Jim Duggan/Scott Steiner exhibition match

[TEIWCSCSAATBHPHASP]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if8Liuk5iaU

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner

Match Attire:
-1) Jim Duggan: Blue trunks, blue kneepads and blue boots.
-2) Scott Steiner: White singlet, black kneepads and black boots.

Date: March 2, 1998
Scene: WCW Monday Nitro on TNT

This has got to be one of Scott Steiner's early matches as a singles star under his Big Poppa Pump gimmick, although Buff Bagwell initially dubbed him White Thunder, and Hollywood Hogan dubbed him Superstar as a nod to Billy Graham, but WCW after a few weeks into Scott's singles careers stopped dubbing him White Thunder and Superstar, as he eventually settled on dubbing himself Big Poppa Pump and The Big Bad Booty Daddy almost interchangeably. And this is where Scott's later matches are actually underrated these days, long before Botchamania only spliced clips of Scott Steiner's worst matches and Scott at his worst.

Let's cut right to the chase here. Scott recently became a heel when he betrayed Rick Steiner, Ted DiBiase and Team WCW in favor of joining the nWo when he handed the WCW Tag Team Championship Belts to The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) who had Dusty Rhodes accompanying them to ringside at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998. With his nWo membership now finally cemented after months of teasing a heel turn in late 1997, Scott (having cut off his signature mullet hairstyle already and gained muscle mass) further changed himself even more by changing his hair color from jet black to blonde, adopting the sunglasses and looked shredded and ripped in terms of muscle. He actually lost weight, contrary to the anti-wrestling drug war zealots saying Steiner packed on a lot of weight in the late 1990s, but he had zero body fat and had a low-carbohydrate diet and one ounce of lean protein for every pound of muscle he sought to achieve. Steroids alone won't give you muscles, as you need to spend time at the gym everyday and work harder than the drug war zealots suggest.

As for his opponent in the match, Jim Duggan's best days were with the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1993, however, his prime years ended when he and The Iron Sheik were caught doing cocaine together while driving, even though Duggan was a face and Sheik was a heel, during an era of having to live the kayfabe 24/7 even in public. As it is, Duggan was busted for DUI and because he racked up a DUI charge, Duggan was so close to being released from the WWF on May 1987, but he was given a second chance, although he was demoted to a very lower spot as the designated curtain jerker. Duggan's best gimmick was as a U.S.A. patriot whose ring entrances have him come out to the ring with a USA flag and a 2x4 in tow. But once he left the WWF, Duggan joined Hogan in WCW as one of Hogan's political allies.

After joining WCW, Duggan immediately went over "Stunning" Steve Austin by winning the WCW United States Championship Belt until Starrcade 1994 when his reign was ended by Vader and Duggan spent 1995 squaring off against the likes of Craig Pittman, Kamala and Big Bubba Rogers. Come 1996, Duggan fought Loch Ness before having a short feud with an upcoming future star in Diamond Dallas Page at Bash At The Beach 1996, and after coming up short in the 1996 World War 3 battle royal for #1 contendership of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship Belt, Duggan saw zero screen time and pay-per-view matches over the next two years before he fell sick with kidney cancer in 1998.

Genuinely, I think the March 1998 matchup with Duggan was before he took a hiatus until Fall Brawl '99, and so this short singles matchup between Duggan and Steiner was a squash matchup. And normally the nWo would interfere, but because Scott Steiner was an upper midcarder at the time, a run-in didn't happen and Scott picked up the victory over Duggan via Steiner Recliner (modified camel clutch submission hold). It's a shame that the late 1990s/early 2000s WCW is where smarks like to give WCW's later years a bad reputation for constant run-ins, but the outside interference run-ins made sense because the nWo was predicated on outside interference, being the best renegade faction of all time, and having surpassed The Four Horsemen as the most evil faction, except The Horsemen were old-school heels and the New World Order were cutting edge, cool heels with a gang mentality.

Give credit to Scott Steiner for carrying the match when Duggan's prime was long finished a decade ago.

 

[Makaveli31]

looked shredded and ripped in terms of muscle. He actually lost weight, contrary to the anti-wrestling drug war zealots saying Steiner packed on a lot of weight in the late 1990s, but he had zero body fat and had a low-carbohydrate diet and one ounce of lean protein for every pound of muscle he sought to achieve. Steroids alone won't give you muscles, as you need to spend time at the gym everyday and work harder than the drug war zealots suggest.

