Scott Steiner in his prime a top 5 workers?

[MikeJordan23 0]

I think Scott started deteriorating around 1997, but 89-94 was his real PRIME, and he was probably the blueprint of what workers should be to me. He had a wide range of moves, was intense, knew psychology of matches, and almost none of the Steiners matches then were less than ***. Him and Rick carried not so great teams to great matches, and had classics with great workers. Was the best suplex machine in wrestling at that time, and maybe all-time. I'd rank him with the top workers from the era with Hennig, Hart, Savage and so on...

 

I wouldn't call him the best, because not being singles competitor takes more I think then Tag Team, but his displays for that 5 year span is unmatched by any tag team wrestler I can think of.

 

What's your takes on Scott Steiner then?

 

Edit: Worker not Workers...sorry about that

[Guest LooneyTune]

He was a rare instance where his prime was when he was starting out in wrestling. When Ric Flair & Dusty Rhodes want to put the title on you, that must mean you're something special.

 

I think he started declining around 1997, when he was turning mark "evil" (Or just growing the goatee), and was really pumping in the roids. After he turned heel, most of his matches were pretty basd/boring, but he occasionally had a good match.

 

As for a Top 5 Worker...He'd be matched with Bret Hart, Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, and Randy Savage for American Workers alone, but some Japanese wrestlers like Jushin Thunder Liger and the Great Sasuke would probably be ahead in a "Top 5 in the World", as well as other Japanese/Puro stars of the time.

[Slayer 0]

After he turned heel, most of his matches were pretty bad/boring

I think his heel matches (at least in WCW) were fairly interesting

 

Plus it was turning heel where his character really took off

[Guest LooneyTune]

His promos and stuff were still good, but I couldn't get into his matches, and especially that feud with Rick. Blech!

[MikeJordan23 0]

After he turned heel, most of his matches were pretty bad/boring

I think his heel matches (at least in WCW) were fairly interesting

 

Plus it was turning heel where his character really took off

Mostly for the trainwreck aspect of it like, "I wonder if he's gonna snap a break a fan's face today", sort of situation. Similar to SS 1999 when he was walking around the ring looking for trouble, then smacking the fan in the head.

[MikeJordan23 0]

He was a rare instance where his prime was when he was starting out in wrestling. When Ric Flair & Dusty Rhodes want to put the title on you, that must mean you're something special.

 

I think he started declining around 1997, when he was turning mark "evil" (Or just growing the goatee), and was really pumping in the roids. After he turned heel, most of his matches were pretty basd/boring, but he occasionally had a good match.

 

As for a Top 5 Worker...He'd be matched with Bret Hart, Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, and Randy Savage for American Workers alone, but some Japanese wrestlers like Jushin Thunder Liger and the Great Sasuke would probably be ahead in a "Top 5 in the World", as well as other Japanese/Puro stars of the time.

Yes, agreed. I really didn't watch much of anything outside of North America until 1999, when I could watch highlights on the net. So I wont comment much on that.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I never could get into the evil Scotty. Just seemed like the same Shane Douglas cursing promos from ECW. Sure he was scary, but I didn't care to watch him.

 

And at no time or no era would I list him top 10

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

He was well into his decline by the time they showed back up in WCW. It was just painfully obvious by the time he went singles. Though he had a brief revival for the last 3 months of WCW in 2001.

[MikeJordan23 0]

Really? I don't think many were on the level with Steiner in terms of in ring work back then. Who do you think was better and why?

[Guest Ray]

Jumbo Tsuruta

Toshiaki Kawada

Mitsuharu Misawa

Kenta Kobashi

Jushin Liger

Stan Hansen

Nobuhiko Takada

Chris Benoit

Bret Hart

Vader

 

 

To name a few.

[MikeJordan23 0]

Jumbo Tsuruta

Toshiaki Kawada

Mitsuharu Misawa

Kenta Kobashi

Jushin Liger

Stan Hansen

Nobuhiko Takada

Chris Benoit

Bret Hart

Vader

 

 

To name a few.

Vader? Eh...

 

Great worker, but Steiner I feel was better.

 

Same for Stan Hansen.

 

Didn't watch most of the Japanese performers until after, really.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Vader? Eh...

 

Great worker, but Steiner I feel was better.

 

Same for Stan Hansen.

 

Didn't watch most of the Japanese performers until after, really.

