Magazine Archives: Fightful’s Where Are They Now: The Steiner Brothers

By Mike Lano from FightfulSelect.com Magazine 4

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These Bay City, Michigan natives won 11 World Tag Team Titles across numerous promotions, the U.S. Tag Team Championships several times and, to this day, remain one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history. They were masters at mixing amateur finesse with power, speed and creativity. Today, both continue putting education first while giving back to their communities in their adopted state of Georgia. Let’s look back at The Steiner Brothers’incredible careers as well as to current day and how even during the pandemic, they’ve focused on educational projects and helping others.

Born Rechsteiner, not everyone knows that Rick and Scott Steiner were highly decorated amateur wrestlers when they were younger. Both started wrestling on their high school’s team and then became part of the prestigious University of Michigan Wolverine Squad. At the 1983 Big Ten Championship, older brother Rick (born Robert) placed second and, for years, held the fastest pinfall record with a 15-second victory.

It never occurred to Rick to consider wrestling professionally, even though he’d heard of famous area stars like Dick the BruiserandThe Sheikfrom local television, who had a mammoth 1970s promotional war in Detroit. “I knew a little about it but at the time was never interested,” Rick said. At the famous collegiate “Coaches Conference,” hosted by Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler, Rick met Michigan P.E. coach and legendary wrestler George “The Animal” Steele. He suggested Rick think about Verne Gagne’swrestling school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, “to possibly have a career doing it professionally.”

Rick thought about it for a few weeks, finally sending in his resume. Gagne had him come in for training with fellow pro legends Eddie Sharkeyand Brad Rheingans, as all three constantly looked for great amateur wrestlers to train for pro. Rick began wrestling in Montreal, then gained real fame in Cowboy Bill Watts’Mid South/UWF promotion. “Cowboy was like a tough army drill sergeant but helped me really learn ring psychology and how to convey passion. I thought it was just wrestle people like I did as an amateur, but was wrong. You can use those skills, but more so you’re to entertain the audience while doing it.”

Rick worked with a rookie Sting when he came to the UWF in the 1980s. Both brothers learned from Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, Skandor Akbarand a few others there. WhenJim Crockett’sNWA bought up the UWF, Rick enjoyed being paired with fellow amateurs Mike Rotundaand Steve Williams. He even appreciated his partnership withKevin Sullivanin the long-runningVarsity Clubfaction, where his bullied character brought genuine sympathy.

Late 1988 saw Ted Turner purchase NWA/WCW from Crockett. Rick says he “finally convinced the brass to bring my younger brother Scott in from where he was wrestling in Tennessee’s CWA after Ed Farhatand Jerry Graham Jr. broke him in in 1986. We were teamed soon after they had him just walk me to the ring and soon became champs. We could also work singles, and Scott had that famous Clash of Champions title match with [Ric] Flairin January of 1991 that everyone still talks about.”

Early on, Scott had already put his own faster spin on 1970s CMLL star Raul Mata’sforgotten “MataRolla” finisher (that he first finessed from inventorHuracan Ramirez) in Indianapolis. He turned it into the spectacular “Frankensteiner” Hurricanrana still used by many globally today, mostly from a standing position or off the top rope.

The Steiners left for the WWF/WWE after three years dominating WCW’s tag scene when Bill Watts reportedly lowballed them on their renewal. “We wanted new challenges anyway like me in real estate now. When we got to the WWF, everything was controlled and thought out. They told us exactly what they wanted and to always stick to those fully thought-out goals. But in WCW, Scott and I worked together on our own stuff. They relied on us to experiment, come up with unique things. It was more up to us there,” Rick said. Scott added, “On those long drives, we’d always come up with cool new innovative moves and finishers to do. We constantly were inventive.”

Scott’s earliest heel turn was well before his nWo run, when he turned on Marcus Bagwell in 1992 during a tag team match while Rick was sidelined due to injury. Ahead of the Steiners leaving for WWE, a heel Scott even defeatedRicky Steamboatfor the WCW World Television Championship, a belt that he vacated upon the Steiners’ departure.

“[After WWE] We then did some ECW shots, returned to WCW in 1996, worked for TNA, and I even returned to ‘Stamford’ in 2002 for the run with Triple H on top. I went back to TNA after it became Impact and had fun. It’s never been boring,” Scott said. Scott has also appeared on non-wrestling television shows like the series Charmed, on the Disney channel’s The Jerseyand most recently as the boss in the Indian comedy-drama film 1 Chor 2 Mastikhor. And yes, many times he has worked forBilly Corgan’sNWA since 2019.

