestling promotion and with the American Wrestling Federation.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)
Starting in the summer of 1996, Valentine made several appearances with WCW over the course of the next two years. He was used on a pay-per-appearance basis, but was rarely utilized and was allowed to continue wrestling on the independent circuit. On July 1, 1996, Valentine faced Randy Savage on WCW Monday Nitro in Landover, Maryland. Valentine was used primarily on television, facing The Giant, Harlem Heat, and Lex Luger. The following year he was used sparingly as well, again on television but had a 6–2 record, defeating Mike Enos, Bobby Eaton, and Billy Kidman. Valentine wrestled four times for the promotion in 1998 and was 3–1. He finished his WCW run with a victory over Pat Tanaka on February 17, 1998.

Late career (1998–2019)
On October 10, 1999, he appeared on the infamous Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view, pinning George "The Animal" Steele with the assistance of Sherri Martel. He wrestled on the 2000 tour of the United Kingdom in which Yokozuna died. He was also involved with the short-lived X Wrestling Federation as an investor and as an in-ring performer. In the 2000s, he began reducing his independent dates in order to pursue a career in real estate.

On March 13, 2004, Valentine was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 by his former manager Jimmy Hart. The following night, at WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden, Valentine received loud applause when the class of 2004 was introduced. Shortly after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Valentine dedicated the plaque he received to his late father by saying: "This one's for you pop, Johnny Valentine".

On January 29, 2005, at WrestleReunion, Valentine won a seventeen-man battle royal to become the IWA Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title to Tito Santana at WrestleReunion #2 on August 27 of that year. Valentine also wrestled for several independent promotions, including AWA Superstars of Wrestling, which toured New England. In AWA Superstars of Wrestling, Valentine regularly wrestled Tony Atlas.

On October 3, 2005, Valentine made an appearance at WWE Homecoming, and on October 23 he was defeated by Rob Conway (then using a gimmick similar to that of Randy Orton's gimmick of "the legend killer") on an episode of WWE Heat after Eugene interfered on his behalf, causing the referee to award a victory via disqualification to Conway.

In May 2007, Valentine defeated Quinson Valentino to win the Canadian Grand-Prix Wrestling Championship in Morrisburg, Ontario. On August 24, 2007, Valentine returned to Ontario to defend the CGPW Championship against Koko B. Ware in Cornwall, after Koko defeated Valentine in a non-title match, on the previous night, in Ottawa. Valentine was successful in defeating Koko in Cornwall, though the title was vacated due to inactivity.

In late 2007, Valentine made an appearance in JCW or Juggalo Championship Wrestling reforming the Dream Team with Brutus Beefcake. in an 8 team elimination match for the then vacant JCW Tag-Team Titles. Where they were the first team to be eliminated after a slightly botched sunset flip from Necro Butcher.

Valentine was present at the retirement ceremony of his long-time friend, Ric Flair, on the March 31, 2008 episode of WWE Raw.

On January 29, 2011, Valentine was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, West Virginia, at their annual "LPW Over The Edge" event. Valentine competed in two matches during 2018, both being tag team matches.

Personal life
Greg married Julie on February 14, 1995. He had two daughters, Vanessa and Romaine, with his first wife, who once appeared on WWF TV in 1984 to give Valentine a back rub, which he claimed was the secret of his success. Vanessa began training with the Hart Brothers in the late 1990s. Vanessa died of cancer in 2014. He is a born again Christian and occasionally speaks at high schools and colleges with Ted DiBiase. He is also a part of Christian wrestling organization, World Impact Wrestling. He is the brother-in-law of wrestler Brian Knobbs.

Media
Valentine has appeared on an episode of Hogan Knows Best as one of Hulk's party guests. He also co-starred in Fuse's Insane Clown Posse Theater along with Insane Clown Posse members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. The cast was rounded out with Michelle "Sugar Slam" Rapp, Kevin Gill, and Vampiro. Valentine played an usher who ejected guests from the theater when their time is up on the show.

He appeared as a playable character on Legends of Wrestling, Legends of Wrestling II, WWE Day of Reckoning, Showdown: Legends of Wrestling and WWE Legends of WrestleMania. He was also downloadable content in WWE 2K17 and also appears in WWE 2K18 along with Brutus Beefcake as The Dream Team. He also appears in WWE 2K19.

In 2008 Valentine co-starred with George "The Animal" Steele in a short film entitled Somethin Fishy, in which the two former wrestlers purchase a fishing camp. The film served as the pilot for a comedy series that was not developed further.

Legacy
British wrestler Steve Crabtree (the son of promoter Max Crabtree and nephew of headline star Big Daddy) was billed as "Greg Valentine" while wrestling for Joint Promotions in the 1980s. He won the 1986 televised "Golden Grappler" trophy tournament. His brother Spencer also wrestled as "Scott Valentine".

