Product Details

• Actors: -
• Directors: -
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Vivendi Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: June 29, 2010
• Run Time: 540 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0039PGH9Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,198 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Ricky Steamboat: The Life Story of the Dragon" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is one of the most legendary performers in the history of sports entertainment. The popular superstar made his name in the Carolina territory and went on to become a fan favorite in WCW and WWE. His battles with Ric Flair for the NWA Championship kept fans on the edge of their seats and his Intercontinental Championship match with “Macho Man” Randy Savage is considered by many the greatest match in WrestleMania annals. Now for the first time ever on DVD, fans can relive the career of Ricky Steamboat. This 3-DVD set has a biographical documentary feature on Steamboat’s life, as well as some of the biggest matches of his career .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here it is, May 21, 2010

By 

A. Pierre (Somewheres) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ricky Steamboat: The Life Story of the Dragon (DVD)

DISC ONE:

Documentary Chapters:
Growing Up
Training
Traveling
Mid-Atlantic
The Dragon
WrestleMania III
World Champion
Fire Breathing Dragon
Mentoring
Hall of Fame
Legacy

Special Features:
Ricky's First Car

Mike Graham Remembers Richard Blood

Ricky Forgets His Name

Having a Positive Attitude
World Wide Wrestling - February 16, 1982

Tuesday Night Titans - April 5, 1985

Steve Lombardi Remembers Ricky's First Match in the WWE

The Body Shop
All-Star Wrestling - June 22, 1985

Becoming the Dragon... The Three Moments of Truth

Chris Jericho Meets Ricky Steamboat For The First Time

Tuesday Night Titans - September 10, 1986

Update with Gene Okerlund
Superstars - January 31, 1987

Dragon in the Oven
Superstars - April 11, 1987

Return from Japan
World Championship Wrestling - March 18, 1989

William Regal Remembers Watching Ricky Steamboat & Ric Flair

World Television Champion
WCW Saturday Night - September 19, 1992

Ricky Steamboat's Induction into the WWE Hall of Fame - April 4, 2009

DISC TWO:

NWA World Tag Team Championship Match
Jack & Gerry Brisco vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Starrcade November 24, 1983

NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Boogie Jam March 17, 1984
(Commentary by: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Matt Striker)

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Cowboy Bob Orton
Capital Centre July 20, 1985

Lumberjack Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. The Magnificent Don Muraco
Maple Leaf Gardens September 22, 1985

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Boston Garden August 9, 1986

Intercontinental Championship Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage
WrestleMania III March 29, 1987
(Alternate Commentary by: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Matt Striker)

DISC THREE:

2 out of 3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Clash of the Champions VI April 2, 1989

United States Championship Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Lex Luger
The Great American Bash July 23, 1989

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes vs. Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyzsko
Clash of the Champions XVII November 19, 1991

Iron Man Challenge Match
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Rick Rude
Beach Blast June 20, 1992

No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Television Championship
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Steve Austin
Clash of the Champions XX September 2, 1992
(Alternate Commentary by: Ricky Steamboat & Matt Striker)

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho
Backlash April 26, 2009

Pretty much what I expected it too be. Most of the matches you'd expect (Savage, Flair, and his comeback match against Jericho) and a few surprises. Cannot wait for this set to be released.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Being A "Blood" To A Hall Of Fame Career, August 4, 2010

By 

D.P. (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ricky Steamboat: The Life Story of the Dragon (DVD)

Finally, one of the most highly requested DVD sets of all time, in regards to a wrestling legend, has finally been released in regards to without a doubt one of the greatest inring performers & a man who never had to work as a heel thoughout his career because of how loved he was by the fans...a rarety in wrestling for as long as he's been in the business. You'll hear from various people throughout the presentation such as the various legends (Ric Flair, Jack & Gerald Brisco, Iron Sheik, Harley Race, Tony Atlas, Steve Kern, Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr., Gene Okerland, Jim Cornette, Jim Crockett, Barry Windham, Magnum T.A., Sgt. Slaughter, Dean Malenko, Jake Roberts, James J. Dillion, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, Don Muraco, Bret Hart) & current WWE talent (Edge, Chris Jericho, Christian, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, William Regal, Dustin "Goldust" Rhodes) and even a few new faces that we haven't heard from before (NWA referee Tommy Young, NWA booker George Scott, George "The Animal" Steele, and his son Richie Steamboat).

