Ricky Steamboat on Ricky Starks Angle and Changing the Outcome – WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat recently discussed his involvement in recent angle with Ricky Starks during an interview with Sportskeeda. In the interview, Steamboat shed light on the creative direction for the angle and his desire to elevate Starks as a heel.
Steamboat revealed that there were initially different plans for the outcome of the angle that he disagreed with. He expressed concern that the proposed result would not generate sufficient heat for Ricky Starks as he was being slowly turned into a heel character.
“They suggested an outcome that I didn’t like. I said, ‘Look, you’re doing a slow turn with this kid, Ricky Starks, and trying to turn him heel and what you’re suggesting is, there’s not going to be any heat on him. So I made the suggestion of what everybody saw, and I said, ‘I’d like to put some heat on this kid’, and so everything carried out to the tee.”
Steamboat went on to say, “They had a result where everything would go down as it was and then as he would spin me around and try to take a shot, I would block it and give him some big chops and he take a bump through the ropes out on the floor and then scurry up the ramp. It would be like a happy, happy moment. I’m thinking and I’m picturing this, and I said, ‘Well, where’s the heat there? Where’s the heat for the kid?’ Number one, I caught him with his foot on the ropes. So that was a happy moment. The referee got knocked down, so I did my job. I was the second, so I got in the ring and he got counted 1-2-3, so there’s another happy moment. Then to spin me around, I block the punch, the cheap shot, and then hit him with big chops and then a big double chop and he takes that bump on the floor, and then tail between his legs and scurrying up the ramp to the back. There’s absolutely no heat and plus the fact you know, I’m 70 and they’re gonna say,’God, Stark, a 70-year old man, you know, an old timer just whipped up on you.’ I said, ‘We got to turn this around to where, you know, he’s got to catch me off guard and sucker me and get me down and do something to where it’s almost to the point of disgusting and shameful.’”
Ricky Steamboat on Ricky Starks Angle and Changing the Outcome
