Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat on NXT and Future WWE Stars

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is a beloved WWE Legend known for his versatility in the ring and athleticism. He was considered imperative in WWE’s developmental system when Florida Championship Wrestling was the brand it went under, and he put major emphasis on building stars for the future.

In a new interview with The Miami Herald, Steamboat talked about what it’s like seeing what NXT has become today:

“It’s very exciting for me to see the company make this very strong attempt for a third brand,” Steamboat said. “We have Raw, SmackDown and now NXT. I like it and am very excited for it because 99 percent of the staff and personnel come out of the school. We are putting our young kids on the road. I also like the fact they are sort of being initiated old school. Every night they go to the towns. They are doing a lot of driving. We were doing that back in the 1970s where it would be 2 or 300 miles a night without GPS. I always wondered how we made it with a map at night. I’m happy to see NXT grow. Everything they are doing, they are going in the right direction.”

He also gave an insight as to who he believes will be the major stars of the future in WWE:

“There is just so much new talent,” he said. “Look at the talent that has broken through. Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Cesaro. There are a number of talents there. Everyone wonders if you give them the ball, are they going to score or are they going to fumble? Obviously, all the names I mentioned have scored very well. I got to help them while coaching at the school, which is great.”

More from the interview can be found here.

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