The documentry stars with Steamboat talking about where he really grew up at & how his father's job caused him to move all around the world. His early amature wrestling days along with his first exposure to professional wrestling is discussed before going into the story of how he ended up going to Verne Gagne's camp. The story behind his name being changed to Steamboat, his travels through various NWA territories, how Ric Flair went to bat for him, and how him not fully dedicating himself to the business stopped him from being a top star. His famous tag team with Jay Youngblood was heavily discussed as far as them being friends in & out of the ring along with their feuds with Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle along with the Briscos leading to their Starrcade match. Various elements of his initial WWE run is discussed such as how he gained the nickname "The Dragon", how he inspired so many current talents with his moves such as the armdrag (and the story of where he got it from), and highlights of his feud with Don Muraco & the infamous Jake Roberts DDT incident from Saturday Night's Main Event. WrestleMania III & the buildup to his match with Randy Savage was heavily talked about such as the throat injury, how both men wanted to steal the show at this event, and what happened afterwards at the WrestleMania party before going into why he lost the championship to Honky Tonk Man. The return to the NWA, his "good vs. evil" feud with Flair along with the trilogy of matches they had was heavily discussed next with the suprise of which match in that series was actually his favorite before getting into how the series ended with a bad taste in his mouth & what led to him leaving shortly afterwards. His short return to the WWE under "The Dragon" was briefly discussed with the big highlight being the story behind how he started breathing fire before going into why he left. Returning to WCW was talked about next starting with the story behind his debut night & how people felt his feud with Steve Austin was the first time Austin really got noticed before going into the details of his back injury & the reasoning behind his retirement. His private life after retirement is discussed next with Steamboat going into details of his outside business with his son before being brought back into wrestling as a "producer/agent", going into the Hall Of Fame, his comeback in 2009 & how most people feel that he still better than most people younger than him, and his son's venture into wrestling close out the documentry.

DVD extras include bonus stories include Ricky Steamboat talking about how he bought his first car & drove it home backwards, Mike Graham talking about his first meeting with Richard Blood, the story behind Steamboat forgetting his new name, Steve Lombardi (Brooklyn Brawler) remember Steamboat's first WWE match, Chris Jericho telling the story of the one question he asked Steamboat the first time he met him, William Regal talking about how him watching a Flair/Steamboat match caused him to not be able to walk for around 2 weeks, and bonus promos & vigenttes including a hidden one with Ricky doing a "Say No To Drugs" PSA.

Bonus Matches Include:
w/Jay Youngblood vs. NWA Tag Team Champions Brisco Brothers - A pure classic old school tag team match between four great workers...nothing else needs to be said.
Starrcade '83
["Starrcade: The Essential Collection" & "Most Powerful Families In Wrestling"]

vs NWA Champion Ric Flair - All I can say after viewing this match is that Ric Flair calls himself the "60 minute man" for a reason & this perfectly showcases why. This was a match where they wrestled a calculated pace that didn't rely on "spots" or anything "hardcore" but just straight wrestling to keep the crowd entertained...a lost classic in the series between Steamboat & Flair.
Steamboat & Matt Striker do commentary during this match and talk about various subjects like Steamboat training in the AWA, his 2009 return, the art of in-ring storytelling, veterans helping out the younger talent back in the day, how Flair capturing the NWA Title convinced him that he could be a World Champion too, and his dream matches.
Boogie Jam '84
(Commentary with Ricky Steamboat & Matt Striker)

vs. Cowboy Bob Orton - This was during the period where Bob Orton was wearing the cask on his "injured" arm so that was Steamboat's focus as he heavily worked it over with various armbars & constant wrenching of it which kept him in control for most of the match to the point where Orton has to resort to throwing soda in Steamboat's eyes to get control but overall, this was a good exibition for Steamboat.
July '85

