1. Early Life and Amateur Wrestling Career
Richard Henry Blood Jr. comes from a family deeply rooted in professional wrestling. His father, Richard Blood Sr., is the renowned professional wrestler known as Ricky Steamboat, and his uncle, Vic Steamboat, is also a professional wrestler. Blood began participating in amateur wrestling at the young age of five. Throughout his high school years, he frequently competed against Reid Fliehr in various wrestling competitions. His amateur wrestling career was highly successful, as he won four state titles and two national titles, and was also a member of the Ohio All-Star team. He was offered a place on the Junior Olympic wrestling team but ultimately declined the opportunity. Beyond wrestling, Blood also engaged in American football during high school, playing as a linebacker and tight end for four years on the varsity football team at Lake Norman High School. He pursued higher education, completing two years of a college course in International Business, with intentions to complete his degree at a later time. As a child, he even appeared under the gimmick name "The Little Dragon" at WrestleMania IV and later in World Championship Wrestling, accompanying his father to the ring.
2. Professional Wrestling Career
Richie Steamboat's professional wrestling career spanned several years, beginning in 2008 and leading him through independent circuits, international tours, and eventually WWE's developmental system.
2.1. Training and Independent Circuit (2008-2009)
Richard Blood Jr. received his initial professional wrestling training from notable figures in the industry. He trained with George South in Charlotte, North Carolina for several months, followed by approximately four months of training with Harley Race. Blood made his professional wrestling debut on July 25, 2008, under the ring name 'Ricky Steamboat Jr.', where he defeated George South Jr. at a Premiere Wrestling Showcase event.
The following month, on August 9, he debuted for the Exodus Wrestling Alliance (EWA), defeating Mr. Florida to win the EWA Florida Heavyweight Championship, though he vacated the title on September 4. In September 2008, he also debuted for Harley Race's World League Wrestling (WLW) promotion, teaming with Naomichi Marufuji to defeat Bao Nguyen and Takeshi Morishima on September 19. He then embarked on a winning streak in WLW, securing victories over Darin Waid and Tommaso Ciampa. On October 31, he defeated Terry Murdoch to win the EWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship at a WLW show. On November 15, Steamboat appeared at an Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South show, where he lost to Prince Mustafa Ali. He continued to collect championships, defeating Bobby Eaton to retain the EWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship on November 25, and then defeating Eaton in a rematch later that night to win Eaton's EWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship, making him a double champion. On December 5, Steamboat defeated South with a roll-up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the following night, he defeated Jake Manning at Vance High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In January 2009, Steamboat vacated both the EWA Missouri Heavyweight and EWA Georgia Heavyweight Championships in preparation for wrestling in Japan.
In April 2009, Steamboat began wrestling for NWA Charlotte. After sustaining an injury the previous night that required fourteen stitches, he was unable to wrestle at Final Destination in April, but was challenged by Vordell Walker, to whom he lost on May 23. The following week, he teamed with Zack Salvation in a loss to The American Gangsters (Frank and Nicky). On July 9, 2009, Steamboat participated in the WLW show held in conjunction with the Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The next day, Steamboat competed in a three-way match for the WLW Heavyweight Championship, which was ultimately won by Superstar Steve. On July 11, Steamboat wrestled on an NWA Mid Atlantic card, where he unsuccessfully challenged Ricky Nelson for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Junior Heavyweight Championship. His final appearance on the independent circuit during this period was on November 13, when he defeated Jake Manning at a Northeast Wrestling show.
2.2. International Tours (2009)
In January 2009, Blood relocated to Japan, where he resided and trained at the Pro Wrestling Noah Dojo for three months. He made his Pro Wrestling Noah debut under the name 'Ricky Steamboat Jr.' on January 23, 2009, in a match he lost to Makoto Hashi. On February 15, Steamboat teamed with Barry Buchanan in a losing effort against Akira Taue and Taiji Ishimori. Three days later, Steamboat, Buchanan, and Roderick Strong were defeated by Kotaro Suzuki, Muhammad Yone, and Takeshi Rikio. On February 21, Naomichi Marufuji and Atsushi Aoki defeated Steamboat and Doug Williams. The following night, Steamboat and Ippei Ota lost to Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Kotaro Suzuki. His final appearance for Pro Wrestling Noah occurred on March 1, at Budokan Hall, where he teamed with Tamon Honda and Jun Izumida in a loss to Takuma Sano, Kentaro Shiga, and Kishin Kawabata. On March 8, Steamboat also wrestled at a Kensuke Office show, partnering with Ippei Ota in a loss to Katsuhiko Nakajima and Takashi Okita.
In mid-2009, Steamboat also wrestled for the World Wrestling Council (WWC) in Puerto Rico. He debuted in WWC on July 24, defeating Ricky Reyes. He followed this with a victory over Tommy Diablo before losing to Orlando Colón on July 31. This led to a feud with Hiram Tua. After exchanging victories in singles matches, Steamboat teamed with his father, Ricky Steamboat, to defeat Tua and Colón on August 15.
He also spent several months training in Europe and toured England with All Star Wrestling (ASW) in October 2009. His ASW debut on October 2 saw him defeat Mark Haskins. He continued with victories over Karl Kramer and Mikey Whiplash. On October 18, Steamboat teamed with Gladiator Goliath to defeat the team of Jamie Gardner and Steve Allison. He then secured two wins over Jimmy Jacobs, followed by further victories over Mikey Whiplash, and tag team successes over Doug Williams and Nick Aldis, and Gardner and Allison.
