The Steiner Brothers are highly regarded, considered as one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history.[3] On April 1, 2022, they were inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame.[4]
Professional wrestling career
World Championship Wrestling (1988–1992)
At Starrcade '88 and Chi-Town Rumble, Scott Steiner started to accompany his brother Rick in his matches. By January 1989, they were competing as a tag team.
With Missy Hyatt in their corner, the Steiner Brothers were an up-and-coming tag team, mixing technique, power, speed, and agility. They later added Robin Green to the group. With their tremendous win–loss record, they earned a shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship, held by The Fabulous Freebirds. On September 12, 1989, at Clash of the Champions VIII, the Steiners lost when Green tripped Scott, causing him to get DDT'd and pinned by Michael "P.S." Hayes. Green would transform into Woman, and brought a tag team called Doom to wrestle the Steiners at Halloween Havoc, in which the Steiners lost.
On November 1, 1989, in Atlanta, Georgia, the Steiners defeated the Freebirds for the NWA World Tag Team titles; the title change would air on the November 18 episode of World Championship Wrestling. They held the titles until May 19, 1990, when they were defeated by Doom in Washington, D.C. at Capital Combat.[5]
At the same time, Scott was being groomed as a singles performer. On WCW's weekend TBS shows (WCW Power Hour, WCW Saturday Night, and WCW Main Event). There was a special "gauntlet" match segment where a performer was picked to wrestle a top star on each show on that weekend, winning the sum of $15,000 USD (kayfabe) if they defeated all three. Scott was the second to run the gauntlet, with his second opponent being Ric Flair. Because the Four Horsemen clumsily interfered, Steiner beat Flair by pinfall. He would then get a title match against Flair at Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite on January 30, 1991, which ended in a time limit draw.[3] and began teasing a heel turn when he teamed with Marcus Bagwell against Steve Austin and Brian Pillman on an October 10, 1992 episode of WCW Worldwide. During the match Bagwell was injured when he was attacked Arn Anderson and when Scott went to tag Bagwell he was unable to. An angry Scott then kicked Bagwell and slammed him into the ring where he was attacked by Austin and Pillman who then won the match.[6] Scott would go on to win the WCW World Television Championship from Ricky Steamboat on October 17.[5] The heel turn which Scott was undergoing was later aborted upon the Steiner Brothers leaving WCW for the World Wrestling Federation after being lowballed on their contract renewal by then-WCW head Bill Watts.[3]
The Steiners successfully defended their titles against The Heavenly Bodies on August 30, at SummerSlam.[11] On the September 13, 1993 episode of Raw in New York City, New York, the Steiners defended their titles against The Quebecers in a "Province of Quebec rules" match, wherein titles can change hands via disqualification. The match ended when the manager of The Quebecers, Johnny Polo, threw a hockey stick into the ring, which was about to be used by Jacques, however, Scott took it away and began to hit him with it as the referee turned around, thus, he disqualified the Steiner Brothers, awarding the title to The Quebecers.[5] Scott gained a measure of revenge by defeating Pierre in a singles match the following week on Raw.
At the Survivor Series on November 24, the Steiners teamed with Lex Luger and The Undertaker as "The All-Americans". The All-Americans defeated their opponents, "The Foreign Fanatics" (Yokozuna, Crush, Ludvig Borga and Jacques), although Luger was the sole survivor.[12]
On January 22, 1994, both Steiners entered the Royal Rumble, with Scott entering at number one. After Rick entered at number three, the brothers cooperated until being eliminated by Owen Hart and Diesel respectively.[13] The Steiners wrestled sparingly after that and eventually left the promotion in mid-1994.[3] Scott appeared last in a King of the Ring qualifier loss to Irwin R. Schyster at the April 13 Superstars of Wrestling taping (which included a run-in from Rick after the match), which aired on May 7. Scott would return to the company in late 2002.
At Gangstas' Paradise on September 16, the Steiners joined forces with Taz in a loss to The Eliminators and Jason.[19] On September 23, in Middletown, they defeated Raven and Stevie Richards. Scott made one more appearance (teaming with Taz in a losing effort against The Eliminators on October 28, 1995) before the brothers departed from ECW.
