If Steamboat was never injured and was around during the nWo era
By Scott Keith on 1 July 2024
Just imagine the possibilities. I'd like to think Steamboat would have been one of the better WCW warriors against the nWo. Hell all the new fans that tuned in to WCW at this time due to the nWo angle would have been introduced to Steamboats awesomeness. And I beat Ricky gets more over than he's ever been before. Hogan vs. Steamboat at some PPV? I think it would have been pretty cool. Or alternately maybe Steamboat does take a few years off. But in 1998 on a Nitro Hogan and Savage challenge Sting and Luger to a match. Over the course of the evening the nWo takes out Luger. Flair. Piper. Giant. DDP. Even younger guys like Benoit, Booker T etc. Looks like Sting is gonna have to fly solo. nWo comes out for the main event. Sting repells down from the rafters towards the entrance way, staring a hole through the nWo. The nWo is in the ring laughing at Sting, thinking he's all alone. When Ricky Steamboats fucking epic 92-94 music plays. Sting has his partner. I say do this in a smark heavy place like Chicago or NYC or something and the place goes beserk when Steamboat walks out to team with Sting.
Even if you think my tag match idea is ass do you at least agree that Steamboat being around during any of the nWo era would have been interesting? I mean there's so many possibilities. Imagine a darker late 90's version of Steamboat. Coulda been cool.
I don't see Steamboat sticking around in the nWo era. He would have seen the writing on the wall and either retired again to open a new gym, or moved over to WWE to cash in with a Bret Hart match. He was too smart about his own career to let himself get sucked into a secondary role like that.