2.3. WWE Developmental (2009-2013)
In December 2009, Blood signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory. He debuted in FCW on February 18, 2010, under the ring name 'Richie Steamboat', losing to Heath Slater in his first match for the promotion. His first victory in FCW came at the television taping on February 25, when he defeated Donny Marlow. He subsequently wrestled against opponents including Derrick Bateman, Wade Barrett, Curt Hawkins, Alex Riley, and Johnny Curtis. In March, he suffered a torn Posterior cruciate ligament, which sidelined him for several months. Upon his return, he teamed with his father to defeat The Dudebusters of Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft on June 20. In August, he unsuccessfully challenged Mason Ryan for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. Throughout late 2010, he competed against wrestlers such as Jinder Mahal, Roman Leakee, Curtis Axel, Lucky Cannon, and Byron Saxton.
In December 2010, Steamboat formed a tag team with Seth Rollins, defeating Jacob Novak and Mahal in their inaugural match as a team. On January 6, 2011, Steamboat and Rollins unsuccessfully challenged Titus O'Neill and Damien Sandow for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. However, at the Miami-Dade County Fair on March 25, Steamboat and Rollins defeated O'Neill and Sandow to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. Their reign lasted until May 12, when they dropped the championship to the team of Calvin Raines and Big E. Langston.
In late 2011, Steamboat inadvertently interfered in a fatal four-way match for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, accidentally delivering a superkick to Husky Harris. On the subsequent episode of FCW television, Steamboat began a heel turn by attacking Harris again, under the mistaken belief that Harris had assaulted Aksana. This incident initiated a feud between Steamboat and Harris, with their first match concluding in a no contest. Leo Kruger later retained the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship by defeating both Steamboat and Harris in a triple threat match. The following week, Steamboat lost to Harris in a No Hold Barred match. As their mutual attacks persisted backstage and during matches, both men were suspended for 30 days. Upon their return, Steamboat lost to Harris in a Bullrope match, concluding their feud. On January 13, 2012, at an FCW television taping, Steamboat defeated Damien Sandow by two falls to one to win the FCW Jack Brisco 15 Championship. On July 20, 2012, at a live event, Steamboat defeated Rick Victor to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, becoming the final FCW champion.
In mid-2012, WWE rebranded FCW into NXT. In June, Steamboat debuted for NXT at the inaugural taping from Full Sail University, defeating both Rick Victor and Leo Kruger in separate matches. The victory over Kruger was a quarter-final match in the Gold Rush tournament, which aimed to determine the inaugural NXT Champion. On the August 15 episode of NXT, Steamboat was eliminated from the tournament by Jinder Mahal in the semi-finals. Steamboat then initiated a feud with Kassius Ohno, defeating Ohno twice. However, Ohno frequently launched successful post-match assaults on Steamboat. Ohno subsequently injured and pinned Steamboat during a six-man tag match, where Ohno teamed with The Ascension against Steamboat and the Usos on the October 17 episode of NXT. Steamboat returned from his injury and decisively pinned Ohno on the November 21, 2012, episode of NXT, bringing their feud to a conclusion.
3. Injury and Retirement
The match against Kassius Ohno on November 21, 2012, marked Richie Steamboat's final televised appearance in professional wrestling. Following this match, he suffered a severe back injury that necessitated surgery. More than a year later, in December 2013, reports surfaced that Blood had been released from his WWE contract. However, these initial reports were later contradicted by subsequent updates indicating that he remained under contract with WWE. Ultimately, in April 2015, his father, Ricky Steamboat, publicly confirmed in an interview that due to the nature of the injury and the subsequent surgery, Richie would be unable to return to professional wrestling and continue his career.
4. Wrestling Style and Signature Moves
Richie Steamboat's wrestling style, influenced by his father, was characterized by aerial maneuvers and sharp rope work. He primarily used the Sling Blade as his finishing maneuver. Other prominent techniques and attacks he utilized during his professional wrestling career included the Gory Neckbreaker, the Enzuigiri (トラース・キックTorāsu KikkuJapanese), a Diving Crossbody (ダイビング・クロス・ボディDaibingu Kurosu BodiJapanese), the Cyclone Whip (サイクロン・ホイップSaikuron HoippuJapanese), and the Kung Fu Chop (カンフー・チョップKanfū ChoppuJapanese).
5. Championships and Accomplishments
| Promotion | Championship | Times Won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exodus Wrestling Alliance (EWA) | EWA Florida Heavyweight Championship | 1 | |
| Exodus Wrestling Alliance (EWA) | EWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship | 1 | |
| Exodus Wrestling Alliance (EWA) | EWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship | 1 | |
| Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) | FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship | 1 | |
| Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) | FCW Jack Brisco 15 Championship | 1 | |
| Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) | FCW Florida Tag Team Championship | 1 | With Seth Rollins |
| Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) | Second FCW Grand Slam Champion | N/A | Accomplishment |
| Pro Wrestling Illustrated | PWI 500 Ranking | 99 | Ranked 99 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2012 |
6. Personal Life
Outside of his professional wrestling career, Richard Blood Jr. has pursued other interests. For several years, he competed in Legend Cars and Bandoleros under his ring name, participating in the annual Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As of March 2023, his father, Ricky Steamboat, revealed that Richie is married to his wife, Anna, who is a lawyer. Together, they have four children, and Richie is currently a "stay-at-home dad." Blood is 74 in (189 cm) tall and weighs 216 lb (98 kg).