What if........Scott Steiner?

[quink987]

ok guys as we all know Scott Steiner returned to the WWE in late 2002 and everyone was excited to see him back, he came back and went straight into the main event and feuded with Triple H for the World Title at Royal Rumble and No Way Out then Slowly after that faded away.

do you think WWE should of changed things around and had Booker T feud with Triple H at Royal Rumble and No way Out for the World Title and then had Scott Steiner win the Battle Royal to get a title shot at Wrestlemania for the World title?

because believe it or not at the time Scott Steiner was a bigger name then Booker T, so Triple H vs Scott Steiner at Wrestlemania would of seemed more important on paper and could of gave Scott Steiner that push to keep him within the main event scene after Wrestlemania and made him seem more important because he just headlined Wrestlemania.

so my questions are....

Would Scott Steiner stayed in the main event if he was able to fight for the World Title at Wrestlemania?

forget his 2 matches with Triple H before, if this was the first time they was facing each other at Wrestlemania would the fans been more into the match and build up then the Booker T/HHH match at Wrestlemania?

and Should Scott Steiner of gone over in that match?

 

[Defekt]

I think it's better things worked out the way they did.

Steiner was probably more over than Booker at the time, but Booker was the better worker. Those matches Steiner had with HHH were not well received, and I think that went a long way towards killing his main event push, and ensuring he would never get a title run.

Fans probably would have been into Steiner vs HHH for the first time at WM, but it wouldn't have been a good match. From what I remember, Booker vs HHH ended up not being that great either, but at least it had potential I guess.

 

[Golliwog]

Did you watch No Way Out (2003). The crowd were firmly behind Triple H and he was playing the heel. Things worked out for the best. At that stage of Steiner's career, he was already slowing down in the ring and he couldn't cut a clean promo. Steiner simply was not worthy to be placed in one of the main events for Wrestlemania 19. McMahon must have been pissed off with that match at No Way Out because he didn't even put Steiner in the Wrestlemania card. Trips had a decent match with Booker at mania. If Steiner and HHH were to meet at mania, it would have been a disaster like their match at No Way Out.

 

[brochester8]

As big a Steiner fan as I am, I have to agree with others. He was past his prime and the steroids had already messed his body up. He couldn't do what he's known for anymore. At the time Booker T was at his prime and it was a good choice match wise at Mania. However, I do believe if the other matches didn't take place Steiner vs HHH may have been a better draw. Steiner was still over even if he couldn't work like he used to. I'm kind of up in the air on this one as a Steiner fan, I think fans would of rather seen Steiner/HHH at mania that year. Ofcourse, I think Booker/HHH was a better match so maybe they made the right decision.

I just wished Steiner would of come to WWE in better shape and without the attitude.

He's one of my top 5 and I met him Wrestlemania Weekend this year at Wrestlereunion and he came across somewhat of an @ss. Which I hate. He's still one of my favorites but I hate when they come across that way when there careers are coming to an end.

 

[The Brain]

On paper Scott Steiner was probably a better choice than Booker T. He came in with a lot of fanfare and his debut was highly anticipated. He looked like a great opponent for Triple H. The build for the Rumble match was pretty strong and could have been pushed back for mania. Now that I think about it I’m surprised the match didn’t happen at mania. Thank goodness it didn’t happen that way though. Steiner did a terrible job in his matches with Triple H. He was so bad the fans turned on him during the Rumble match. I’m glad that awful match isn’t a part of mania history. Triple H vs. Booker T is very underrated and was by far the better match.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

I found this book, which is undoubtedly utter crap, being sold really cheap. It is called "WrestleCrap: True Stories of the World's Maddest Wrestlers" written by R.D. Reynolds. As this is the same guy who wrote "The Death of WCW" I thought it would be interesting but it is an almost completely worthless book.

One thing in there I did find particularly interesting was this:

"Scott Steiner, who had been diagnosed with drop foot syndrome, a condition in which the victim has a hard time controlling movement in his feet, was brought in and immediately pushed into a feud with Triple H"

Now admittedly I have never seen this alluded to anywhere else before, but if there is any truth to this assertion it does allow a completely different light to be shed on Steiner's initial solo run with WWE...

