83 Weeks - Rick Steiner [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Early Life and Career (1961 - 1988)

Robert Rechsteiner was born on March 9, 1961 in Bay City, MI. 2023 marks his 62nd birthday. He quickly gravitated towards freestyle wrestling in middle and high school, eventually earning notoriety for his talents at the University of Michigan.

He finished in the runner up spot of the 1983 Big Ten Championships, qualified for the NCAA tournament, and set the fastest pin record in Wolverines’ history on November 19, 1983 by pinning his opponent in 14 seconds, a record that stood until 2004. To date he also holds the record for second most falls in a single season with 16 recorded during the 1983-84 season.

Rechsteiner made his professional debut under the name “Rick Steiner” later in 1983, after being trained by Brad Rheingans and Eddie Sharkey. Over the next five years, he wrestled for the AWA, the Montreal-based International Wrestling, the UWF, and NJPW. Steiner went to work for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988.

Eric, my research indicates that Rick left the AWA in 1985 about a year before you came in. Does that sound right? Do you have any memories to contradict that finding?

Jim Crockett Promotions (1988 - 1992)

In JCP, Rick started with a memorable run as a heel member of the Varsity Club, alongside Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan. He would go on to turn babyface and feud with Rotunda over the NWA TV Title. During this time Rick was nicknamed the “dog-faced gremlin” for his scrappy wrestling style and the fact that he used a bulldog off the ropes to neutralize opponents.

What did you think of the “dog-faced gremlin” nickname?

Scott Steiner came into JCP in 1989, and it wasn’t long before Rick and Scott became one of the most popular tag teams in the company.

Eric, what is your earliest memory of Rick, or the Steiner Brothers in general, when you arrived as an announcer in 1991?

Rick has a reputation of being a ribber. As a pretty boy young guy coming into the company - were you the victim of any ribs from Rick or either Steiner?

Joining WCW while it was “the worst”

Rick is in the main event of the first pay-per-view you’re a part of - Great American Bash 1991 - taking on Arn Anderson & Paul E. Dangerously in a steel cage match that Missy Hyatt was supposed to be a part of but wasn’t allowed to be. This is the infamous show right after Ric Flair was fired and Lex Luger and Barry Windham faced off for the vacant WCW title. Quite the start for you in WCW wasn’t it?

What was your first impression of the Steiners?

Rick is on a bit of a run as a single because Scott was injured. Do you think there was ever a time that they thought Rick could be a top guy? Did you ever look at him that way?

Rick even got a win over Lex Luger at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville when Luger was champion - you think that could’ve been a money program at the time?

Rick would lose to Lex at Clash of the Champions from Savannah in his biggest WCW title match at the time. Could you had seen Rick as World Champion?

Eventually Scott would return from his injury and the Steiners would go back to kicking ass in the tag team division. What separated the Steiners from everyone else in your mind in the early 90s?

About a year later in December of ‘92, the Steiners were on their way to the WWF. Our good friend Jim Ross talked about the Steiners’ departure on Grillin’ JR, after Rick got injured and the idea was floated to have Scott turn heel for a feud between the brothers upon Rick’s return. JR said:

“I remember the Cowboy [Bill Watts] having issues communicating with Scott

Steiner. He perceived Scott as being very volatile and dangerous…Bill told Rick that, ‘I’m not going to sign your brother back.’ And that made their decision to leave WCW for WWE that much easier. Rick was the foreman of the ranch, but his little brother not being renewed or getting cut from the team – however you want to look at it – did not sit well with big brother.”

How did you first hear that the Steiners were leaving? How was it explained to you in your peripheral role at the time?

When Watts was dismissed in 1993 and you took over, was the Steiner situation mentioned as a reason for letting him go?

The Steiner Brothers in Japan with Ties to WCW (1994 - 1996)

The Steiner Brothers worked for the WWF from December 1992 to April 1994, then they popped up in May of ‘94 at a joint show in Fukuoka, Japan organized by NJPW and WCW. At the event they unsuccessfully challenged The Hell Raisers, Hawk Warrior (aka Road Warrior Hawk) and Power Warrior (aka Kensuke Sasaki), for the IWGP Tag Titles.

Eric, we’ve discussed your interest in Japan at length here on the show. But the majority of that conversation was about the 1995 talent exchange and after. What was your role in organizing this joint show with New Japan in May of ‘94?

The Steiners continued working with New Japan, but did appear on another co-produced NJPW and WCW show. That one was in April of 1995 at Collision in Korea, where they defeated Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sesaki. That match actually went on right before the main event of Antonio Inoki defeating Ric Flair.

You said in our Collision in Korea episode that you largely defaulted to New Japan for the booking. But I imagine there were certain guys that you knew you needed on the card. Since the Steiners had a long history of wrestling in Japan, are they two of those necessities?