Championships and accomplishments

 * Alabama Wrestling Federation
 * AWF Heavyweight Championship
 * AWF Tag Team Championship - with Brutus Beefcake
 * American Wrestling Association
 * AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jerry Miller
 * American Wrestling Federation
 * AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tommy Rich
 * Bad Boys of Wrestling
 * BBOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 *  Canadian Grand-Prix Wrestling
 * CGPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Cauliflower Alley Club
 * Men's Wrestling Award (2018)
 * International World Class Championship Wrestling
 * IWCCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * International Wrestling Association
 * IWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Legends Pro Wrestling
 * LPW Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)
 * Maple Leaf Wrestling
 * NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
 * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
 * NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ric Flair
 * NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (2 times)
 * NWA Television Championship (2 times)
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
 * NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (4 times) - with Baron von Raschke (1), Ray Stevens (1), and Ric Flair (2)
 * WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Taylor
 * National Wrestling Alliance
 * NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * NWA Hollywood Wrestling
 * NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (2 times)
 * New England Wrestling Alliance
 * NEWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)
 * North State Wrestling Alliance
 * NSWA Great Lakes Television Championship (1 time)
 * NSWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The Honky Tonk Man
 * NWA Texas
 * NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Tri-State
 * NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times) - with Bill Watts (1) and Gorgeous George Jr. (1)
 * National Wrestling Federation
 * NWF World Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Don Fargo
 * Prime Wrestling
 * Prime Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jim Neidhart
 * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
 * Class of 2016
 * Portland Wrestling
 * Portland Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * Professional Wrestling Federation
 * PWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1975, 1979, 1983)
 * PWI ranked him #49 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992
 * PWI ranked him #119 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
 * Pro Wrestling Ohio
 * PWO Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jim Neidhart
 * Pro Wrestling Revolution
 * PWR Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * Western States Sports
 * NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Don Fargo
 * Windy City Pro Wrestling
 * WCPW League Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * World Wrestling Council
 * WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
 * WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brutus Beefcake
 * WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)

title: Greg Valentine


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Ricky Steamboat

Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Steamboat is often regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers of all time.

In JCP and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a 12-time World Tag Team Champion (eight under the WCW banner,  one (though unofficial) under the NWA banner, and three under the Mid-Atlantic banner), and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. In the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Early life
Of English and Japanese American descent, Blood Sr. was born in West Point, New York on February 28, 1953. He went to high school first in New York and later graduated in 1971 from Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, Florida, where he was on the wrestling team. He was a two-time New York state qualifier and a Florida state champion.

American Wrestling Association (1976)
Blood was trained to wrestle by Verne Gagne and The Iron Sheik. He debuted in March 1976 as a babyface in Gagne's Minneapolis, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), wrestling as "Dick Blood". His early opponents included Scott Irwin, Buck Zumhofe, Mad Dog Vachon, and Blackjack Lanza. In May 1976, he took part in a two ring, $50,000 battle royal that was won by Mad Dog Vachon and Larry Hennig. He left the AWA later that month to join Championship Wrestling from Florida.

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1976–1977)
Before Blood's debut in Championship Wrestling from Florida, Eddie Graham gave him the ring name "Ricky Steamboat" based on his resemblance to Hawaiian wrestler Sammy Steamboat. According to Steamboat, Graham thought "Rick Blood" was a good name for a heel, but not a face.

Jim Crockett Promotions (1977–1985)

In 1977, Steamboat entered the National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) (which ran under the concurrent brand names "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and "Wide World Wrestling"—later "World Wide Wrestling"—as well as airing syndicated TV programs under those respective names), where he would remain for the next eight years of his career. Steamboat, who had been brought in by JCP booker George Scott on the recommendation of Wahoo McDaniel, was initially billed as a babyface protege of Wahoo and barely spoke above whispers in interviews. Matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural fit. Steamboat was doing an interview on the syndicated Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling when Flair, then Mid-Atlantic television champion, began goading him. Steamboat knocked Flair out with a backhand chop to set up a match between the two. Steamboat's star-making performance came when he pinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship at the WRAL-TV studios in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat captured the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship three times and the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times (once with Paul Jones and five times with Jay Youngblood). He also held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship singles crown twice and the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship four times (three times with Paul Jones, once with Jay Youngblood). He also won the Television title (which had been renamed NWA World Television Championship) a second time.

