WWE Hall Of Famer Rejected Role With AEW
A legendary WWE Hall of Famer turned down a role with AEW and he had a good reason for it that wasn’t a slight against the company at all.
Ricky Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. He was obviously a no-brainer induction as a former NWA World Champion and former WWE Intercontinental Champion. Steamboat had some of the best matches in wrestling history with the likes of Ric Flair and Randy Savage while working as a babyface for the majority of his career.
The pro wrestling career of Ricky Steamboat started in 1976 and lasted as a regular wrestler for about 30 years.
From 2005 to 2014, Steamboat worked for WWE as an agent/producer that helped superstars with their matches along with several other different roles due to his vast knowledge of the pro wrestling business.
When All Elite Wrestling launched in 2019, they apparently wanted Steamboat to work there as a producer like he had in WWE, but Steamboat turned them down.
In a virtual signing with Captain’s Corner, the WWE Hall of Famer Steamboat made it clear that he didn’t turn down AEW because of his opinion of the company. It was really just because he wanted to stop traveling so much in pro wrestling.
“Believe it or not, I was already asked to come aboard in a capacity of [a road agent]. Not anymore [when asked if he’s no longer interested in that kind of role]. No reflection on them, great company and everything, and don’t get me wrong, the pay would have been great.”
“But I’m at a point in time in my life where I’m trying to get off the road. [I’ve had] 40-something years of being on the road.”
In November 2022 at the age of 69, Ricky Steamboat won his final match when he teamed up with AEW’s FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) against Jay Lethal, Brock Anderson, and former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis in a six-man tag team match.