Ricky Steamboat Reveals Which Top WWE Star He Would Want To Manage

WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat was a recent guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. Steamboat discussed a variety of topics, including his 2009 feud with Chris Jericho, Sid refusing a WWE Championship run due to his love for baseball, which person was most difficult to work with in the ring, and more.

Due to creative differences with Dusty Rhodes while he was working under the National Wrestling Alliance/Jim Crockett Promotions, Steamboat decided to leave the company to compete for WWE. In 1985, Steamboat debuted in WWE, and competed in the first WrestleMania and defeating Matt Borne in quick fashion. At WrestleMania 2, he defeated Hercules, and at WrestleMania 3, he defeated Randy Savage in one of the best matches in WWE history.

Despite one of the best matches in history at WrestleMania 3, Steamboat never reached main event status for the company. In fact, he lost the Intercontinental Championship a little over two months later to the Honky Tonk Man. Steamboat would spend the remainder of his time primarily losing to names such as Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, and Rick Rude, before losing to Greg Valentine in the first round of the WrestleMania IV tournament. This would be the last match for Steamboat before making his NWA return in January of 1989.

I asked Steamboat whether Vince McMahon ever considered him to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion during his run with the company.

"No. Never had that discussion," Steamboat replied.

Interestingly enough, Steamboat would win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time against Ric Flair at the Chi-Town Rumble, just a month after making his return, and retained it for two-and-a-half months before losing it back to Flair at WrestleWar '89.

10 years removed from competing at WrestleMania 25 with Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka against Chris Jericho, and a singles match against Jericho at Backlash, Steamboat was asked who we would compete against if he decided to have one more match.

"I'd like to work with Seth Rollins, and I'd put him over right in the middle," said Steamboat. He also added that he sees Rollins as the next great wrestler based on his experience with him in FCW.

"When I was at the FCW training school and he was there. He already had a number of years under him, but still bringing up psychological or psychology about a match in the ring, when you'd do it, why you'd do it, why it works better to do it in the beginning and don't do it at the end and vice versa and all that. He was the guy that you'd could see it in his eyes that lightbulbs are clicking on and not giving you the 'dear in the highlights' look. He gets it."

Steamboat also revealed who he would manage if he was ever to do anything in that position.

"Me being in a managerial position has never crossed my mind," said Steamboat. "Even in the twilight of my career. You know, a lot of guys spin off from being an active wrestler to be a manager, right? 20 years of wrestling and now they segue into managing. If I was ever to do anything in that position, I'm going to throw out a guy's name that he's 50/50 with the fans, almost like the way John [Cena was]... and it's only because I really like the guy as a man and maybe a lot of fans don't see behind the scenes, and that's Roman Reigns."

You can hear the full interview above.