Notable moments involving Steamboat's time in the Mid-Atlantic territory include: the day Flair dragged his face around the television studio, causing facial scarring, and Steamboat retaliating the following week by ripping Flair's expensive suit to shreds (an angle that would be reworked several times involving other wrestlers in the years that followed); when longtime tag team partner Jones turned heel on Steamboat at the end of a two-ring battle royal; Steamboat and Youngblood painting yellow streaks down the backs of Paul Jones and Baron von Raschke to embarrass them into defending the World Tag Team titles against the two; Steamboat and Youngblood's top drawing feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle; Steamboat and Youngblood being turned on by their friends Jack and Jerry Brisco; Steamboat in a shocking (and emotional) feud against former mentor McDaniel; and his last great series in the territory, feuding with Tully Blanchard over the NWA TV title. After creative differences with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat left the NWA.

Birth of "the Dragon" (1985–1986)

In 1985, Steamboat was offered a contract by Vince McMahon and joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Shortly after his debut (where he defeated Steve Lombardi on Championship Wrestling), Steamboat was given the gimmick of a babyface nicknamed "the Dragon"; Steamboat's jacket-and-trunks attire was replaced by a keikogi and long tights. Steamboat's mother is Japanese American, hence his Asian features crucial for his "Dragon" gimmick. Steamboat kept the nickname and gimmick for the remainder of his career.

He appeared at the inaugural WrestleMania, where he defeated Matt Borne in the card's third match. On the September 14, 1985, edition of Championship Wrestling, Steamboat defeated Mr. Fuji, but after his victory was attacked by Fuji's protege Don Muraco, pitting Steamboat in a feud against Muraco and Fuji. During a televised episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Steamboat and Muraco were scheduled for a match that never officially started after Muraco jumped Steamboat before the bell. Following the beat down, Muraco and Fuji used Steamboat's karate black belt to hang him outside the ring from the top rope before Steamboat was finally saved by Tito Santana and the Junkyard Dog. On the November 2 Saturday Night's Main Event III, he defeated Fuji in a kung-fu challenge. On the January 4, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event IV, his intense feud with Muraco ended after he and the JYD beat Muraco and Fuji in a tag team match.

In the opening round at WWF The Wrestling Classic, Steamboat faced Davey Boy Smith in a rare match pitting two fan favorites against each other. The match moved back and forth until Smith landed in the ropes trying to attack Steamboat, but Steamboat sidestepped and Smith injured his groin and was unable to continue, so Steamboat was awarded the match by forfeit. He then faced off against Randy Savage in the quarterfinals. The referee was distracted by Miss Elizabeth as Savage took advantage and pulled out brass knuckles from his tights and hit Steamboat before pinning him to win the match.

After a victory over Hercules Hernandez at the Los Angeles portion of WrestleMania 2, Steamboat began his next feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Their feud began when Roberts attacked him before their match on the May 3 Saturday Night's Main Event VI, which did not occur due to Roberts assaulting Steamboat. Roberts was initially reluctant to deliver the DDT on the concrete floor due to his fear that Steamboat would not be able to stop his head from hitting the floor, which, on this particular occasion, was not covered with protective mats. Vince McMahon and booker George Scott were adamant that the spot take place outside the ring. Only after assurances by Steamboat that he would protect himself did Roberts agree to it. However, Roberts' fears came true and Steamboat was legitimately knocked out when his forehead hit the concrete. Roberts later described the sound as like a watermelon bursting. They later battled each other in a Snake Pit match (no DQ) in front of 74,000 fans at The Big Event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which Steamboat won with a small package despite Roberts dominating virtually the entire match to that point. Their feud finally ended on the October 4 Saturday Night's Main Event VII, when Steamboat defeated Roberts in their Snake Pit rematch. Following the match, Roberts continued to attack Steamboat and was about to place his snake Damiene on him, but Steamboat took his Komodo Dragon out of his bag and scared Roberts from the ring.

Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and departure (1986–1988)
On the November 22, 1986 edition of Superstars, Steamboat got a shot at the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship against Macho Man Randy Savage. Steamboat lost the match by countout but after the match, Savage continued to assault him and injured Steamboat's larynx (kayfabe) with the ring bell, beginning an angle between the two. On the January 3, 1987 Saturday Night's Main Event IX, Steamboat returned from his injury and prevented Savage from attacking George Steele like he had done to Steamboat six weeks prior. At WrestleMania III, Steamboat defeated Savage for the Intercontinental Championship. The highly influential match was considered an instant classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer.

