15 Reasons Why Scott Steiner Is The Original Beast Of Wrestling

4. Badder The Badass

In the world of sports, no-one has ever encapsulated a superstar aura or car crash magnetism quite like boxing’s “Iron” Mike Tyson. Tyson was labelled “The Baddest Man on the Planet” for good reason; with an unbridled mean streak bell-to-bell, a dangerous demeanour and an unequivocal intimidation factor. Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, in an industry dominated by larger than life personalities, few stood out more than “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner. Whether it was his freakish musculature, the bleach blonde hair and matching goatee or the insane ramblings of his often nonsensical promos; Steiner’s day-to-day antics were enough to make him a watercooler topic before the bell had even rung.

Just like Tyson before him, any time Scott Steiner appeared on TV was a must-see moment. When Steiner showed up on screen, viewers and backstage personnel alike genuinely had no idea what was going to come out of his mouth. Come to think of it, Steiner himself was probably pretty curious too. Expletives? Possibly. Sexual undertones? Probably. A venomous tirade of abusive? Guaranteed.

From the clumsy tirades and verbal stumbles to the unwavering self-belief and fiery intensity, the comparisons between the two athletes are virtually endless. Of all the men that have come and gone in the pro wrestling industry, none have rivalled sport’s most notorious star quite like “Big Poppa Pump”.

Outside of the ring, Tyson was famed for his OTT excess; something Steiner would replicate to perfection on screen. “The Big Bad Booty Daddy” even walked to the ring with a living, breathing tiger in toe for an episode of WCW Nitro in October of 2000. A live, f***ing tiger, folks; because nothing screams “badass” quite like a wild, predatory animal on a leash.

Even then, it was hard to tell which one was more dangerous – the tiger or Steiner himself.