Richard Blood started wrestling by training at Verne Gagne's wrestling camp (he was in the class that followed Ric Flair's class) under the tutelage of the Iron Sheik.  From there, Blood worked in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) before moving on to Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF)

  In Florida, promoters felt that Richard Blood was a great wrestling name but not one for a babyface.  As a result, they changed his name to Ricky Steamboat and promoted him as the nephew of Sam Steamboat, a highly popular babyface who had wrestled in CFW).  Steamboat almost blew the name change when he was in the ring and the announcer told fans that Richard Blood could not make it due to travel problems but that Richard Steamboat was appearing in his place.  Blood went to tell the announcer that he was there but fortunately the announcer got Blood to go along.

   After CFW, Steamboat moved to Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) before moving on to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) where he would remain for eight highly successful years.  In MACW, Steamboat found in Ric Flair  his perfect opponent.  The two were fantastic workers, charismatic, and good talkers.  In those respects they were alike but they portrayed themselves much different;   Steamboat was the yin to Flair's yang. Steamboat the humble babyface and Flair the cocky heel.  The initial feud between the two would develop over time into one of the greatest rivalries in professional wrestling and launch a series of unforgettable matches.  They quickly began feuding over Flair's Mid-Atlantic Television Championship. Steamboat shocked the Nature Boy as well as the fans when he upset Flair for the TV Title on June 15, 1977. 

    The TV Title was just the beginning of Steamboat's championship gold.  After beating Flair for the TV Title, he added insult to injury by teaming with "Number One" Paul Jones and defeating Flair and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine for their Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship on August 22, 1977.  However the competition in MACW was always stiff and Steamboat lost the TV Title to Baron Von Raschke on October 12, 1977.  This only pushed Steamboat to try harder, beating Ric Flair for the United States Heavyweight Championship less than two weeks later. 

     Steamboat and Jones continued to hold the MACW Tag Team Titles, putting them in contention for the NWA World Tag Team Championship which ironically was held by Flair and Valentine. After losing the U.S. Title to Blackjack Mulligan in January, Steamboat focused even harder on his tag team work.  In April 1978, Jones and Steamboat won a tournament to crown new World Tag Team champions (After Flair and Valentine had been stripped of the titls), defeating the Masked Superstar and Ken Patera in the finals.  They were forced to relinquish their MACW Tag Titles but Steamboat now had his first world championship in MACW. 

       The highly successful team of Jones and Steamboat ended when Paul Jones turned heel and attacked Steamboat.  However Steamboat did not let this slow him down and at the end of 1978, he defeated Ric Flair for the United States Heavyweight Championship.  The two feuded again with Flair regaining the title in April 1979.  After Flair had to vacate the title upon winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Steamboat made it to the finals of the U.S. Title Tournament before losing to Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.

      For the first time since entering MACW, Steamboat found himself without a championship belt.  Several months passed before he found a new partner in Jay Youngblood The two wrestlers combined speed and technical skill to form one of the greatest tag teams of all time.  In October 1979, they defeated Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.  The two held the belts for five months before losing them to Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine in a highly controversial finish in which the legal man in the match had not been pinned.  MACW announcer David Crockett had footage of the match and was going to take it to the NWA President but Valentine and Stevens attacked him, destroying the evidence 

     Valentine and Stevens were a tremendous team.  Between Stevens' decades of experience, and Valentine's brutal tactics, Steamboat and Youngblood had their work cut out for them if they wanted to regain the belts.  They were up to the challenge though and in May 1980, they regained the tag team titles. Unfortunately Ray Stevens had no plans of giving up and he formed a partnership with Jimmy Snuka which led to Stevens and Snuka winning the NWA Workd Tag Team Championship from Steamboat and Youngblood on June 22, 1980.

      After losing the tag titles, Steamboat turned his attention to singles action and it wasn't long before he added the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship to his trophy case after defeating Hussein Arab on November 1, 1980.  Steamboat then feuded with "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff over the title, losing it to Koloff on April 16, 1980 and regaining it in October 1980 before dropping it a month later to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. 

     Always in the hunt for a title, Steamboat reteamed with Jay Youngblood to challenge Ray Stevens and Jimmy Snuka.  However during the televised match, Snuka jumped on top of Youngblood's knee, injuring him.  It would be months before Steamboat  could team with Youngblood.  Once Youngblood's injuries had healed, they went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles from Private Nelson and Private Kernodle in August 22, 1982 in Maple Leaf Gardens. The duo soon found themselves in contention for the World Tag Team titles and they chased Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle for the belts.  Finally, on March 12, 1983, they beat Slaughter and Kernodle in a steel cage for their third World Tag Team Championship.