Several weeks after winning the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, Steamboat asked WWF owner Vince McMahon for some time off to be with his wife Bonnie, who was expecting the birth of their first son, Richard, Jr. This did not sit well with WWF management as he had been groomed to become a long-term champion. The decision was made by WWF management to punish Steamboat by having him initially drop the title to Butch Reed, but Reed did not show up that night, so he dropped to The Honky Tonk Man on the June 15 edition of Superstars; his son was born a month later. Steamboat came back in time for the Survivor Series in November 1987. WWF management was still bitter over his impromptu sabbatical from his first WWF run, however, and he was not pushed or given any meaningful feuds. (Steamboat himself has implied in interviews that he was being punished for one-upping the Hogan-Andre main event at WrestleMania III.) After defeating Ravishing Rick Rude by disqualification at 1988 Royal Rumble, Steamboat was entered into the tournament for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania IV in March 1988. On WWF television prior to the match, Steamboat appeared in a vignette where he stated that he hoped Randy Savage would win his first round match, thus setting up a rematch of last year's WrestleMania match and "one more classic confrontation". However, Steamboat would lose to his first round opponent Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Although television segments were shot immediately after WrestleMania IV that made it appear that Steamboat would be facing Valentine in a series of matches, Steamboat left the WWF shortly thereafter.

World Championship Wrestling (1989)
Steamboat made his comeback to wrestling in January 1989 and returned to the NWA (specifically, NWA affiliate World Championship Wrestling) on the January 21, 1989 edition of World Championship Wrestling (it would later become the name of the promotion) as a surprise tag team partner of "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert against NWA World Champion, Ric Flair and Barry Windham in a tag team match that saw Steamboat pin Flair. This earned him a shot at the title at Chi-Town Rumble where Steamboat defeated Flair in the main event for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was also the last NWA World Champion to defend the belt in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in a match against Tiger Mask II. After Steamboat retained the NWA title against Flair in a controversial ending on the April 2 Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun, Flair and Steamboat would then face each other in their final rematch at WrestleWar in May, where Steamboat dropped the title to Flair.

After losing the title, Steamboat remained the number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a fact that irked fellow babyface U.S. Champion Lex Luger. This dispute culminated in Luger attacking Steamboat on the June 14 Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory, thus turning heel. Luger stood over the fallen Steamboat and arrogantly said, "There lays your number one contender!" Steamboat then demanded a no disqualification match against Luger at The Great American Bash for the title, but just before the bell Luger demanded the clause be dropped or there would not be a match. Steamboat lost the match by disqualification after hitting Luger with a chair. Due to a contract dispute this would be Steamboat's last match of note in WCW in 1989.

North American Wrestling Association / South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (1990)
After leaving the NWA, Steamboat underwent surgery on his injured foot. Fully recovered, he returned to the ring in February 1990 for the North Carolina-based North American Wrestling Association (later renamed South Atlantic Pro Wrestling in July 1990), where he feuded with Robert Fuller over the NAWA/SAPW Heavyweight Championship, until leaving the promotion in October 1990.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1990)
In September and October 1990, he toured with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he faced high-profile stars like Hiroshi Hase and The Great Muta and teamed up with the likes of Owen Hart, Pegasus Kid, Riki Choshu, Shinya Hashimoto, and Miguel Perez, Jr., and also having matches with aspiring stars Hiro Saito and Takayuki Iizuka.

Return to WWF (1991)
In 1991, Steamboat would return to the World Wrestling Federation after signing a two-year contract. Billed simply as The Dragon, a series of vignettes began airing in February 1991 that featured him breathing fire. Despite his previous success in the WWF as a one-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, Steamboat was mainly treated as a brand-new wrestler, save for the announcers occasionally making reference to his WrestleMania III match and former title reign. Steamboat's first match came on a Superstars taping on March 11 in Pensacola, FL when he defeated Jeff Sword. His first televised match was on the March 30 edition of Superstars when he defeated the Brooklyn Brawler with his signature diving crossbody. On subsequent episodes of Superstars and Wrestling Challenge, Steamboat would go on to win numerous squash matches. He would also be victorious on televised Madison Square Garden events, defeating the likes of Haku, Demolition Smash, Paul Roma, Col. Mustafa, Pat Tanaka, and The Warlord.

Steamboat's only pay per view appearance during his second WWF tenure was at SummerSlam. Teaming with Kerry Von Erich and Davey Boy Smith against the Warlord, Hercules, and Paul Roma, Steamboat got the victory for his team by pinning Roma.

The Dragon was undefeated on television during his 1991 run and lost only one match, a house show bout against Skinner. The day after his dark match loss, Steamboat gave his notice to WWF management and then quit the company shortly thereafter. He had been booked for the Survivor Series, teaming with Jim Neidhart (who would be replaced by Sgt. Slaughter due to injury), Jim Duggan, and Kerry Von Erich against Col. Mustafa, Skinner, The Berzerker, and Big Bully Busick (who would be replaced by Hercules after Busick left the WWF), but he left before the event and was replaced by Tito Santana. It is rumored that Steamboat was booked to be squashed by The Undertaker on Superstars to build Undertaker for his impending WWF Championship match against Hulk Hogan, and that Steamboat chose to quit the WWF rather than lose to Undertaker. Undertaker instead squashed Kerry Von Erich on Wrestling Challenge weeks prior to Survivor Series.