And he would become even more ripped and jacked a year later. He still looked "natural" at this point. He had size but the vascularity that would come to define his physique at it's peak from '99-'01 wasn't there yet. He stilled looked smooth at this point. When Bagwell would return from his neck injury in '99 he came back jacked and shredded (even more so than Steiner) that led to Steiner recomposing his physique to be even more jacked and shredded than Bagwell as the two had a rivalry in 1999 as Bagwell would state in his shoots.

As for the match, awesome back and forth between Steiner and Duggan. I wouldn't call it a "squash" as Duggan got some offense in. Power match between two very big men with your standard high impact moves. Duggan's babyface comeback falls short as his mistimes his charge into the turnbuckle allowing Steiner to capitalize and get the win.

It's a shame that the late 1990s/early 2000s WCW is where smarks like to give WCW's later years a bad reputation for constant run-ins, but the outside interference run-ins made sense because the nWo was predicated on outside interference, being the best renegade faction of all time, and having surpassed The Four Horsemen as the most evil faction, except The Horsemen were old-school heels and the New World Order were cutting edge, cool heels with a gang mentality.

I disagree about the run-ins. Yes, they were needed at the beginning to establish the NWO's gang mentality and it worked but as time wore on it made the ending predictable. It reminded me of the "Dusty Finish" where it worked but was so over used it started to alienate the fan base. Of course the Monday Night Wars necessitated the need to have PPV-quality matches and superstars fights superstars not "underneath" or "job guys" so I see where the "run-in" was necessary but it diluted the product. Late WCW (2000-'01) they were actually less run-ins than during the peak of the NWO in ('97/'98) so obviously the fans didn't care either way.

 

[TEIWCSCSAATBHPHASP]

And he would become even more ripped and jacked a year later. He still looked "natural" at this point. He had size but the vascularity that would come to define his physique at it's peak from '99-'01 wasn't there yet. He stilled looked smooth at this point. When Bagwell would return from his neck injury in '99 he came back jacked and shredded (even more so than Steiner) that led to Steiner recomposing his physique to be even more jacked and shredded than Bagwell as the two had a rivalry in 1999 as Bagwell would state in his shoots.

As for the match, awesome back and forth between Steiner and Duggan. I wouldn't call it a "squash" as Duggan got some offense in. Power match between two very big men with your standard high impact moves. Duggan's babyface comeback falls short as his mistimes his charge into the turnbuckle allowing Steiner to capitalize and get the win.



I disagree about the run-ins. Yes, they were needed at the beginning to establish the NWO's gang mentality and it worked but as time wore on it made the ending predictable. It reminded me of the "Dusty Finish" where it worked but was so over used it started to alienate the fan base. Of course the Monday Night Wars necessitated the need to have PPV-quality matches and superstars fights superstars not "underneath" or "job guys" so I see where the "run-in" was necessary but it diluted the product. Late WCW (2000-'01) they were actually less run-ins than during the peak of the NWO in ('97/'98) so obviously the fans didn't care either way.

@Makaveli31 And that was one of the last matches for Jim Duggan shortly before he took a basic one-year hiatus to heal from his kidney cancer, so he didn't return until Fall Brawl '99 the following year.

 

[TEIWCSCSAATBHPHASP]

@Makaveli31 : You have to admit that I'm surprised that Jim Duggan didn't even get at least somewhat of a prominent role representing one of the babyfaces representing Team WCW, and since his USA Patriot gimmick is the only one he's best known for, it's also impossible for Duggan to join the New World Order even though he was just another ex-WWF guy in a long line of WWF guys like Hogan, Savage, Hall and Nash.

As it stands, the Duggan/Steiner mach does look impressive as a mid-card match, and since Scott Steiner was getting a chance to start working full-time singles matches, it was best served to keep him away from Rick Steiner hence the half-baked Steiner/Steiner feud, so the best thing WCW could've done for Scott Steiner's singles career trajectory was to have him work with Lex Luger, Konnan and Scott Hall as Scott's opponents while BPP builds himself up as a credible monster heel in the midcards, and by 1999-2000 you could put him in the main event picture and have him feud with the likes of DDP, Goldberg, Nash, Sting and Booker T by the time Scott finally works as WCW's top heel draw, and also the most underrated top heel draw in WCW history since the days of Ric Flair's prime years in the 1980s NWA and early 1990s WCW.