Arn Anderson Shares That Ricky Steamboat Wanted To Be A Heel But Knew It Wouldn't Work

Throughout his career, Ricky Steamboat always portrayed the consummate babyface. However, Steamboat was not always thrilled about playing the good guy. Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson recalled how Steamboat often would tell him that he wanted to be a heel.

"All the time," Anderson said on his "ARN" podcast. "From him to me, and I said, 'Ricky, it's none of my business, but it is my business because you would be making a grave mistake.' 'Yeah, but it would be so much fun.' I said, 'Well, it would be to you, but it wouldn't be fun to the fans, and you know what? The relationship that you have with our audience, young people, grandmothers, grandfathers, all you would end up doing is just disappointing a bunch of people. You wouldn't have money-drawing heat. You wouldn't have that red hot heat where they're trying to kill you.'"

Despite his wanting to play a heel, Steamboat reached the top of the mountain as a babyface when he defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, with the crowd firmly behind him. Steamboat would also find success in WWE as a babyface, both in an Intercontinental Championship victory over "Macho Man' Randy Savage at WrestleMania III and in a memorable storyline with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Steamboat remains one of the most beloved babyaces in pro wrestling history, with his 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction showcasing his accomplishments as a good guy.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "ARN" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.