He has had his throat hit with a bell, has had two herniated discs in his lower back, and has had his lips stitched up at least a hundred times because of his job.

Yet for champion wrestler Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, it’s all good.

“It’s part of the job description,” he told Manila Bulletin Online and other members of the press in a recent interview. “What I really worry about is slipping when I’m about to dive on an opponent because losing balance and falling would be embarrassing.”

Ricky is in Manila for the “WWE ECW and SMACKDOWN LIVE IN MANILA” show on July 10 at Araneta Coliseum. Along with wrestlers Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Edge, CM Punk, Chris Jerciho, Kane, Umaga, and Michelle McCool, Ricky will show Filipinos the moves that eventually inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2009.

“Because I am not as young as before, some people wonder if I can still do the arm drag and other wrestling moves. Yes, I can. But what’s more important to me now is to show people that wrestling is an art form,” said he who is renowned for his finishing move called the Batista Bomb.

It’s not as if Ricky lacks practice. In 2008 alone, Ricky has figured in about 208 matches in different cities around the world. Although that may sound like a jetsetter’s lifestyle, Ricky denied it.

“We only go to three places when we travel: the hotel, the gym, and the show venue. As much as we’d like to tour the cities we go to, there’s just not enough time and we’re usually very tired to get out of bed for that, anyway” he said.

When asked if he’s worried about ending up like the character that actor Mickey Rourke played in the film “The Wrestler,” Ricky turned serious.

“I’m not going to become a washed out wrestler who ends up doing the first match in the card at the twilight of his career when he used to headline main events during his prime. I did retire and worked behind the scenes before this, and I was as successful with that as with my wrestling career.

“But, yes, I know guys who made big money and spent it all without thinking of the future. They didn’t save up because their attitude was, ‘Well, there’s always next year.’ It’s sad,” he said.

Who among the new wrestlers show potential?

“Jack Swagger and other second-generation wrestlers. These sons of wrestlers have the charisma and the natural abilities of champion wrestlers which they got from their fathers. Even my own son is training to become a wrestler, and he’s doing well at it, too.”

It’s a matter of the fruit not falling far from the tree. Apart from becoming a WWE Hall of Famer, Ricky’s career highlights include NWA World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion and WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Jay Youngblood).

Ricky had also fought The Magnificent Don Muraco and Jaker “The Snake” Roberts inside the ring. However, his most unforgettable matches remain to be those against Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Ric “Nature Boy” Flair.