During his time in the WWF, Steamboat asked Pat Patterson to work as a heel. Steamboat proposed to fight as a masked heel until somebody would remove his mask, but Patterson said he was a consummate babyface.

World Tag Team Champion (1991–1992)
In November 1991 at Clash of the Champions XVII, Steamboat returned to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the surprise tag team partner of Dustin Rhodes, substituting for an injured Barry Windham. Steamboat and Rhodes defeated the Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko) to win the World Tag Team Championship, Steamboat's first World Tag Team Title under the WCW banner. They lost the titles to Arn Anderson and his new partner Bobby Eaton at a live event in January 1992. Steamboat began feuding with the Dangerous Alliance at this point, facing them in a critically acclaimed WarGames match at WrestleWar, which received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. He unsuccessfully challenged Dangerous Alliance member and United States Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude for the title at SuperBrawl II. Their rivalry culminated in a non-title Iron Man Challenge at Beach Blast, which Steamboat won.

World Television Champion (1992–1993)
On the September 2, 1992 Clash of the Champions XX: 20th Anniversary, Steamboat defeated "Stunning" Steve Austin to win his first Television Championship under the WCW banner. He lost the title to Scott Steiner at a television taping on September 29. He however, won both his first NWA World Tag Team Championship (unrecognized by NWA) and his second WCW World Tag Team Title with Shane Douglas (NWA and WCW titles were unified) on the November 18 Clash of the Champions XXI by defeating Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes. On the March 27, 1993 edition of Power Hour, they lost the NWA and WCW titles to The Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin). On the August 18 Clash of the Champions XXIV, he defeated Paul Orndorff to win his second and final WCW World Television Championship. In September 1993, at Fall Brawl, Steamboat's TV title reign was ended when he lost to Lord Steven Regal. At Starrcade, the two fought in a rematch for the title which resulted in a time-limit draw.

United States Heavyweight Champion and retirement (1994)
Heading into 1994, Steamboat engaged in one last feud over the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with longtime rival Ric Flair, which culminated in a match in the main event of Spring Stampede where the title was briefly held up due to both men's shoulders being pinned at the same time. On the May 14 edition of Saturday Night, Flair defeated Steamboat to reclaim possession of the title. Their final singles match was on Main Event in July which ended on a disqualification when Steve Austin interfered. Steamboat and Flair's last encounter was in a tag team match on the July 31 edition of Main Event where Steamboat teamed with Sting against Ric Flair and Steve Austin.

He then feuded with US Champion "Stunning" Steve Austin and earned a US title shot at Bash at the Beach, but lost. On the August 24 Clash of the Champions XXVIII, he got a rematch against Austin where Steamboat hurt his back, but managed to pin Austin for the United States Heavyweight Championship. However, he had to give up the belt due to the injury at Fall Brawl; he was replaced by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who made his WCW debut after Duggan left the WWF. The match was started, Duggan defeated Austin to become new United States Heavyweight Champion. In September 1994, Steamboat was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff via Federal Express package (while injured), thus ending a nearly two decade relationship with the Crockett/Turner wrestling organization.

First retirement (1994–2005)

After an eight-year retirement, Steamboat played an important role in the genesis of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was the referee of the first Gauntlet for the Gold for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was also the referee for the four-way double-elimination match to crown the first holder of the TNA X Division Championship. He has also made appearances for Ring of Honor where he refereed the first defense of the ROH Pure Wrestling Championship. In 2004, he engaged in a series of confrontations with CM Punk over Punk's arrogance in matches Steamboat refereed and then became CM Punk's inspiration to become the better person Steamboat knew he could be. The latter part of 2004 saw Steamboat feud with Mick Foley over which style of wrestling was superior, pure wrestling or hardcore wrestling. The two of them had many confrontations and managed teams to face one another, but never had a match against each other. Steamboat's last ROH appearance was at Final Battle 2004 where he and Foley finally made peace.

Agent and feud with Chris Jericho (2005–2009)
In early 2005, Steamboat returned to WWE as a producer and was introduced as a WWE Legend on the "Homecoming" edition of Raw in October 2005. In early 2006, Ricky Steamboat told WWE management that he would like to come out of retirement at WrestleMania 22 and work a match with Ric Flair, but the idea was nixed. Ricky Steamboat has been the special referee in main event matches between John Cena, Triple H, and/or Edge at WWE house shows. In 2006 at the Raw SummerSlam Tour in Sydney, Australia, he was a referee for a match between Cena and Edge for the WWE Championship. He also refereed another title match in July 2007 between John Cena and Randy Orton in Anaheim, California. On April 1, 2007, he made an appearance at WrestleMania 23 while various other legends were having a small dance party in the background. He also briefly appeared at the Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view, being recognized as a former Intercontinental Champion. He made another appearance on WWE television during Ric Flair's farewell on the March 31, 2008 edition of Raw.

