Diamond Dallas Page Claims Ricky Steamboat Is Most Underrated WWE Hall Of Famer

Diamond Dallas Page has heaped praise on Ricky Steamboat, making comparisons between the WWE Hall Of Famer and Sylvester Stallone.

Competing at the highest level for WWE, WCW and the NWA, Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat is regarded by many as one of the most complete wrestlers of all time.

The former NWA World Champion had legendary matches with the likes of Ric Flair and Randy Savage, which hold up to this day and are revered as some of the most influential contests for modern day wrestlers.

Ricky Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame as part of the Class Of 2009, however speaking recently on his DDP Snake Pit podcast with Jake Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page said that the reputation of ‘The Dragon’ isn’t looked upon well enough and made comparisons to a legend of the film industry.

I think he’s the most underrated Hall of Famer of all time. The most underrated of all time.

I put Ricky, especially when it comes to selling and storytelling, in the same spot as Sylvester Stallone. When you watch that first Rocky, you’re moving in the chair, like, when you’re feeling it.

I watched when Steamboat and Mach (Randy Savage) had that WrestleMania match. Me and Marc Mero were working together at the time, and for some reason, there was a period in wrestling where there weren’t a lot of false finishes. It pretty much went right into the finish, there was a couple ‘boom, bump’ and then the guy went over.

I watched that match over and over again, and then I watched Steamboat and Flair. It was very much the same thing. The storytelling as they got into it, these guys worked together a thousand times. And that’s what Ricky had with the greats like Macho Man, and he had it with Ric Flair.

But me and Mero were working together and if you go back to anything me and Mero did, I can’t remember if it was 95 or 96 (pretty sure it was 95 into 96), I watched those tapes. And I watch it and I watch it, and then I call Mero up. I’m like, ‘Marc, let’s watch this. Watch what they’re doing here.’ They (WCW) didn’t put us on Nitro. We’re doing the 6:05 show or 9:05 in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. But they let us — Terry Taylor would let us be the dark match.

So every night, every Monday, we’re on TV and we get to go. And there was some point in the time of us working together were all of a sudden you almost heard the whole crowd go ‘one, two, oh!!!!’ I looked up and I go ‘we got them!’ And I learned that from Steamboat. Me being the heel and trying to get Marc more of that babyface, and later, I stole that stuff and flipped it around and used it.

When it comes to the Hall Of Fame, Diamond Dallas Page spoke recently on who should have inducted him if they were still alive at the time.

With thanks to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.