10 Wrestlers Who Gambled On A New Character
5. Scott Steiner: Big Poppa Pump
Scott Steiner isn't a stupid man.
He plays up to the rep, and he sometimes mixes up his words, but he knew exactly when his athletic prime had deserted him.
As one half of the Steiners, Scotty ruled so f*cking hard. He was a phenomenal athlete and a movez pioneer who was also incredible at setting a believable, competitive tone in his matches. He radiated danger, was built like a truck, and was amazing at firing up a crowd. Only one wrestler is clever enough to have drawn inspiration from his specialty taunt; after driving somebody's head to the canvas, he'd celebrate their near-death experience like a last-minute winner. More wrestlers should following Jade Cargill's lead.
When he split from brother Rick and turned heel in 1998, he flirted with the questionable nickname 'White Thunder' before settling on 'Big Poppa Pump'. A ridiculously-muscled fanny rat with an involuntarily funny black comedy promo game, the line between the man and the character was blurred. Actually, he was as unhinged onscreen as he was off, saying his promotion sucked on live TV and assaulting Diamond Dallas Page backstage.
So maybe it wasn't a character after all.