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Pre-Show Stalwart
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.
"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.