Scott Steiner, famously known as “Big Poppa Pump,” recently talked about his transition from tag team wrestling with his brother Rick Steiner to becoming a solo star. In an interview with Monopoly Events, the WWE Hall of Famer shared his reasons for breaking away and creating his iconic villainous character.
Steiner enjoyed teaming with his brother, proving their strength as a tag team. But he felt the urge to explore his skills as an individual wrestler. He was fed up with the politics in the wrestling industry and felt it was time for a change. “I was at the point in my career where I was really pissed off,” he said.
After deciding to go solo, Steiner made a bold move by bleaching his hair right after betraying his brother at SuperBrawl. This surprising change left many shocked, with even the announcers struggling to recognize him the next day at WCW Nitro.
Steiner believed this drastic appearance change was crucial to distance himself from his previous good-guy image and fully embrace his new bad-guy character. Besides his appearance, Steiner also altered his wrestling style. He ditched moves like the Frankensteiner and adopted the Steiner Recliner submission hold.
His aim was clear: to provoke a negative reaction from the audience and make them see him as a villain. “I basically didn’t want the fans to cheer for me because in my mind [if you’re a heel] and you get cheered, you should be fired,” Steiner explained.
Steiner’s deliberate transformation into Big Poppa Pump marked a significant moment in his career, solidifying his reputation as one of wrestling’s most memorable and controversial figures.