    Some wrestlers will do anything for a championship.  When the Brisco Brothers (Jack and Jerry) challenged Steamboat and Youngblood to a match, fans expected to see a scientific classic between the two babyface teams.  However during the match, Jack fell on top of Steamboat's leg while Jerry had Steamboat in the figure four leglock.  The Brisco Brothers claimed it was an accident but when Brisco tried to injure Steamboat's leg in a followup match, there was no doubt that the move was anything but an accident!  The Brisco Brothers heelish tactics enabled them to defeat Steamboat and Youngblood for the belts on June 16, 1983.  For the next five months, the two teams fought over the belts with the titles changing hands twice in October.  At the inaugural Starcade, Steamboat and Youngblood ended their feud by beating the Brisco Brothers for the tag team titles.  Steamboat and Youngblood defended their fifth tag team championship for only a month before Steamboat announced his retirement from professional wrestling on Christmas Day in 1983.

   However Steamboat's retirement was short-lived and he surprised fans when he showed up to defeat Dick Slater for the U.S. Heavyweight Championship on April 21. 1984.  Steamboat found himself being challenged by an unlikely opponent- Chief Wahoo McDaniel.  McDaniel had helped Steamboat during the early days of his career but as McDaniel's career was winding down, he felt that Steamboat was not appreciative of McDaniel's friendship because he had not offered him a title shot.  The two met in June 1984 with Steamboat dropping the belt to Wahoo McDaniel after outside interference by Tully Blanchard. During the match, Blanchard blasted Steamboat with a steel chair, allowing McDaniel to get the pinfall victory. 

    After eight incredibly prosperous years in MACW, Steamboat left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).  Steamboat began wrestling as Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, incorporating more of the martial arts into his matches. Steamboat was on hand for the first Wrestlemania where he defeated the veteran Matt Bourne.  Steamboat quickly became a top star in the WWF and one of their most popular babyfaces.  He teamed with former foe Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka on occasion and even wrestled in six-man tag team action.  One such match was on Saturday Night's Main Event, where he teamed with the U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda) against the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and George "The Animal" Steele. Steamboat led his team to victory.  After losing the match, the Iron Sheik and Volkoff attacked Steele, which led to Steamboat and his partners coming to Steele's rescue.  Steamboat's actions towards Steele would pay off down the road.

   Steamboat also found himself in singles competition. He impressed fans with his ability when he defeated two-time Intercontinental Champion The Magnificent Muraco by count-out on national television.  Muraco was embarassed by his loss and challenged Steamboat to a rematch.  However Muraco had revenge in mind more than a victory and during the rematch, he hung Steamboat from one of the ringropes, nearly choking Steamboat to death.  The two then began feuding all over the country.

     "The Dragon"'s popularity continued to grow as his won match after match.  At Wrestlemania II, Steamboat defeated Hercules Hernandez, further increasing his popularity.  As Steamboat's popularity continued to grow and he worked his way up the ranks of contention, he found himself becoming a target for wrestlers who wanted to make a name for themselves.  One such wrestler was Jake "the Snake" Roberts. The two were scheduled for a highly anticipated match on "Saturday Night's Main Event".  Before the match even started, Roberts attacked Steamboat and delivered his DDT to Steamboat on the concrete.  He then unleashed Damien on Steamboat.  Steamboat and Roberts feuded for several months. 

     Eventually, Steamboat's winning ways led to him earning a title shot against the Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Steamboat fought with everything he had, putting the champion on the defensive. Steamboat had the momentum though and it seemed certain that Savage was going to lose the championship.  Never one to shy away from cheating, Savage took the timekeeper's belt and jumped off the top rope with it, using it to crush Steamboat's larynx.  Steamboat was hospitalized and fans wondered if he could ever come back from the devastating injury he had suffered.  Several months later, Steamboat shocked the world when he showed up at ringside during one of Savage's matches. 

      "The Dragon" challenged Savage to a title match at Wrestlemania III and two met in what is largely regarded of the greatest matches of all time. The two fought back and forth with neither man gaining the upper hand for long.  Finally, after referee Dave Hebner was accidentally knocked out, Savage clotheslined Steamboat and laid him out.  He climbed to the top rope and delivered his deadly flying elbowsmash from the top rope, covering Steamboat for the pin.  Unfortunately for Savage, the referee was still unconscious and couldn't make the count.attempted to repeat the move that had nearly ended Steamboat's career.  Frustrated, Savage grabbed the timekeeper's bell and climbed the top rope to deliver the same move that had crushed Steamboat's larynx months earlier..  Perhaps remembering how Steamboat had saved him from the brutal attack of Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik many months before, George "The Animal" Steele knocked Savage off the top rope, giving Steamboat the opportunity to rally back.  When Savage bodyslammed Steamboat, Steamboat hung on to Savage and rolled him up for the pinfall victory. Ricky Steamboat was the new Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion.