He appeared on the February 23 edition of Raw, after being named one of the members of the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame class. However, Steamboat was attacked by Chris Jericho, who began to feud with the Hall of Famers. In his first match in nearly 15 years, Steamboat returned to the ring alongside Piper and Snuka to take on Jericho at WrestleMania 25 on April 5, 2009. While both Snuka and Piper were swiftly eliminated during the match, Steamboat held his own against Jericho, performing his legendary diving crossbody and even a plancha, although Jericho would eventually go on to win the match. After receiving good reviews for his performance, Steamboat was scheduled to face Jericho in another match at Backlash. However, he lost the match after submitting to the Walls of Jericho. From June to August 2009, Steamboat worked in house shows against Chris Jericho, Drew McIntrye, and Sheamus. On August 15, 2009, he teamed up with his son Richie to defeat Hiram Tua and Orlando Colon for World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.

Later WWE appearances (2010-2014)
Steamboat's last WWE-related match was teaming with his son Richie, as they defeated Trent Barretta and Caylen Croft at Florida Championship Wrestling's Father's Day Salute on June 18, 2010.

On June 28, 2010, he returned to Raw to promote his new DVD only to be attacked and injured by The Nexus. On WWE's website the following day, it was announced that in storyline, Steamboat suffered injuries from the attack. However, on July 1, WWE's website announced that the prior night, Steamboat felt legitimate pain in his neck and shoulders and as a result, was now legitimately hospitalized. This caused WWE to take down any storyline information related to that attack. In a 2024 interview for Biography: WWE Legends, Steamboat stated that he was in the hospital for three weeks following that injury, due to bleeding between the hemispheres of his brain.

Steamboat worked as an NXT trainer and in the talent relations department with Triple H until the developmental release of his son, Richie Steamboat, in 2013. He later moved on to being an Ambassador.

Steamboat was released by WWE on July 19, 2014.

Later appearances (2014–present)
On the February 25, 2019 episode of WWE Raw, Steamboat along with special guests Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle and Sting appeared during the main event segment to celebrate the 70th birthday of Ric Flair. However, Flair would be attacked by Batista instead of appearing on screen.

In his first televised appearance on TBS since 1994, Steamboat was the guest timekeeper in a match between Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia on the August 17, 2022 edition of AEW ''Dynamite. ''

Steamboat returned to the ring on November 27, 2022, at age 69 for the first time since his last match in 2010. He teamed with FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) as they defeated Nick Aldis, Jay Lethal and Brock Anderson (son of Arn Anderson) at Big Time Wrestling Return of the Dragon in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Steamboat returned to AEW on the August 5, 2023 episode of AEW Collision as a special outside enforcer for the "Real World Championship" match between CM Punk and Ricky Starks due to Starks beating Punk by cheating in their previous two matches. After the match, Starks assaulted Steamboat with Steamboat's own belt. On the September 2 episode of Collision, Steamboat presented a contract for a "Ricky Starks vs. The Dragon" strap match at All Out to Starks. After Starks signed the contract, it was revealed that his opponent would not be Steamboat but "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson instead. Steamboat joined the broadcast team for the match at All Out to witness Danielson defeating Starks. It was later reported that for the August 5 episode of Collision, Steamboat requested that he be beaten down by Starks instead of the planned finish of him chasing Starks away after the match.

Steamboat was guest timekeeper for AEW Revolution in 2024, which was billed as the final match for Steve "Sting" Borden and his tag team partner Darby Allin, who defended the AEW Tag Team Championship against Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, which was held at Greensboro Coliseum.

In other media
Steamboat appears in 14 wrestling video games, he made his video game debut in WCW: World Championship Wrestling in 1989. He later appeared in WCW SuperBrawl Wrestling in 1994 and later Legends of Wrestling in 2001, Legends of Wrestling II in 2002 and Showdown: Legends of Wrestling in 2004. He made his WWE video game debut in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 in 2010, and has since appeared in WWE All Stars, WWE '12, WWE 2K14, WWE 2K16 (two versions; one DLC), WWE 2K17 and WWE 2K18 as an unlockable character, WWE 2K19 as DLC in the game's Ric Flair-themed "Wooooo!" Collector's edition, in WWE 2K20 as an unlockable character, and in WWE 2K24 as part of the "40 Years of WrestleMania" Showcase.

On June 2, 2024, Steamboat was the subject of the Biography: WWE Legends.

Personal life
Blood is the older brother of professional wrestler Vic Steamboat. His son, Richard Jr. (born 1987), was a wrestler under the ring name Richie Steamboat.

