SLAM! Wrestling recently conducted an interview with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat to discuss his upcoming induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame 2009 class. The following are some excerpts from that interview:
Being Inducted by Ric Flair into the WWE Hall of Fame: "That was a great choice for me personally having ‘The Naitch’ induct me. He is going to induct a guy who he has wrestled against so many times. When people talk about the two of us, every time I am asked about him, it is about the respect we have brought to each other. We brought each other along early in our career when we were young back in the 1970s. What a fitting moment for him to induct me. Here we are with Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair and Steve Austin in the same night. What a great moment."
Wrestling at Mania 25: "The little spice on top of (his induction) is being able to wrestle in Wrestlemania 25. I was on the very first one. That is a number that really set me back — my God, 25 years have gone by! Time sure does fly. Both of them are going to be great moments. I’ve been asked if it might taint the moment of being inducted the night before and then getting into the ring. Not at all, I love it. To be able to do both on the same weekend is tremendous."
Working as a Producer for WWE: "It is one thing that I get a lot of joy out of, and that is passing the torch. Some stuff I show young wrestlers, people haven’t seen in 15 years. I show it to them and the gratification I get is when I see them do it out there in a match. What was old can be brought back new, and I bring that to the table. I bring mannerisms, facials, body language, positioning. Things can be fast paced in the ring but I was very particular in knowing to be in the right time at the right place. There are moves that guys take for granted, but if you turn just half a step you wouldn’t believe how much it opens up the lane, as we call it. I’ve been in the business over 35 years and had over 6,000 matches and I am helping guys who have only been in the business maybe a year or two and 100 matches. I am taking my 6,000 matches and passing it along."
To read the complete interview, visit: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/03/25/8891086.html
