Teaming almost from the beginning of their professional careers, the former amateur wrestlers Robert and Scott Rechsteiner would go nearly ten years as a team before finally getting the go ahead to try singles careers. During that time, they would become known as one of the most dynamic and highly-regarded tag teams in the history of professional wrestling. Scott was always the one being groomed as a singles star, but for years the pair wouldnt stay in one promotion long enough to get the necessary push. They would nearly make it in their first WCW run from 1988 to 1992, but feeling insulted at what they considered to be a lowball offer on their new contracts, they upped ship to WWF. The WWF of 1992 was a competitive time for tag team wrestling, with such luminaries as the Headshrinkers, Money Inc., the Smoking Gunns and the Quebecers on the roster. As proficient all-rounders, The Steiners slotted in nicely, their power finishing movies, excellent technical skills and individual speed and agility making them a comfortable match for any other team they were asked to work. Their star fading around 1994, as the tag division began attracting less booking attention, the Steiners signed to the newborn Extreme Championship Wrestling the following year for a few months, and in 1996 were back in the WCW fold. However, it was Scotts dramatic change in appearance and persona which signaled the beginning of his singles push and split from his brother in late 1997. Significantly increasing his size, cutting his hair and feuding with Buff Bagwell over who had the more impressive musculature, Scott would develop a short fuse in the storylines as well as in real life. He would begin to refuse to tag Rick into matches at all, sometimes wrestling entire matches on his own with his brother standing impotently at ringside. Matters came to a head at Superbrawl VIII in 1998, when Scott blindsided Rick during a match with the Outsiders and deliberately dropped the straps to their opponents, joining the NWO in the process. The Steiners feud would continue for most of the rest of the year, interrupted only by a minor injury on Ricks part, and involving the many members of the NWO. Meanwhile, Scotts increased musculature had cost him much of his former agility, but hed more than made up for it in strength and sheer aggression. The best tag team in WCW in the 1990s made formidable opponents for each other.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
