15 Reasons Why Scott Steiner Is The Original Beast Of Wrestling

7. The 450

As would become a common theme with Scott Steiner in his early career, the innovations are far and wide ranging. With so many original manoeuvres, it’s insane to think that one of his most awe-inspiring moves to date is more often than not universally overlooked despite its significance in wrestling history.

While legendary 90s flyer, Too Cold Scorpio, is commonly credited as inventing the awesome 450 Splash, footage has since emerged over the years that puts that claim into question. The aforementioned footage is from 1987 and features none other than – you guessed it – a young and green Scotty Steiner once again revolutionising the US wrestling scene with his aerial antics and physics-defying athleticism.

In the video, Scott is wrestling The Great Wojo for the WWA promotion, owned by 70s legend, Dick the Bruiser. Billed at the time as Scott Rechsteiner (the Steiner Brothers’ real surname), the footage can be puzzling for modern viewers, with the announcer regularly referring to Scotty by his surname as “Rechsteiner” – confusingly close to his brother’s name, who would be billed as “Rick Steiner” for the duration of his career. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt over who’s performing – it’s definitely the “Genetic Freak”.

Considering this footage was supposedly filmed in 1987, the impact of such acrobatics takes on an eternity of additional significance. Seeing Brock Lesnar perform the Shooting Star Press was a hell of a shocking visual in the 2000s; seeing Steiner perform the 450 in the late 80s must have been akin to The Shockmaster taking a bath with a toaster. Shocking indeed.