Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is stepping back into the ring at a Big Time Wrestling show on November 27 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Dorton Arena, where he will be teaming with FTR vs. Jay Lethal & Brock Anderson & a mystery partner that Arn Anderson will manage.
Steamboat had the chance to wrestle before this show, but he declined to be part of Ric Flair’s last match at Starrcast V in July. Flair teamed with son-in-law Andrade against Jeff Jarrett and Lethal.
While speaking with Wrestling Inc, Steamboat discussed his decision to return to the ring. He admitted that it took him four months to make the call to wrestle again.
“It was very difficult. And before I could give a final, this past month or so, I’ve been… Glenn Jacobs, that name ring any bells? Yeah. And Tom Pritchard, they have a wrestling school outside of Knoxville… So for the past month or so, I’ve been venturing down to that school once or twice a week just to get some back. But I learned more so on my limitations.”
Steamboat noted that he learned over the last month that he has new limitations and is trying to work around them.
“But you asked why. I was thinking that the longer I wait, the less chance I will have. I’ll be 70 in February and Mother Nature does creep up on you and the older you get, it creeps up on you faster. And Raleigh’s Dorton Arena holds a special place in my heart.”
He recalled stepping into the ring with Harley Race for the first time in Raleigh, North Carolina, at Dorton Arena, and it was the first time he wrestled anybody for 60 minutes.
“So Raleigh holds a very dear and close wrestling memory out of all the places that I’ve been. You could go with me and Savage at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, at WrestleMania III. But that match, it wasn’t filmed, it wasn’t televised, it was just what you call a regular house show match. But what a night it was for me to be in the ring with the champion and then go 60 minutes and hold my own with him. So for that very reason, and a big thanks to all the fans in Raleigh that have come out over the years to support Mid-Atlantic. Jim Crockett was the promoter and I was there from ’77 to ’85. So eight years of being in one territory back in the day was a pretty good stretch.”
Steamboat last wrestled in 2010 in a tag team match with his son, Richie Steamboat, against The Dudebusters’ Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta at an independent show, although his last singles match was against Drew McIntyre in 2009 at a WWE house show.
