Ricky Steamboat Was Originally Set To Face Top AEW Tag Team In Final Match
Ricky Steamboat recently spoke about his comeback match and said that the plans got switched up after All Elite Wrestling (AEW) made a booking decision.
Ricky Steamboat will make his return to the squared circle on November 27, 2022, which will see his first action in the ring since 2010. The Nov. 27 event will be labeled “Return of the Dragon” and will be run through Big Time Wrestling. For the bout, Ricky Steamboat will be pairing up FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) to square off against Jay Lethal, Brock Anderson and a partner yet to be revealed. During the 2010 show for his last match until the one in November, Steamboat was in a tag team match with Richie, his son, where they earned a FCW victory over The Dudebusters (Caylen Croft and Tren Barreta).
Talking with Wrestling Inc.’s Nick Hausman, Steamboat explained how he was originally set to take on FTR in his comeback match, however, AEW would end up turning them babyface. Instead, the idea for Steamboat to team up with FTR was set up.
“This [match], for me to make a final, final decision was three or four months in the making. I just didn’t jump on it the first time I was approached from Big Time Wrestling and I have an agent guy, Tony Hunter, who also works with Big Time Wrestling, and when I was first approached, but FTR, when I was first approached were heels.
Ricky Steamboat continued:
They were going to be two guys on the other side of the ring that I was going to be wrestling. AEW turned them babyfaces, turned them good guy. So they said, ‘We can’t have heels working against you, Ricky, you’re a baby face. So what would you think if we had them as your partners?'”