World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)
The Steiners re-signed with WCW in 1996. They initially feuded with the Road Warriors and had several matches with then champions Sting and Lex Luger. They would eventually win the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Harlem Heat on July 24, 1996, but Harlem Heat would regain the title just three days later and the title changes were never mentioned on TV.[5] A short time later, Scott was sidelined with an injury and Rick had several singles matches until Scott returned to the ring the following January. Following the formation of the New World Order (nWo), the Steiners began feuding with The Outsiders, who had won the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Harlem Heat. The Steiners spent the entirety of 1997 and into 1998 feuding with the duo of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. They also feuded with other nWo members like Vicious and Delicious and continued to have matches with Harlem Heat. On the August 4, 1997 episode of Nitro, The Steiners introduced Ted DiBiase as their new manager, who led them to two tag team championships.
Separation and beyond (1998–2001)
The beginning of Scott's heel turn began in late 1997/early 1998 when he, now with increased muscle mass, having cut his signature mullet, and sporting a goatee, started a feud with Buff Bagwell over who had the better physique, as well as developing a short fuse with his temper. Scott and Rick began having problems teaming up, as Scott would often not tag his brother into matches. The team entered 1998 as the tag team champions, but the dissention caused them to lose the belts. It was not the end of the team's troubles, as Scott would often wrestle a whole match by himself, refuse to tag Rick when he would need to leave the ring, and would often keep the referee distracted with his own antics. On the February 2, 1998 episode of Nitro, things appeared to come to a head when Scott scored the victory in a tag team match against Nash and Bagwell by pinning Bagwell without making a tag to Rick, and Rick screamed and yelled at his brother for his actions. One week later, however, the duo won the WCW World Tag Team Championship again.
The final straw came at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, when the brothers would face The Outsiders again.[20] Midway through the match, Rick knocked both Hall and Nash out of the ring while both attempted to attack him behind the referee's back and celebrated by running around the ring barking while Scott entered the ring to celebrate with him. Scott then attacked Rick by hitting him in the back, followed by a double underhook powerbomb. Scott then assaulted DiBiase as well, and abandoned his brother to be taken out by Hall and Nash and signified that he was joining the nWo by personally handing Hall and Nash the championship belts himself.[5] The next night on Nitro, he adopted a new gimmick that was somewhat reminiscent of Superstar Billy Graham, dyeing his hair and goatee blond and increasing in muscle mass even further, damaging his agility.[3]
The two brothers had a feud that also involved Scott's new partner Buff Bagwell, while Rick teamed with a variety of partners including Kenny Kaos, Lex Luger and Bagwell's mother Judy. The Steiners reunited at Slamboree in 1999, and on August 7, 2000, not so much as a tag team but they were both heels who watched each other's backs. They lost to Kevin Nash and Sting on Nitro. On the March 5, 2001 episode of Nitro, they reunited for their last WCW match as a tag team as they lost to Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page.
The brothers reunited for the first time since the closing of WCW. They wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as Rick was working full-time on the roster. They only wrestled three matches. In May 2002, they defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kensuke Sasaki, with the match being refereed by Chyna. On July 19, 2002, they lost to Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono. The next day, they defeated Tanahashi and Kenzo Suzuki.
At the Total Nonstop Action Wrestlingpay-per-viewSacrifice 2007, Scott Steiner teamed with Tomko in a Triple Threat Tag Team match. They lost the match and the miscommunication between Steiner and Tomko led Tomko to attack Steiner following the match. Rick Steiner made his return and fought off Tomko, thus reuniting the Steiner Brothers. They were set to face Team 3D at Slammiversary 2007 for their World Tag Team Championship. An injury to Scott's trachea in Puerto Rico, however, put the match in question, until he was replaced by longtime rival Road Warrior Animal. While Scott was out for his injury, Team 3D demanded his return and teased his near-death injury. The duo then appeared and attacked Team 3D at Victory Road, costing them their World Tag Team titles. At Hard Justice, the Steiner Brothers defeated Team 3D. On the August 16 episode of Impact!, the Steiner brothers lost in a Handicap match to Kurt Angle after interference from Team 3D, heating up their feud. At Bound for Glory the Steiner brothers defeated Team 3D in a two out of three falls tables match. The following month at Genesis, the Steiners received a tag team title shot against A.J. Styles and Tomko, but were unsuccessful. On January 29, 2008, however, Rick was released from TNA, breaking up the Steiners once again. Scott left TNA in February 2010 and returned in February 2011. He was released by TNA in March 2012.
