Ricky Steamboat Talks WWE Turning Down His Heel Turn Request, Benefits Of Turning Heel
Mike Mooneyham recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Below are a couple of highlights:
WWE turning down his request to turn heel:
"Pat [Patterson] simply told me that it would probably ruin my career... I just wanted to experience what it felt like on the other side of the fence. As we all know, the heels have the most fun out there in the ring."
Benefits a heel turn can have:
"When you are a face for a long time and you turn heel, your stock value immediately goes up, especially if you're able to pull it off in the ring and on the mic. Then you ride that horse as long as you can. When it starts to falter, and when attendance drops, then you can turn back babyface. And your stock value goes up again.
"For a year they'll boo you, and for a year they'll cheer you."
Steamboat also discussed learning from Ric Flair, if he ever had a bad match with Flair, his favorite tag team partner and more. It's a great read, you can check it out here.
Source: The Post and Courier