15 Reasons Why Scott Steiner Is The Original Beast Of Wrestling
1. Three Decades And Counting
Well into his fourth decade in the pro ranks, Steiner has seen it all in the wrestling business; from the mat-based grappling of the NWA, right through to the in-your-face, edginess of the Monday Night Wars and beyond.
Not only has Steiner been a constant attraction since he began tagging with his brother in 1989, he has also managed to adapt and react to change around him like few others and maintained his position as a big name throughout the last three decades. The nineties in particular saw the complete evolution of Steiner as a performer; from clean-cut babyface and tag-team specialist to !*$%-kicking heel and sleazy, solo superstar.
By the turn of the new millennium, Steiner was one of the biggest names in the sport and would finally receive validation of his success on November 26th, 2000; defeating Booker T at WCW’s Mayhem PPV event to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately for Steiner, WCW would be out of business less than a year later, stalling his momentum significantly and the final year of WCW remains his career-defining period.
Post WCW, Steiner’s career has been met with both criticism and praise. Despite an admittedly poor second run in WWE from 2002 to 2004 and a shaky start to his TNA tenure in 2006, Steiner’s work over the last ten years has been laced with memorable moments and classic promos riddled with textbook Steinerisms (with 141 2/3 chance of more to come). As for in-ring action, look no further than the nostalgic classic between Team 3D and the Steiner Brothers from Bound for Glory 2007 for proof of Steiner’s ability to still perform at a high level.
With 2016 marking his 30th anniversary as a pro, Steiner still occasionally dons the chainmail for the odd in-ring appearance and – for what it’s worth – is currently listed as an official member of Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling roster. How long he can still mix it up in the ring remains to be seen, yet one thing is for sure; if previous years are anything to go by, Steiner will no doubt find a way to make headlines – be it between the ropes or outside of them.