Championships and accomplishments

 * All Japan Pro Wrestling
 * World's Strongest Tag Determination League Outstanding Performance Award (1980) – with Dick Slater
 * World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fair Play Award (1980) – with Dick Slater
 * World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1982) – with Jay Youngblood
 * Cauliflower Alley Club
 * Lou Thesz Award (2012)
 * George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
 * Class of 2009
 * Maple Leaf Wrestling
 * NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)
 * Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
 * NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
 * 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)
 * 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
 * Ranked No. 13 of the Top 500 Singles Wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
 * Ranked No. 19 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Jay Youngblood in 2003.
 * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
 * Class of 2002
 * World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
 * WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * 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)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Ricky Steamboat


text:
Fleshcrawl

Fleshcrawl is a German death metal band formed in Illertissen, Bavaria, in 1987. Their most recent album, Into the Catacombs of Flesh, was released in 2019 under Apostasy Records.

1987–1997
Fleshcrawl was formed by Stefan Hanus and Bastian Herzog in 1987 under the name Morgöth. In 1990, after original lead vocalist Wendelin Dopfer left the band, Alex Pretzer was signed on, the band changed their name to Suffocation, and released a demo tape called Festering Flesh. After the release of their demo tape, the band was forced to change their name because the American band, Suffocation, had released their first vinyl cut earlier. The band was officially renamed to Fleshcrawl and then released their first 7-inch EP Lost in a Grave in 1991 through Morbid Records. One of the first shows under the new name took place in their hometown in October 1991. It was a legendary underground concert together with the German bands Dead and R.U.Dead? and Demigod from Finland.

In 1992, Fleshcrawl signed a recording contract with Black Mark Production, and in June 1992, they recorded their debut studio album, Descend into the Absurd, at Montezuma Studios, Stockholm. Shortly after the release of Descend into the Absurd, Mike Hanus, brother to founding member Stefan Hanus, replaced Gero Schmitt as one of the guitarists, and in 1993, they began recording their second studio album, Impurity, at Dan Swanö's Unisound Studio.

In 1995, Markus Amann left the band and Mike Hanus took over as the bassist for studio sessions. In December 1995, Fleshcrawl recorded their third studio album, Bloodsoul, which was released in 1996. Shortly after the release of Bloodsoul, Fleshcrawl began recording their fourth studio album, Bloodred Massacre, which was released in 1997 with Sven Gross replacing Alex Pretzer as the lead vocalist. Both albums were recorded at Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy.

1998–present
In 1998, Tobias Schick took over as the new bassist, allowing Mike Hanus to return to playing guitar exclusively. After the release of Bloodred Massacre, Fleshcrawl left Black Mark Production and joined a monthlong tour with Kataklysm and Vader, as well as participating in festivals with Cannibal Corpse and Dark Funeral. After returning from their tour, Fleshcrawl signed a recording contract with Metal Blade Records, and in January 2000, they released their fifth studio album, As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire, which was produced at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. In June 2000 the band went out to tour Europe again, this time 25 performances with Vader and Vital Remains had been scheduled. Individual shows and various festival appearances followed (among others at the Czech Dynamo Festival and the Summer Breeze Open Air in Bavaria, Germany).

In September 2001, Fleshcrawl began recording their sixth studio album, Soulskinner at Studio Underground in Västeras, Sweden. Soulskinner was introduced live on a four-week tour with Bolt Thrower and Benediction in January 2002. In spring 2002, Stefan Hanus left the band for personal reasons. He was replaced by Oliver Grbavac and the band played at Wacken Open Air. In November 2002, Fleshcrawl played their first tour in Japan in support of Hypocrisy.

During 2003, the band played few live shows in order to focus on writing their seventh studio album. In November 2003, Fleshcrawl again entered Studio Underground in Sweden to record their seventh studio album, Made of Flesh, which was musically similar to Soulskinner. Made Of Flesh was released on 23 February 2004 in Europe and Japan and on 9 March 2004 in the United States, and following its release the band played a few shows, including the Summer Breeze Open Air and the Party.San Metal Open Air in Thuringia, Germany. The band also supported Made of Flesh by touring with Six Feet Under and Criminal in Europe in February/March 2004.

In 2005, Fleshcrawl released a compilation album, Crawling in Flesh – The Best of Fleshcrawl, which featured fifteen tracks from their first 4 full-length albums.

In early 2007, Nico Scheffler replaced Tobias Schick as the band's bassist and the band began to work on their eighth studio album, Structures of Death. It was released in Europe on 24 September 2007. Following the album's release, Fleshcrawl played a few shows around central Europe with bands such as Carnal Forge, Dismember, Enslaved, and Jungle Rot, and also played several metal festivals.

