Ricky Steamboat recently spoke with Riju Dasgupta for Sportskeeda; you can read a few highlights below:
Steamboat comments on the DDT from Jake Roberts that gave him a concussion, if it was planned:
No, we were planning to do it. He didn’t want to do it. But I said I knew how to protect myself. Unfortunately I didn’t. I took the shot to my head and it was a serious moment for a while. Jake didn’t want to do it because of the fear of what the outcome would be. I convinced him to do it. I said I’ll be okay. I ended up not quite okay. I had a serious concussion.
Steamboat comments on social media’s influence on wrestling:
That’s part of the business that changed when it was announced to the world that we are an entertainment company. I don’t like to use the word ‘fake’. A lot of our stuff is choreographed. But there is a lot of physicality that happens during the course of a match and our careers. There’s a lot of physicality that happens to us and you can’t deny that.
But what social media has done is made the company global, to where there are fans in over 150 or more countries. The trickle effect of that is that wrestlers are getting a great source of revenue from merchandising from the company.
Understanding how the business has changed…social media today is a big plus! Fans know it’s choreographed but they respect the guys for all the physicality that happens.
Steamboat reveals what he wants his legacy to be:
For the guys I’ve worked with through the years. For the fans that I’ve watched. I want to be remembered as one of the best entertainers that had come along. That is what I’d like fans to talk about when they mention Ricky Steamboat.
That he would go out there every night and entertain all the fans that came and bought a ticket.
