Sam Steamboat
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| Birth name | Samuel K. Mokuahi |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 4, 1934 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Died | May 2, 2006 (aged 71) Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Cause of death | Complications from Alzheimer's disease |
| Spouse(s) | Sheryll Mokuahi |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Sam Steamboat Sammy Steamboat |
| Trained by |
Lord James Blears Lou Thesz |
| Debut | Mid-1950s |
| Retired | Late-1970s |
Samuel K. Mokuahi (May 4, 1934 – May 2, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sam "Sammy" Steamboat.
Mokuahi grew up in Honolulu, attending President Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he played multiple different sports.
Mokuahi was trained to wrestle by Lord James Blears and Lou Thesz. He debuted in the 1950s, adopting the ring name "Sam Steamboat", the English translation of his birth name.
Steamboat began his career with the Honolulu-based NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions. He won his first championship on August 5, 1956, teaming with Billy Varga to defeat Great Togo and Tosh Togo for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship. On January 25, 1961, Steamboat defeated Dick Hutton to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship. He lost the championship to Luigi Macera on April 15, 1961.
In the early 1960s, Steamboat relocated to the contiguous United States, where he competed for the Los Angeles, California-based promotion Worldwide Wrestling Associates. In 1960, he won the WWA International Television Tag Team Championship with Dick Hutton.
Steamboat went on to compete in the Atlanta, Georgia-based Georgia Championship Wrestling, where he won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) with Eddie Graham in 1964, and the North Carolina-based Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, where he held the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) with Graham in 1965.
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