In 2011, bassist Nico Scheffler left Fleshcrawl, but was quickly replaced by Manuel Markowski. The group did not release new music between 2008 and 2015. This was due to various private problems of the musicians and a longer stay abroad by drummer Bastian Herzog. Nevertheless, the band played several individual and festival shows during this time. Just to mention a few notable ones: The SWR Barroselas in Portugal (2008), the German Protzen Open Air, Summer Breeze and Queens of Metal in the same year, Chronical Moshers (2010), Way of Darkness (2011), Stromgitarrenfest III (2012), Rock Hard Festival and Bang Your Head (both in 2013), Baden in Blut (2014) and the Faces of Death in Moscow, Russia (2014). Fleshcrawl also performed a headliner show in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in March 2012. At the end of 2015, Fleshcrawl and Skinned Alive produced a split CD which included four new songs by the musicians and was initially released by Brutal Art Records, later, in the course of the year 2016, by FDA Rekotz.

In January 2016, the band performed on their first ever Asian tour. They played eight shows in seven different countries – the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. In the course of this, the band was the headliner at the Nepal Deathfest in Kathmandu and co-headliner at a The Exploited show in Singapore. Later in 2016, the band released Festering Thoughts from a Grave – a CD re-release of their two demos and the Lost in a Grave EP (Raw Skull Recordz).

In 2017 and 2018, the group played concerts and festivals, including appearances at the Schoonebeek Deathfest in the Netherlands (2017), Obscene Extreme in the Czech Republic (2018), Helsinki Deathfest in Finland and Way of Darkness in Germany (both also in 2018). In October 2018, the band split from their longtime guitarist Mike Hanus, who was replaced by Slobodan Stupar. In December, Fleshcrawl performed at the Eindhoven Metal Meeting. In 2019, further individual and festival shows in Central Europe and the UK followed. In May 2019, the group entered North American territory for the very first time to perform at the renowned Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore, US.

Back in Germany, Fleshcrawl completed their work on the long-awaited follow-up to Structures of Death. Into the Catacombs of Flesh was released by Apostasy Records on 29 November 2019. But already in March 2020 the personnel carousel turned again: Guitarist Slobodan Stupar found his successor in Christian Kalbrecht. Another change of personnel occurred after an almost concertless year (due to COVID-19) in December 2020. Fleshcrawl separated from guitarist Oliver Grbavac and got Apu Justin Reisch on board instead.

On 11 June 2021, vocalist Sven Gross died from cancer at the age of 44. Later in the year, Russian-born vocalist Borisz Sarafutgyinov performed with the band at the Obscene Extreme festival in the Czech Republic. On 15 October, Fleshcrawl officially announced Sarafutgyinov as the official new vocalist of the band.

Musical style
Fleshcrawl, although their overall style has evolved over the years, remains quite similar- and often compared to such Scandinavian/melodic death metal bands as Grave and Dismember. Like these bands, Fleshcrawl creates a familiar, mid-range guitar tone with rapid tempos and short guitar solos consisting of fast, nimble alto-range progressions. However, the band's drumwork since the mid-to-late 1990s, composed mainly of high-speed, rolling double-bass drums and blast beats is comparable to that of many brutal death metal bands, such as Nile and Skinless, but at the same time, is down-tuned enough to not lose its kinship with the melodic death metal genre.

Occasionally, they incorporate organs and other instruments, such as trumpets and kettle drums into their music, particularly in their instrumental intros and interludes.

Fleshcrawl's lyrical themes are generally characteristic of typical death metal, and encompass such concepts as insanity, horror, doomsday, war, murder, misanthropy, genocide, gore, slavery, and sacrifice, among other lyrical concepts familiar to death metal.

Current members

 * Bastian Herzog – drums, backing vocals (1987–present)
 * Manuel Markowski – bass guitar (2011–present)
 * Christian Kalbrecht – guitar (2020–present)
 * Apu Justin Reisch – guitar (2020–present)
 * Borisz Sarafutgyinov – vocals (2021–present)

Former members

 * Stefan Hanus – guitar (1987–2002)
 * Markus Amann – bass guitar (1987–1995)
 * Alfred Handke – guitar (1987–1991)
 * Wendelin Dopfer – vocals (1987–1990)
 * Alex Pretzer – vocals (1990–1996)
 * Gero Schmitt – guitar (1991–1992)
 * Mike Hanus – guitar (1992–2018); bass guitar (1995–1997)
 * Sven Gross – vocals (1996–2021) (died 2021)
 * Tobias Schick – bass guitar (1998–2005)
 * Oliver Grbavac – guitar (2002–2020)
 * Nico Scheffler – bass guitar (2007–2011)
 * Slobodan Stupar – guitar (2018–2020)

title: Fleshcrawl