Post by snoop on Apr 6, 2006 22:11:38 GMT -5
Scott Steiner: A Freak Unleashed On The TNA Roster The Bank Shot
April 5th, 2006 23:25
A FREAK UNLEASHED ON THE TNA ROSTER
How many people will Scott Steiner have to hurt before management answers?
By Bill Banks
Scott Steiner is the scariest individual I’ve ever met in my life.
In the years I’ve been involved in wrestling – from the WWE to WCW to TNA – I’ve had to work with probably a hundred or more wrestlers. Some have tried to intimidate me, some have even verbally abused me in front of others. Hey – it comes with the territory. You need to have a thick skin to enjoy a long career in this sport.
But I can honestly say the only person I ever felt true fear being around was Scott Steiner. I’ve witnessed him nearly cripple opponents in the ring. I’ve seen him tear apart the locker room. I’ve seen him put holes in walls. I’ve seen him do a lot of things that quite honestly made me fear for my own safety as well as the safety of others.
Believe me, the fact I’m typing this makes me wonder how Steiner will react when I see him next, but he’ll be the first one to tell you he’s got a problem with anger. He detests authority. He’s been arrested, jailed, put in solitary confinement – and he apologizes for nothing.
Need an example?
I was backstage the night Steiner and DDP tried to maim each other in a locker room fight that had to be separated by over a dozen wrestlers. That’s a dozen WRESTLERS – not your average Joe – that were trying to pry them apart. There was no way in hell I was getting anywhere near it. I was watching from probably 30 yards away on the interview set, standing by with Mean Gene, Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell, who were going to be live on camera in under a minute. Of course, Gene, Lex and Buff saw the entire incident as well - and unlike those who valued their own well-being, they couldn’t flee the scene.
3-2-1….the cameras roll and the interview begins.
Meanwhile, out of the corner of my eye, I see that Steiner and DDP have finally been pulled apart. The only problem was, Steiner was headed our way. Talk about fear. Lex and Buff also noticed Steiner coming with a full head of steam and it didn’t take them long to give up the microphone and move aside. Not 30 seconds after trying to cripple another human, Steiner delivered a message to his opponent that night (whose name escapes me), returned the mic to Gene and went back to screaming obscenities at DDP.
Needless to say, Lex and Buff didn’t finish their interview. They bailed as soon as Steiner stepped in. Go back and watch the tape – it’s all on there.
DDP’s comment later on? “I just survived a fight with Godzilla”.
Scott Steiner didn’t get along with a lot of people. In fact, the only two I can remember him being friendly with were his brother Rick and Jeff Jarrett. I’d like to think somewhere along the way Jarrett put in a good word with Steiner about me, because for some reason I was one of the few people who Steiner never yelled at backstage. But believe me…I never wanted to give him a reason to.
So, with all that said, you can understand why I’m concerned with Scott Steiner showing up in TNA – and even more concerned that TNA management isn’t addressing him.
There’s absolutely no denying that Scott Steiner is one of the most dominating stars in the history of the sport. He is that rare mix of attitude, athleticism and brute strength that equals stardom in wrestling. But for as scary an individual Scott Steiner is and despite the headaches he causes management, fans are fascinated by his destructive nature. Proof? This weekend there was a new tenant in my apartment complex, and I overheard the movers excitedly talking about Big Poppa Pump showing up in TNA and beating people up.
Since fans last saw Scott Steiner, he’d been sitting at home waiting for TNA management to bring him in, but that never happened. He saw something cool and cutting edge in wrestling and wanted to be a part of it, but he was ignored. He made several calls to the TNA offices – all went unanswered. While TNA management courted stars like Hulk Hogan, Jeff Hardy, Christian Cage, Sting and Mick Foley to join the roster, Steiner never even got a single response. At some point, it became personal to Steiner as he realized TNA management was disrespecting him. When you disrespect Scott Steiner, you make him angry…and in his mind, if you can’t join them – you beat them senseless.
Jeff Jarrett, always the master strategist, had kept in touch with Steiner and knew what was going on behind the scenes. When Jarrett was backed into a corner with Sting, he played his best hand by bringing in Steiner unannounced as a hired gun to take out The Man In Black.
But here’s the problem – Steiner shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t have a TNA contract. In fact, Jarrett dug into his own pocket to unleash his freak of a hired gun in TNA, but Steiner doesn’t want Jarrett’s money – he wants a contract. He wants the same treatment management gave everyone else…and he wants it now.
And until Scott Steiner gets what he wants, he’s going to keep hurting people. He will continue to keep showing up until he gets an answer from management. So if he’s not supposed to be here, why doesn’t security remove him? You try telling security to accomplish that feat without half of them ending up in the hospital.
Thus far, TNA management has avoided the Scott Steiner issue, but it’s costing them on a weekly basis as more of the roster ends up in traction. First it was Andy Douglas of The Naturals, and on this Saturday’s “iMPACT!” Norman Smiley looks to suffer a similar fate. According to Steiner, there’s more to come and the body count will continue to rise until management gives in. Sooner or later, they’re going to have to do something about it – unless they risk Steiner putting AJ Styles, Rhino, The Truth or maybe even Christian Cage out of action for a lengthy amount of time.
The only member of management to publicly comment on not offering Scott Steiner a contract was Larry Zbyszko, who explained their side of the situation by rambling on about corporate rules and regulations – once again basically avoiding the issue. That’s the kind of talk that gives Scott Steiner a migraine. You can’t really blame Larry Z – after all, he’s going to avoid Steiner’s anger at all costs like every other sane person. Larry’s not taking the heat from Steiner on this one – he knows better than that after all these years in the business and is more than happy to shift the blame back to upper management.
The recent months have been extremely trying for TNA management. From Samoa Joe’s warpath to Sting and Christian Cage having their private lives bastardized, to the chaotic World Title picture, they’ve had plenty of problems to contend with.
But, here’s a bit of advice to any upper management reading this:
You had better answer Scott Steiner soon. Because a few weeks from now, those problems you’re dealing with are going to seem like child’s play. There’s a reason you don’t make Scott Steiner mad – and for the safety of the TNA roster, I hope more of them don’t find out why.