Ricky Steamboat: Life Story of the Dragon review (DVD) ★★★★

Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK Certification 15 | UK RRP £29.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 471 minutes

Born Richard Blood in 1953, Ricky "The Dragon” Steamboat has created a legacy in the world of professional wrestling that is largely unrivaled. Immortalised in the pages of history as one of the greatest of all time, Steamboat, a former World Heavyweight Champion, has proven his worth and then some over his long, illustrious career with thrilling encounters against the likes of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Chris Jericho. After being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the eve of WrestleMania 25 in 2009, as well as having a valiant return to the ring on three separate occasions including at the granddaddy of them all, a commemorative DVD release was long overdue. But now the wait is over. We can finally watch a celebratory chronicling of his career and be told first-hand The Life Story of the Dragon.

The title documentary of this three-disc set plays for 70 minutes and runs the course of Steamboat's entire career, from his training at the fruitful camp of living legend Verne Gagne, to his initial retirement in 1994 after his back injury in his match against a young Steve Austin, as well as the rebirth of The Dragon at the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania, where he teamed up with fellow Hall of Fame greats Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Roddy Piper, to take on Chris Jericho on wrestling's grandest stage. And while it's of course insightful to see Steamboat reminiscing about his time in the business, the doc does tend not to delve too deeply into various aspects of his career, merely scratching the surface on certain episodes. I would have liked more time spent on the storytelling as a lot of what's said on camera is nothing that we don't already know.

One thing that separates Ricky's DVD from other WWE releases focused on the big-name veterans of the industry is that there is no scandal. Unlike The Ultimate Warrior, Ricky Steamboat never self-destructed. Unlike Jake Roberts, he was never entangled in a live-or-die fight against personal demons. He's as honest, humble and gracious as he is skilled in the squared circle, and that's saying a lot. Even The Iron Sheik has nothing but praise for him.

I only wish that the documentary was longer and more in-depth, but beggars can't be choosers. Although the film is in excellent company. Twelve classic matches adorn the set with their wrestling wonderment, spanning hours. It is by far one of the greatest sets of matches compiled to complement a wrestler's own DVD. You can relive two of Steamboat's most epic bouts against Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, one of which goes a full hour, while the other is fought pretty damn close to its 60-minute time limit. Matches like those two and his WrestleMania III title conflict with Randy Savage are all worth five stars. Few wrestlers in the history of the profession have ever competed in as many highly-regarded matches as Ricky Steamboat.

The fact that there are genuinely no bad or even average matches on this set emphasise how I cannot recall the man ever wrestling a boring bout. He truly is, was and always will be The Dragon, one of the most celebrated and decorated men to have ever stepped foot inside the professional wrestling ring. He always had it from the beginning, and he never once lost it.

The stellar line-up of matches are divided between the set's second and third discs. Firstly, disc two contains:

Starrcade '83 – NWA World Tag Team Championship: Jack & Gerry Brisco vs. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Boogie Jam '84 – NWA World Heavyweight Championship: vs. Ric Flair
Ricky Steamboat vs. Bob Orton
Lumberjack Match: vs. Don Muraco
Ricky Steamboat vs. Jake Roberts
WrestleMania III – Intercontinental Championship: vs. Randy Savage

While the final disc features the following classic bouts:

Clash of the Champions VI – NWA World Heavyweight Championship Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match: vs. Ric Flair
The Great American Bash '89 – United States Championship: vs. Lex Luger
Clash of the Champions XVII – WCW Tag Team Championship: Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Enforcers
Beach Blast '92 – Iron Man Challenge: vs. Rick Rude
Clash of the Champions XX – WCW World Television Championship No Disqualification Match: vs. Steve Austin
Backlash 2009: vs. Chris Jericho

EXTRAS ??? Ricky's First Car: Steamboat tells an amusing tale of his very first car; Mike Graham Remembers Richard Blood; Ricky Forgets His Name: Richard Blood recalls his first introduction as Ricky Steamboat; Having a Positive Attitude – World Wide Wrestling: a full promo from February 16, 1982; Tuesday Night Titans: Steamboat's segment on the Vince McMahon-presented show from April 5, 1985; Steve Lombardi Remembers Ricky's First Match in WWE; The Body Shop – All-Star Wrestling: his short guest appearance on Jesse Ventura's signature segment; Becoming the Dragon... The Three Moments of Truth: an undeniably corny video of The Dragon training at a temple that resembles a really bad '80s martial arts movie; Chris Jericho Meets Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat for the First Time; Tuesday Night Titans: his appearance on the September 10, 1986 episode hosted by Gene Okerlund; Update with Gene Okerlund – Superstars: Ricky with handicapped children on January 31, 1987, during his rehabilitation from Randy Savage's ring bell assault on the road to WrestleMania III; Dragon in the Oven – Superstars: The Dragon and his then wife Bonnie announcing her pregnancy on April 11, 1987; Return from Japan – World Championship Wrestling: Ricky cutting a promo on Ric Flair during his tenure as NWA World Heavyweight Champion; William Regal Remembers Watching Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & “Nature Boy” Ric Flair; World Television Champion – WCW Saturday Night: Steamboat cuts a promo on “Stunning” Steve Austin during his run as the Television Champion; Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat's Induction into the WWE Hall of Fame: the legend's full induction and speech, introduced by Ric Flair, on April 4, 2009; plus alternate commentaries with the Hall of Famer and Matt Striker on three select matches.