Lumberjack Match vs. Don Muraco - For the rare people who haven't seen a lumberjack match, the rules are that wrestlers surround the ring and their job is to throw a superstar back into the ring whenever they would go outside of it. As expected, Muraco tried to escape various times early in the match only to be tossed back in. Muraco worked over Steamboat's left shoulder with nerve holds & a shoulderbreaker. There was a very funny moment when Muraco tried to escape out of the ring via the ramp only for the group of babyfaces to pick him up & toss him back in. Bob Orton did get involved in the match but it ended up backfiring on Orton leading to Steamboat winning this very entertaining match.
Sept. '85

vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts - Roberts showed early on that they he had Steamboat scouted so well that he was able to counter & avoid the attacks that were sterotypical of Steamboat before Steamboat was able to finally catch Roberts. At one point, Steamboat missed a chop & ended up hitting the ringpost which hurt his arm & wrist which Roberts then worked on before Steamboat got very angry & took the fight outside by ramming Jake into the barrier & headfirst into the table. In the end, Jake Roberts used the referee to avoid a Steamboat attack before that ended up coming back to cost him the match.
"Boston Garden" Aug. '86

vs. Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage - Let's be honest here, I can try to summerize this match but words wouldn't do it justice & what hasn't been said about this match that hasn't been said for over 20 years. This was the match that stole the show at WrestleMania III, this was the match that was an inspiration to so many wrestlers today like Chris Jericho, and is still known as one of the greatest matches of all time.
We get a special treat with this edition of this match as there is alternative commentary with Steamboat & Striker as they talked about various subjects such as the backstory of this match infront of the camera & behind the scenes along with which current superstars he feels can make it to his level of performance.
WrestleMania III
(Alternative Commentary By Ricky Steamboat & Matt Striker)
["Best Of Intercontinental Championship", "Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection", "WrestleMania III: Championship Edition"]

NWA Championship/2 Out Of 3 Falls Match vs. Ric Flair - This was the second match of their classic 1989 trilogy of matches and despite the first match being the one where Steamboat wins the World Championship and the third match being the most praised match amongst wrestling fans & critics, this match was Steamboat's personal favorite. Steamboat began working on Flair's head with a side headlock & got a few near falls off that move before both men traded moves back & forth until the first fall was scored around 20 mins. into the match. Flair took the fight right to Steamboat in the second fall by taking it to the outside at one point by throwing Steamboat into the ralling twice & slamming him onto the floor before getting back into the ring & doing a very unique pinning combination that Terry Funk best described as a "Oklahoma Crossbody Ride" before Steamboat was able to recover & apply a variation of the chicken wing to win the second fall in 34 mins. Flair having a heavy focus on the legs in the third fall as the intensity & pace heavily picked up between both men in the third fall before a controversal finish that led the door open for the third & final encounter but this was classic quality.
"Clash Of The Champions" Apr. '89
[Ultimate Ric Flair Collection]

vs. United States Champion Lex Luger - This was suppost to be a No DQ match but Luger demanded that stipulation would be changed which Steamboat agreed. Steamboat used his speed to get an early advantage while Luger used his power & heavily worked over Steamboat's back with various slams. They went back & forth here before Luger brought in a chair & tried to use it only for it to backfire which made Steamboat lose his temper & assault Luger with the chair from the ring all the way... Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of wrestling's great success stories, June 29, 2010

By 

Matt Murphy, Author of THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION... (Eldon, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ricky Steamboat: The Life Story of the Dragon (DVD)

RICKY STEAMBOAT: THE LIFE STORY OF "THE DRAGON" is one of WWE's best DVD sets to date. The documentary was excellent, with Steamboat humbly recalling his ascent to the top of professional wrestling. There was some great stuff from his peers and today's stars as well as from his son, Ritchie, as well. My only gripe about the documentary was that it was too short. It's difficult to capture a lifetime in only one hour, but it was done about as well it could've been in that time.

There are hundreds of different matches that could have gone on this DVD set, but those which were included were excellent.

In a business full of tragic stories, Ricky Steamboat's story is one with a happy ending. He rose to the top of his game, stepped away on his own terms, and now helps build young WWE talent while watching his own son work his way through their developmental system.

If you're a wrestling fan, this is a must-have.