I would say that Vader and Hansen were better workers than Steiner. Their work in Japan blows away almost everything I've seen of Scott in the US and I'm only talking singles stuff here too. Scott's Japan work is limited mainly to tag matches only as I don't know if he ever fought there as a singles guy. Vader's work in the US, mainly is better than Scott's as well but I can't compare Hansen's to Steiners as I have seen much of Hansen's US stuff. I will say that I've seen plenty of Vader and Hansen's tag work in Japan is still on par with Steiner's tag work in Japan and the US. So I would definatly be able to say that I think Hansen/Vader are both overall better than Scott. Plus, Vader AND Hansen both have wrestled longer at a higher pace than Steiner as well........

[Guest LooneyTune]

Steiner better worker than Vader?!?!! (rips off mask and starts beating the piss out of everyone) don't judge by the Nuetered version of Vader in WWF.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Steiner better worker than Vader?!?!! (rips off mask and starts beating the piss out of everyone) don't judge by the Nuetered version of Vader in WWF.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the Vader everyone thinks of when his name is brought up. Apparently they aren't familiar with the 90's All Japan baddass Vader.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Even WCW Vader was awesome compared to his WWF run. Other than Flair, he was probably the most compatable opponent for Sting, had some great vicious brawls with Foley, and was the main attraction of WCW in 1993. Also had some under-rated matches with The Guardian Angel/The Boss/Ray Traylor in 1994.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

WCW Vader WAS awesome compared to Vader's WWF run. They did do a good job bringing himj in with him destroying Monsoon and they did good with him up until his Summerslam match with HBK in 1996. After that he was constantly booked in a secondary role and then jobbed out horribly over a period of time. He NEVER really went over any pure WWF main eventers of the time and THAT was what really killed everything they built for him in the WWF. Actually it killed everything that WCW did to build him too.................

 

He was never taken seriously in the WWF again.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Vader got killed by the WWF politics. Everytime he was slated for a title HBK or Hart screwed him over.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Hart screwed him out of the Tag Title to advance the Hart Foundation storyline, which was the spotlight of 1997. HBK screwed Vader out of the World Title because he was a bitch, and we ended up getting World Champion: Sid instead, and a horrible buyrate for Its Time, which didn't even feature Vader.

 

Hart's screwing wasn't a "Vader sucks, he doesn't deserve the title" or that he was "Too Stiff". It was a "I think the change not happening would help the angle".

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

It was still screwing Vader over to progress his own program though.

[MikeJordan23 0]

I'm not thinking of WWF Vader, I'm thinking of 1990 - 1994 Vader when he was the biggest monster in the business. He was one of my favorites for sometime cause he was so unstoppable. And yes, he was a great, great worker/performer, but I think Steiner was just better. Comparing Steiner to a lot of wrestler then is going to be hard because he wrestled in tag teams so match quality, psychology and other entities that are contributed to making a great worker, isn't as noticable in a tag worker. But Scott Steiner's style of wrestling is my favorite kind. The high impact moves, fast paced, wide range of movesets and so on and so forth....

[Guest wildpegasus]

Athletically Steiner was one of the top stars without doubt. He could do things that no other wrestlers of his sizecould or can do. He reminded me of a larger Chris Benoit.

 

 

Scott's Japan work is limited mainly to tag matches only as I don't know if he ever fought there as a singles guy

 

I know he had a singles match against Chono at one point.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I'm not thinking of WWF Vader, I'm thinking of 1990 - 1994 Vader when he was the biggest monster in the business. He was one of my favorites for sometime cause he was so unstoppable. And yes, he was a great, great worker/performer, but I think Steiner was just better. Comparing Steiner to a lot of wrestler then is going to be hard because he wrestled in tag teams so match quality, psychology and other entities that are contributed to making a great worker, isn't as noticable in a tag worker. But Scott Steiner's style of wrestling is my favorite kind. The high impact moves, fast paced, wide range of movesets and so on and so forth....

Well if the way Scott wrestles is your favorite style, then I see where you're coming from. But I think it's very easy to compare the two no matter if one was a tag wrestler or not. Especially in this case because Scott does have a decent amount of singles matches under his belt. But to be fair, I would say I hold Scott in high regard myself during that time period. I still wouldn't put him anywhere near MY top 5, but to each his own.