 

[hbkmark]

I think most people at the time were excited to see Steiner come in but then seeing HHH work as hard as he did to try to convince people that Steiner was this unstoppable force only to see that there was nothing left was pretty sad. The pay-per-view match was awful but my respect for HHH grew immensely because he was doing everything he could while Steiner did not seem capable of taking more than two steps without needing a rest.

You never know. I have a feeling they had a long-term plan for Steiner but it was obvious fairly quickly that they needed to slap him into maybe making some money and then cut bait. After seeing him in that match I can not imagine anyone was clamoring for more. Booker was actually still improving after becoming a star so it all worked out the way it should have.

 

[BSILENT84]

I'm a steiner fan and booker fan but no way is steiner vs hhh better than hhh vs booker in ANY era........Steiner was old and slow but still charismatic as hell more than booker i agree but NEVER was a better wrestler that's insane

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

Scott Steiner may have been a bigger draw, but Booker was better in the ring at the time. The WrestleMania card was really good so it wouldn't have mattered. Plus didn't you watch their match at No Way Out? It was really bad!! Their Royal Rumble wasn't good either.. Soo I am glad they went with Booker T.

 

[RoyalSkull]

I don't think it would have mattered what stage it was on, Steiner wasn't good enough in the ring at that point so it wouldn't have been a good match. He got winded way too early and couldn't keep up with HHH.

But on the other hand, Booker's burial wouldn't have happened at Wrestlemania and the uproar that ensued wouldn't have happened. Maybe it would have been better that HHH went over Steiner rather than Booker at Mania.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Steiner definately had a bad rep so he was already on thin ice when he returned to WWE. If you remember HHH was the top heel in the business at this time, early days of Evolution, etc , and he was being cheered over Steiner in their matches! WWE shuld have pushed Steiner as a mega heel, his Big Poppa Pump character was built to to be a heel and he didnt have the charisma or talent to make him a credible fan favorite, he couldnt change his character to be popular like Flair or Nash could. Immediately pushing him vs HHH undercut his heel heat and when he failed to connect with audiences as a credible fan fav he was booed. His lackluster in ring performances did not help. With Booker you got a credible performer who main evented in the past, played a believable fan fav, and culd perform in the ring. He was a better wrestlemania choice than Steiner would have been.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

On paper Scott Steiner was probably a better choice than Booker T. He came in with a lot of fanfare and his debut was highly anticipated. He looked like a great opponent for Triple H. The build for the Rumble match was pretty strong and could have been pushed back for mania. Now that I think about it I’m surprised the match didn’t happen at mania. Thank goodness it didn’t happen that way though. Steiner did a terrible job in his matches with Triple H. He was so bad the fans turned on him during the Rumble match. I’m glad that awful match isn’t a part of mania history. Triple H vs. Booker T is very underrated and was by far the better match.

Well said Brain. Steiner was probably the best choice when you look at the way he came into the company and the interest that people had in him, but his performances were so poor in the matches with HHH that I am glad that we didnt see him stink up Wrestlemania.

I was pumped to see Scotty back in the WWE, I really was. But he utterly sucked, and was a shadow of his former self. Its quite funny that the majority of his matches since he joined TNA have been far better than his WWE matches from 9 years ago! That is how utterly shit they were.

 

[justtxyank]

People forget that Steiner was injured when he came in. the WWF should have held him off television while he healed. You could have booked him smarter if you wanted to use him by having him be a monster heel and just squash guys in quick matches or beat people up backstage.

Letting him wrestle injured ruined Scott Steiner's career. He lost the respect of the fans because his work was so shoddy while injured and he never got it back.

 

[GrandSword]

The thing about Steiner was, out of all the WCW alumni, he was probably the most "WWF attitude" type. He had this great heel persona, that would have been brilliant to go against the anti-hero Steve Austin...

But the timing was all wrong, and WWE made the mistake of making him a face... he is the perfect heel and should have feuded with top faces instead of the heel World Champion Triple H.