15 Reasons Why Scott Steiner Is The Original Beast Of Wrestling
13. MVP Of WCW
While many point at Sting and Bill Goldberg as the ultimate franchise players in WCW history, a strong case can be made that Scott Steiner was the unsung MVP of Turner Town.
Despite a brief flirtation with WWF, a cup of coffee with ECW and a brief love affair with New Japan, Steiner collectively spent nine years under the NWA/WCW banner in a stretch that spanned three different decades. During that time, he and his brother held every tag championship possible – from the United States and World Tag Team Titles right down to the Pat O’Connor Memorial Tournament Trophy – and even managed to pick up the prestigious 1991 Wrestling Observer “Match of the Year” along the way. Throw in the Observer’s 1990 “Tag Team of the Year” award and a “5 Star Match” award for WrestleWar 91’s “War Games” match and it’s clear that the Steiners made quite the contribution to WCW in the early 90s.
As a singles competitor, Scott was the true definition of a home grown WCW superstar, holding every major singles title available; from the TV and US all the way up to the World Heavyweight Championship on his way to a rare Triple Crown. While others may have had a longer, uninterrupted run with company (such as DDP and Booker T), the variety Steiner’s contributions during his WCW tenure were arguably unmatched.
His time in NWA/WCW saw him develop from babyface tag team practitioner to the biggest singles heel competitor in the company, creating history along the way. Splitting from his brother in February of 1998, Steiner became a bona fide member of the nWo and a key part of WCW programming in the process; a role he would maintain until the company’s demise in 2001. Steiner also find himself a part of several other notable factions during this time, including the short-lived nWo 2000, the ill-fated New Blood and the often-forgotten Magnificent 7.
Steiner’s stock would reach its apex in 21st Century WCW, entering into legit main event feuds with the likes of Goldberg, Sid and DDP; ultimately leading to World Champ status in 2000. Steiner’s WCW World Championship reign would reach a fitting conclusion on the final telecast of WCW Nitro when he was defeated by Booker T; bringing his title run to an end while simultaneously calling time on the company he helped build.