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RICKY STEAMBOAT RETURNING TO THE RING

Former NWA World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat is returning to the ring this November for Steve Perkins' Big Time Wrestling on Sunday 11/27 in Raleigh, NC at the Dorton Arena, one of Steamboat's old stomping grounds from his time in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.  Steamboat's return was first reported by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

Steamboat, who's feuds with Ric Flair and Randy Savage are the stuff of legend, had been offered to return to the ring as one of the prospective opponents against Flair this past summer for the Ric Flair's Last Match PPV but turned it down.  Instead he will likely work a tag team or six man tag for BTW.

This would be Steamboat's first official match since a 2010 bout teaming with his son Richie on a Florida Championship Wrestling event when FCW was the primary WWE developmental territory before NXT was instituted. 

Steamboat, one of the greatest in-ring babyfaces of all time, initially retired in September 1994 after injuring his back while wrestling Steve Austin in WCW during a Clash of Champions.  He surprisingly returned to the ring as part of a storyline with Chris Jericho playing off the Mickey Rourke film The Wrestler at Wrestlemania 25, teaming with Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka.  Initially planned as a one-time occurence, Steamboat looked so great as a performer that he wrestled Jericho in a singles bout at Backlash 2009 and was regularly working with other talents before getting injured during an in-ring angle with The Nexus that led to his hospitalization, halting what had been a great return run.

From that point on, Steamboat, now 69 years old, had not officially returned to the ring.  That will all change this November.

For more information, visit www.DragonReturns.com.

 

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