"AEW turned them babyfaces" - WWE Hall of Famer says Tony Khan's booking decision nixed original plans for his return match 

Tony Khan's booking had apparently led to a major change to the highly anticipated return match of WWE legend Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

For the first time in more than a decade since 2010, Steamboat will compete on November 27 at Big Time Wrestling's Return of the Dragon event. The legend will fight Jay Lethal, Brock Anderson, and an unidentified third star while teaming up with FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler).

Speaking about the upcoming bout in a recent interview with Wrestling Inc, Steamboat spoke about how the original plans for his return match were quite different.

"This [match], for me to make a final, final decision was three or four months in the making. I just didn't jump on it the first time I was approached from Big Time Wrestling and I have an agent guy, Tony Hunter, who also works with Big Time Wrestling, and when I was first approached, but FTR, when I was first approached were heels," said Steamboat.

The WWE Hall of Famer continued:

"They [FTR] were going to be two guys on the other side of the ring that I was going to be wrestling. AEW turned them babyfaces, turned them good guy. So they said, 'We can't have heels working against you, Ricky, you're a baby face. So what would you think if we had them as your partners?'" [H/T: Wrestling Inc]

Steven R. Jackson

@SteJay215

@FiteTV When Ricky Steamboat proved age is just a number against @IAmJericho at Backlash 2009!

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@FiteTV When Ricky Steamboat proved age is just a number against @IAmJericho at Backlash 2009! https://t.co/dlT8DF20Uj

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The WWE legend also revealed that he was training with Hall of Famer Kane

Ricky Steamboat is clearly taking no chances in his preparation for the fight, as he recently revealed who one of his trainers was.

In the same interview with Wrestling Inc, Steamboat spoke about how he had been training with former WWE Superstar Kane (aka Glenn Jacobs). Alongside Kane, Tom Pritchard has also been working as another trainer in a wrestling school outside Knoxville.

Niccolò

@Makavelimademe

#RickySteamboat trying to escape the cage from #RandySavage. Taken during their epic late ‘86/early ‘87 feud. These matches are considered holy grails, as surprisingly, none of these grudge cage matches were televised.

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#RickySteamboat trying to escape the cage from #RandySavage. Taken during their epic late ‘86/early ‘87 feud. These matches are considered holy grails, as surprisingly, none of these grudge cage matches were televised. https://t.co/IxXYfKemhj

It remains to be seen how the WWE legend will fare in his first match after a nearly decade-long hiatus.

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Do you think Ricky Steamboat will work well with AEW stars like FTR? Sound off in the comments below!

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