      Steamboat's championship was short-lived however.  On June 2, 1987 in Buffalo, NY, the world was stunned when Steamboat lost to the Honky-Tonk Man.  Steamboat was scheduled to hold the belt much longer but when he asked Vince McMahon for time off to be with his then pregnant wife, he was told he would have to drop the title.  Steamboat also claims that his increasing popularity rubbed Hulk Hogan the wrong way and that Hogan worked behind the scenes to sabotage Steamboat's career. Steamboat took time off and returned at the 1987 Survivor Series.  However Steamboat's career in the WWF was not the same after he returned and he announced his retirement from wrestling after losing a first round match against Greg "The Hammer" Valentine at the WWF Title tournament at Wrestlemania IV. 

     Steamboat's career was far from over though. As 1989 was just underway, Steamboat appeared as the mystery partner of Eddie Gilbert against Ric Flair and Barry Windham during a match on World Championship Wrestling.  Steamboat made a spectacular return to the NWA by pinning Ric Flair during the match.  Steamboat's win over Flair immediately propelled him into the spotlight and it wouldn't be long before Steamboat challenged Flair again for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

    Their rivalry rekindled, Steamboat and Flair battled throughout the NWA with the biggest title in the NWA on the line.  After years of campaigning for a world's singles title, Steamboat's dream came true when he defeated Ric Flair for the NWA Title at the Chi-Town Rumble PPV on February 20, 1989.  Steamboat defended the belt against Flair in a grueling 2 out of 3 falls match at the Clash of Champions VI on April 2, 1989.  The battles between Steamboat and Flair during this period have been heralded as some of the greatest matches in the history of professional wrestling.  The two continued battling over the belt until Flair managed to regain the belt on May 7, 1989 at the WrestleWar PPV. 

     Steamboat's stay in the NWA ended in the summer of 1989 when he announced another break from professional wrestling.  However in 1991, Steamboat returned to the WWF for several months.  His second stay in the WWF went without note and Steamboat returned to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in late 1991.  

     As usual, Steamboat's return quickly led to championship gold.  In November 1991, Steamboat teamed up with Dustin Rhodes to defeat Arn Anderson and Larry Zybyszko for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.  Steamboat feuded with the various members of the Dangerous Alliance over the next few months.  In January 1992, Steamboat and Rhodes lost the belts to the Dangerous Alliance team of Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton.  Steamboat participated in a War Games match at WrestleWar '92 as part of Sting's team pitted against the Dangerous Alliance, helping his team earn the victory.  Steamboat's feud with the Dangerous Alliance included memorable matches against "Ravishing" Ric Rude, culminating in an Iron Man Match at 1992's Beach Blast PPV where Steamboat was victorious over Rude.

Steamboat found singles gold in September 1992 when he defeated Steve Austin for the WCW World Television Title.  This title reign was short-lived however as Steamboat dropped the belt at the end of September to Scott Steiner.  Steamboat returned to tag team competition when he teamed with Shane Douglas at the Clash of Champions XXI, beating Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the NWA World Tag Team straps on November 18, 1992.  The two held on to the belts until March 3, 1993 when they dropped them to the Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin & Brian Pillman).

In the summer of 1993, Steamboat proved that he was still championship material by defeating Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff for the WCW World TV Title at Clash of Champions XXIV.  Like his previous TV Title reign, this one was short-lived as well and Steamboat dropped the belt to Lord Steven Regal just a month after winning it.  Always a top competitor, Steamboat campaigned against Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship but a second world title reign eluded him.

By the summer of 1994, Steamboat was feuding with Steve Austin over the United States Heavyweight Championship.  At August's Clash of Champions XXVIII, Steamboat defeated Austin for the title.  However a back injury forced Steamboat to forfeit the belt in September 1994 and he was forced to retire after the injury proved to be a career ending one.  After several short-lived retirements, Steamboat's career as an active wrestler was suddenly over.

For the next several years, Steamboat stayed out of the limelight of professional wrestling.  In 2002, Steamboat returned to wrestling at NWA-TNA's first pay-per-view.  While Steamboat could no longer wrestle, he served as a special referee and later on a commissioner for Total Nonstop Action (TNA).  Steamboat lent his expertise to a new generation of wrestlers.  He continued this tradition when he appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH) as a special referee.  Steamboat even had a brief feud with ROH's C.M. Punk and he eventually guided Punk to becoming a babyface.  Later on in ROH, Steamboat had a heated verbal exchange with Mick Foley and successful managed the team of Nigel McGuinness and Chad Collyer against Foley's team of Dan Maff & B.J. Whitmer.

Steamboat continues to work in pro wrestling and is currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment as one of their road agents.