Wrestling fans got to see Ricky Steamboat in AEW primarily in part to CM Punk as The Dragon details how his appearance came about in a new interview.
Ricky Steamboat spoke with Bill Apter about how his All Elite appearance came to be and it started with CM Punk.
“[Tony Schiavone] got a hold of me…through the request of CM Punk. And, you know, they had told me the storyline – the last time CM Punk and Ricky Starks met, that Ricky needed to get the win, cheated holding on to the ropes. So, they were thinking about maybe another referee on the floor, another pair of eyes. And make the match for the Heavyweight Championship of the world.”
Steamboat and Punk happen to share a bit of lineage with one another as both were colleagues together way back when in ROH.
Ricky Steamboat Flew To AEW Collison Via Tony Khan’s Private Jet
Steamboat provided further clarity to his recent set of AEW appearances, notably the busy weekend he had when he was doing two appearances – one in Roanoke, VA and Charlotte, NC. That night AEW Collison was in Greenville, SC and Tony Khan made sure that Ricky Steamboat made it there.
“On Friday, I was doing like a Comic Con convention in Charlotte. And, after I was done with that Friday night, I drove up to Roanoke and I was doing another Comic Con convention there and, of course, AEW’s show live was Saturday evening. So, the company through Tony Khan, he asks, ‘ I’d like to pick you up in Roanoake in our private jet and fly you down to Greenville where we’re doing the television taping.’ About a 35-minute flight. ‘You’d do the match with CM Punk and Ricky Starks and then we will get you back on my plane,’ Tony said.”