10 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Have Bad Reputations
The Dark Side of the Ring isn't short of material...
It’s usually very easy to tell which wrestler has a bad reputation.
Here’s one clue in particular: the wrestler, on Twitter, will post cryptically, often in the form of a GIF or inspirational quote. They’ll say something to the effect of “A clear conscience is a good pillow” weeks after pissing off the locker room to high heaven.
This wrestler’s Cagematch record, after one unsavoury incident too many, will list a bunch of matches from WWE or TNA five pages ago, and then, on the most recent - if they’re still working at all - a win over some nobody for Super Limitless Xtreme Wrestling operating out of McMullen, Alabama.
You know the type. Austin Aries. EC3. Tessa Blanchard.
These, amongst others, are professional wrestling’s preeminent troublemakers: people who talked themselves out of mainstream gigs forevermore. These names tend to dominate this conversation, whenever it may arise.
It’s hard to beat Austin Aries - imagine getting your last big shot in Zombie Impact and no-selling a finish - but certain wrestlers you might not expect have something of a reputation.
Others, conversely do - but that gets in the way of your enjoyment…
(It should be noted here that these reps range drastically in severity).
10. The Steiners
Of course the Steiner Brothers earned a bad reputation, but they were awesome in the ring during their prime, Scott is an endearing meme figure through his inordinately insane TNA run, and, generally, time and nostalgia obscures things.
Also: there’s a good way to be bad.
Some never-made-it sadist with zero charisma like Bill DeMott beating up a trainee: deplorable, indefensible.
Scott Steiner, a maverick who spoke funny, kicking seven shades of hell out of somebody: compelling, something that enhances his “don’t make ‘em like that anymore” aura.
They were great for the dead-eyed irony and all that, but…
Scott Steiner was a lunatic who terrorised the WCW locker room and created an unsafe working environment. Rick Steiner was, per many accounts - including Chris Jericho’s - a bully. A sadist bully. He seemed to actively enjoy taking liberties with his opponents during the death rattle Nitro era.
Rick was disgusting in his treatment of Gisele at WrestleCon last year, but was shown celebrating Bron Breakker’s title win at SummerSlam this year on WWE’s official social media channels. He’s just a doting, supportive father now.