Since the Steiners were mainly wrestling in New Japan at this time, who was in charge of booking them? How was the pay contracted for this event?

You’ve told us before here on 83 Weeks about the paranoia and eeriness of being in Korea, watched all the time by government officials and all. In an oral history of the Collision in Korea event conducted by Sports Illustrated, Rick Steiner remembered Hawk and 2 Cold Scorpio getting into a fight on the tour bus:

“We had to be on our best behavior—don’t do this, don’t do that. We were always

on guard. That’s why I couldn’t believe it when those guys got in a fight. Like, what the heck? I kept waiting for some guys to come out of the ditch and shoot ‘em on that bus.”

On our Collision in Korea episode, you said that you weren’t on the bus. So where would you have been when the fight took place, and how did you first hear about it? Were you worried at all that it might jeopardize the show, especially when you were already under such scrutiny?

Rick is known for being a relatively level-headed guy. Did he come to you after the fight and say that he wanted to leave or that he thought being there was a bad idea? Are you able to have any kind of intimate communication at all, since you’re being monitored so closely?

Rick went on to tell Sports Illustrated:

“Wrestling in Japan is…not high energy and people hollering and screaming. In

Japan, you did a few moves and they clapped. Over in Korea, shoot, they didn’t do anything. They didn’t clap. They didn’t do nothing. I’ve never been through

anything like that, so it was a totally new experience all around.”

Was there a concern that the fans just weren’t going to react to American professional wrestlers in Korea? As Rick points out, Japan is a completely different animal.

Rick also commented on the blur that is a life in wrestling at the end of the SI interview:

“The thing about those trips is you experience all that stuff, and

then you go home and you don’t see the guys for two or three

weeks. It all sinks in and you get back and oh yeah, remember that

trip? And blah blah blah, you’re back on the road, back in the

United States, back having fun. Everything was back to normal.”

I understand that life on the road can all melt together when you’re experiencing it as often as these guys. But back in 1995, how long was it until guys like Rick settled down after you got back to the States?

You told a story on this show about this trip where Scott Steiner threw food on the ground, offending the North Koreans at the same time the country was going through a decade-long famine.

What was Rick Steiner’s reaction when this went down? Do you enlist Rick to talk some sense into his brother?

How were the Steiners put on these shows - what was your relationship with them - and why did it take so long for them to come back to WCW?

Rick Steiner staying neutral

Working in North Korea

The Steiner Brothers Return to WCW Full-Time (1996 - 1998)

The Steiner Brothers finally made it back to WCW programming on the March 11, 1996 episode of Nitro, losing to the Road Warriors.

The newsletters would report:

“The Nasty Boys non-appearance as advertised on the live Nitro event opened

the door for the return of Rick & Scott Steiner, who faced the Road Warriors and even put them over. The Steiners deal, to come in and work a program against the Road Warriors, was put together in mid-week and no doubt was for a high dollar figure as well. It was explained on television that the Nasty Boys were taken to the hospital and it was left up in the air whether it was the Road Warriors or Steiners who had done it to them, which appeared to be a situation of burying them if need be, or creating a program for them with one of the two teams in the future if they were brought back. Bischoff didn't bury them on the air.”

Were the Nasty Boys the reason you brought Rick and Scott in on this particular show?

What do you remember about the contract negotiations to bring Rick and Scott? Did Rick lead the discussions?

The Frankensteiner

I understand they're fighting the Road Warriors, one of your biggest teams of all time, but why bring the Steiners back with a loss?

Steiners total matches vs The Nasty Boys

The report is careful to point out that you, Eric, didn’t bury the Nasties. What was going on with Knobbs and Saggs behind the scenes here?

This is only a few months before the nWo changes wrestling history. What was your plan with the Steiners when you first brought them back?

The Steiners feuded with The Road Warriors, The Nasty Boys, and Public Enemy, then unsuccessfully challenged champions Sting and Lex Luger for the WCW Tag Team Titles on the June 3 episode of Nitro. A few weeks later on the 24th, Harlem Heat defeated Sting and Luger and the Steiners in a triangle match for the tag belts. That set up a feud between Heat and the Steiners through the summer of ‘96, trading the titles back and forth.

July of that year is, of course, when Hulk Hogan is revealed as the third man of the nWo launches its invasion of WCW. Rick Steiner was one of your core WCW guys at the time. What was his reaction to the nWo angle?

There’s a great photo that looks to be from about 1996 in Controversy Creates Cash of a group including Sting, Miss Elizabeth, DDP, Scott Steiner, Madusa, Rick Steiner, and Ray Traylor standing outside of a convenience store with their backs to the camera pretending to stick their thumbs up their asses. It’s captioned “...getting lost on the way to Sturgis – also know [sic] as the ‘thumbs-up-our-ass tour.”

Eric, tell us about the “thumbs-up-our-ass-tour” and how it got that name. Tell us a story about how you bonded with Rick during this tour.