On September 21, 2013, the Steiners reunited at the American Pro Wrestling Alliance defeating Viper and Bulldozer in Shinnston, West Virginia for Frontier Days. They would return to the promotion again on January 11, 2014, to face Moose and APWA World Heavyweight Champion, "The Black Superman" Onyx. The Steiners were already confirmed for three APWA shows in 2014.[22]
On September 6, 2014, the Steiners reunited in Wichita Falls, Texas for Pure Action Championship Wrestling's Brawl In The Falls III, winning and becoming the promotion's final tag team champions. On October 20, the Steiners defeated Dynasty members Jarrod Michaels and Scotty Biggs at SSCW "Breaking the Law" in Nashville, Georgia. On November 29, 2014, The Steiner Brothers defeated The Rock N' Roll Express, The Faces of Fear and George South and Tom Prichard at WrestleCade 2014.[23]
On February 29, 2020, they teamed with a 79 year old Dory Funk Jr. to defeat Blain Rage, Jake Logan, and Shane Chung in a six-man tag team match at Funk's FC !Bang! promotion in Ocala, Florida.[citation needed]
1While this Mid-Atlantic promotion is an NWA affiliated promotion, operates out of the same region as the first Mid-Atlantic promotion, and has revived some of the championships it used, it isn't the same promotion. The original Mid-Atlantic promotion was once owned by Jim Crockett Jr. and was sold outright to Ted Turner in November 1988. The promotion was then renamed World Championship Wrestling.
Related Research Articles
Lawrence Wendell Pfohl, better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation.
Scott Levy is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Raven. He is best known for his appearances with professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Widely recognized as "one of the best talkers in wrestling", Raven is known for his "psychological heel tactics" and grunge-inspired gimmick. His feud with The Sandman in the mid-1990s has been described as "one of the most emotional rivalries in professional wrestling's history".
Scott Rechsteiner, better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler.
Troy Allan Martin is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Joseph Michael "Joe" Laurinaitis, better known by his ring name Road Warrior Animal, was an American professional wrestler. Along with Road Warrior Hawk, he was one-half of the tag team the Road Warriors.
Ronald K. Simmons is an American former professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons played football as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s.
Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr., nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Richard Vigneault is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, trainer, and television presenter, better known by his ring name, Rick "The Model" Martel. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Championships held by Martel over the course of his career include the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Television Championship, and WWF World Tag Team Championship.
Robert Rechsteiner is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Rick Steiner.
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a five-time World Tag Team Champion.
Lash Steven Huffman is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 2000, where he was one-half of the tag team Harlem Heat, with his younger brother Booker T. Huffman, better known as Booker T. They won the WCW World Tag Team Championship a record ten times.
Steven James, better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Brian.
Doom was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. They teamed from 1989 to 1991 in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Theodore James Petty was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) alongside Johnny Grunge as the Public Enemy during the 1990s. He was a four-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion.
Daniel Eugene Spivey is an American retired professional wrestler best known under the ring names "Dangerous" Dan Spivey, Dangerous Dan, The Left Hand Man, Danny Spivey, Mr. America, and Waylon Mercy, initially working under the name Starship Eagle. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively for World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He retired from wrestling in 1995 due to injuries and now works in alcoholism counselling in his native Florida.
The Public Enemy was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge. The duo competed in many promotions, including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They won the World Tag Team Championships in each company except WWF.
The American Males were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) composed of Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. Their gimmick was of two "pretty boys" who were fond of their own bodies and popular with women. Riggs was Bagwell's third partner with whom he won the WCW World Tag Team Championship, the previous two being 2 Cold Scorpio and The Patriot. The American Males won the tag team title soon after they began teaming together but soon dropped the belts back to Harlem Heat, the previous champions. Bagwell and Riggs did not return to main-event status, and they eventually split up and feuded with each other.
WCW Saturday Night is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992. Although initially the anchor show of the Turner Broadcasting-backed wrestling company, the September 1995 premiere of WCW Monday Nitro airing on sister station TNT usurped the show's once preeminent position in the company, as the primary source of storyline development and pay-per-view buildup.
The Miracle Violence Connection was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy.
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda Jr. is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mike Rotunda, Mike Rotundo, Michael Wallstreet, Irwin R. Schyster, and V.K. Wallstreet.
↑ "WWF Show Results 1993". 1993-01-11. Rick & Scott Steiner defeated the Executioners at 3:00 when Rick scored the pin following the top rope bulldog double team
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