In June 2004, after many Japan tours (NJPW, WWAS, NOAH), Rick said, “What the heck am I doing? I need to be home and take care of my sons.” He’d gotten into real estate while still wrestling but then retired “cold-turkey to a life in real estate, after major study and passing all the exams.” He represents both sellers and buyers. With the current post-pandemic real estate boom, his listings of many luxury homes, commercial properties and more are massive. His firm is called Rick Steiner and Associatesat the Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage, in the North Metro Atlanta area. “I like to say anything that has dirt, blocks and mortar we can buy or sell it,” he said.

Also, Rick is a proud school board member of the Cherokee County School District. In 2006, he ran unopposed as a technical write-in candidate and was so popular that he easily won. He’s primarily respected now for his new career, although many still recognize him from his internationally televised wrestling stardom. “The last thing I thought I’d be doing after wrestling was working on a school board, a bit of a transition. But now I’m so proud doing it. For over 20 years, I played a character on TV. But now I have to be me. No retakes. I’m responsible for a school system that has 40,000 kids! The decisions I make affect a lot of kids and their futures,” he added. He’s served on the board since 2005, even appointed as chair for one year. “Of all I’ve done, my work on the education board here is what I’m most proud of. I get to be involved in the educational process and help my community out. What could be better?”

Rick has always enjoyed spending time with his wife and three grown sons: Hudson, Maveric and Bronson. As an adult, the latter first signed a pro sports contract with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie. This year, during the pandemic, he got signed to a professional wrestling contract with WWE’s NXT system at their Performance Center. Aside from his football background, Bronson and his brothers repeatedly practiced amateur wrestling moves to gain approval from their father. Bronson impressed WWE scouts, including Rick and Scott’s long-time friend Norman Smileywho first met them in WCW in 1996 during the Monday Night War era.

Rick also has his opinions on “out-there angles” during his career. In October 1998, the fictional horror slasher movie character Chucky was shown on a giant jumbotron screen during WCW’s Halloween Havocpay-per-view, verbally supporting Rick (who had just began feuding with his brother after Scott joined the nWo). “I never turned on my brother in real life,” Rick said more recently. “We’re always tight. On that Chucky thing, Mean Genewas interviewing me, but we both had no idea before that who Chucky was. This was one of those silly angles the writers came up with as it was Halloween Havoc and Turner was involved in the promotion of the movie Bride of Chucky. I never even got to talk to that special-effects puppet, but hey, I was always up for trying anything creative.”

Since Scott crafted his “Big Poppa Pump” character (the weight-lifting nickname he first used in WCW), he’s always maintained his signature look of short bleached-blonde hair, dark sunglasses and metal-mesh combat headdress. “I’m kind of married to that look after all these years,” he told me backstage at WrestleCon.

Since their NWA debut as a team, the Steiners proudly worked with most of the top tag team names. This includes their 1991 Match of the Year I was present for at ringside at the Tokyo Dome, where they beatHiroshi Haseand Kensuke Sasakifor the IWGP straps. Also, battling against The Road Warriors, Stingand Lex Luger, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, The Rougeau Brothers, The Heavenly Bodies, Money Inc.,The Public Enemy, Halland Nash, Ric Flair andArn Anderson, and Harlem Heat always kept them in constant tag title storylines.

The past decade-plus has seen the two of them reunite several times around the world for various independent promotions, including Tommy Dreamer’sHouse of Hardcore.Scott has returned to Impact several times, besides working in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. He even had a match on August 8 of this year, headlining a South Carolina group’s post-pandemic return at the Greenville Shrine Club & Event Center. He cut a promo for the event that was a callback to his Impact “Steiner Math” days, saying, “All my freaks, you have a 131 1/3% chance of having a great time!” Scott and wife Christa are dedicated to their two children and even ran a famous Shoney’srestaurant in Acworth, Georgia for years but finally let the staff handle all of his “Steiner Math.”

Scott was one of the first to debut on Cameo, most famously cutting a hilarious “math” promo. Scott said when he wrestles now, it should make sense and be fun. Before the pandemic started, he participated in a skit with his friends The Good Brotherson their second Talk N’ Shop A Mania pay-per-view that people still talk about. I asked both a few years ago about doing their autobiographies, and Rick said, “it’s a matter of finding time because we’re both usually super busy.” Since taking over the wrestling business, they’ve always been busy, beloved, tight-knit brothers.

Dr. Mike Lano has been a writer and photographer for decades. He has also been a talking-head and staff pho- tographer for many documentaries on wrestling, boxing and MMA. He currently hosts his own radio show and writes a newspaper column.