There was a period between August 1996 and January 1997 when Rick wrestled in either singles matches or with rotating tag team partners in both WCW and New Japan. He picks up singles victories over guys like Booker T., Lex Luger, Chris Benoit, Bunkhouse Buck, the Barbarian, and Arn Anderson. And his roster of tag partners includes Terry Taylor, Keiji Muto, Luger, and Marcus Bagwell.

I believe this is when Scott was suffering from an injury. Was there ever thought of putting him on a serious singles run here?

Scott Steiner returned at Clash of the Champions 34 on January 21, 1997. The Steiners picked up a win over the Amazing French Canadians and four days later defeated the Outsiders to win the WCW Tag Titles again at the first Souled Out. The next night on Nitro, Bischoff stripped the Steiners of the Tag Titles and returned them to the Outsiders.

By virtue of your position as the leader of the nWo, you were involved with many of the storylines. That meant you also got to work with several talents up and down the card. Where did working with Rick and Scott land for you?

It’s at this point that the infamous car accident angle happened. On Nitro we see Syxx’s camcorder recording of a road rage incident. He’s in the backseat of a car driven by Kevin Nash. Nash, with Hall’s encouragement from the passenger seat, ran the Steiner Brothers off a highway, sending the Steiner’s car flipping over in a horrible crash.

In a NY Post article from February 2023, Sean Waltman recalled, “I just showed up to work that day and they said we were running the Steiner Brothers off the road.” The article went on to name Ellis Edwards as the stuntman driving the Steiners’ car.

Eric, what do you remember about Ellis Edwards and producing the car crash?

We don’t talk too much about Ellis on the show. But he’s been a stuntman in Hollywood on shows like Baywatch and for both WCW and the WWE for several years.

How did you first meet Ellis? What are some of your favorite memories of working with him?

The angle was controversial. In the February 27 issue of the Observer, Dave offered a recap of the February 17 episode of Nitro. He wrote:

“They aired a video of Hall & Nash running the Steiners off the road and rolling

their car. They used some jump cuts, a ramp (then erased from video) and a stuntman driver friend of Hogan's to put together the video which was a creative idea, but it could have been used a lot more effectively. It was announced Steiners were off the PPV and the four corners match would become a triangle with Faces of Fear, Public Enemy and Harlem Heat. Boy, that's a keeper.”

In the following issue (March 3, 1997 issue), Meltzer continued:

“There were so many complaints about the Steiners car crash angle that it won't

air on television again and they were barely even acknowledging it on television

this past weekend after making a big deal of it the week before.”

Eric, did you receive any complaints? If so, what were they and from whom?

Why was discussion of the angle so quickly dropped on TV? Is this one of those pieces that airs and you cringe like, “How did I let that get out there?”

Did this come from Turner?

What did Rick & Scott think of the angle?

Was Rick really up for anything?

The Steiners continued to feud with the nWo throughout ‘97. They shocked the nWo in August when they introduced Ted DiBiase as their new manager. As a reminder, DiBiase had just defected from the nWo and was out to help the Steiners’ take down the Outsiders.

Ellis Edwards

That angles should have been BIGGER

What was Rick’s reaction to working with DiBiase?

Rick and Scott continued to feud with the nWo, until SuperBrawl 1998 the following February. We just discussed this last week - but this is a big story that we didn’t get too far into the weeds - and also on our Scott Steiner episode, you talked about the economic and creative necessity of splitting up the Steiners. But talk us through the conversations between the three of you that led to the split.

• When did you first pitch Rick and Scott on the split?
• How far out did you plan the slow build of Scott getting more and more self-involved?
• How did they react after having heard the same idea from Bill Watts a few years earlier?
• What was their creative input?
• Was it ever considered that Rick would turn heel?
• After the match at SuperBrawl, when everyone comes back through the curtain, what was the feeling?

There’s a tease within a week or two of Rick joining the nWo where Scott makes it seem like he wanted his brother to join. This…isn’t the best creative is it?

1:30:40 SPLITTING the Steiner Brothers

1:35:45 Involving the nWo

1:36:45 Buff Bagwell getting hurt working with Rick Steiner

Rick’s singles run started out in a feud against several nWo guys, all teasing his eventual revenge on Scott. He went through Vincent, Curt Hennig, Scott Norton, and Kevin Nash. But the major storyline involved Buff Bagwell.

Rick wrestled Buff at a few house shows, then continued the feud in tag matches. He teams with Lex Luger to defeat Buff and Scott Steiner at Spring Stampede ‘98 in 5:58. Rick and Luger would then lose to Buff and Scott Norton on the April 22nd episode of Thunder, after Rick is attacked with a chair. But that’s not the big story.

Right before Scott Steiner interferes to attack Rick with the chair, Rick comes off the second rope with a bulldog on Buff. But Buff’s head gets loose and, rather than being driven into the mat, smashes into Rick’s back as Rick hits the mat. Buff has several vertebrae damaged and develops spinal shock. It’s a scary moment here that shuts down the show (see here).

What was your first interaction with Rick Steiner after it happened? What frame of mind was he in?

How did Rick try to apologize to Buff? Was Rick hesitant to get back in the ring after it happened? It has to take an emotional toll to think, “I might have just ended Buff’s career.”

On the July 13th episode of Nitro Buff was pushed to the ring by Dr. Michael Cepeda for an interview with Mean Gene. The nWo is split into two groups at this point: nWo black and white versus nWo red and black. Gene asks Buff which side he aligns with. But, instead of answering directly, Buff calls out Rick Steiner to confront him over the neck injury. Hollywood Hogan comes out mocking Bagwell’s injury and pushing his wheelchair over. The crowd starts chanting “Hogan sucks! Hogan sucks!”

First you have the nWo versus WCW storyline that dominates creative. Now you’ve got nWo Hollywood versus nWo Wolfpac dominating creative. Did Rick, who had been a WCW stalwart through and through up to this point, ever express that he felt like he was being lost in the shuffle?

The following week, July 20th, Mean Gene brought out Rick Steiner to talk about what happened the previous week. Buff was wheeled out, this time by WCW trainer Danny Young. Buff forgave Rick and Rick helps Buff stand up from the wheelchair, just as Scott Steiner attacks Rick with a chair. Bagwell stops Scott from hitting Rick again, then grabs the chair to attack Rick. Buff rips off his shirt to reveal an nWo shirt underneath, reaffirming his allegiance to the black and white.

This sort of furthers the idea that Rick is just ancillary to other storylines in this era. Yes, we’re on the slow build towards finally seeing him get his match with his brother. But, at this point in the summer of 98, what’s the long-term creative plan with Rick? You talk so much about the three-act structure of storytelling, so what did that look like for Rick’s future?

There are teases of singles matches between Rick & Scott - at Road Wild then Fall Brawl which get nowhere - is the hope to build to a bigger match - at maybe a Starrcade?

I want to bring up Fall Brawl - because the match ends when it appears that Buff Bagwell reinjured his neck…talk about going back to the well too many times here Eric…

Somehow it would get worse…

In the build up for his eventual match with Scott, Rick appeared on Nitro during this time for an interview with Mean Gene. They stood in the ring and Rick began cutting a promo on Scott. A maniacal laugh interrupts and Chucky, the doll from the Child’s Play horror film and TV franchise, appears on the big screen. He called Rick “a genetic throwback who barks.” Chucky then cuts a promo on Rick and promotes the release of the upcoming Bride of Chucky movie. The doll closes the promo by telling Rick, “Don’t. Mess. With. Scott. What I really want to do is direct, and Scott’s the lead in my next project. So if you mess with Scott, you’re messing with me and my Academy Award.”

This is some great stuff; how did WCW’s relationship with Chucky come to be?

Why was a promo with Rick the best way to cross promote?

What did Rick think about “working” with Chucky?

Was there actually interest in having Scott in a movie, or was that just for the promo?

At Havoc - it’s Scott Steiner teaming with the Giant to defend the WCW Tag Team Titles against Rick and Buff - and surprise surprise - it’s a swerve - and Buff turns on Rick. Somehow though - Rick still wins and is able to become tag team champions - sort of by himself. And then immediately after - he pins Scott in a singles match after fighting off Buff & Stevie Ray. Rick is over like rover baby, defeating heels, overcoming the odds…

And the next night he says he will take Kenny Kaos of High Voltage as his new tag team championship partner and it’s all downhill from there…did you just not like Rick?

Sadly Kaos would get injured and Rick would turn to the one person he knew he could trust to be his tag team partner…Judy Bagwell! Eric - this was before Ric Flair Drip was a thing so I have to ask…how high were you?

Rick would face off against Scott one more time at World War 3 but he’s attacked and is injured and he’s gone until March 1st, 1999 of Nitro where he returns in a big way teaming with Goldberg to defeat Scott & Buff. The reaction to Rick is always good and even paired with Goldberg here is tremendous…was he just someone over to the live crowd and not a broader audience?

Were there any long term plans for Rick at this time?

On May 9, 1999 at Slamboree, Rick beat Booker T. to win the World Television Title, a championship he held almost a decade earlier after a heel turn.

The dude is getting great reactions - why did you think it was time for him to turn heel?

He would defend it successfully against the likes of DDP, Sting, La Parka, Fit Finlay, Buff Bagwell, Perry Saturn, and Vampiro.

With him being a heel and Scott being a heel - did you have any thoughts on putting them back together in 1999?

Rick would drop the title to Chris Benoit shortly after you leave WCW - was he someone that you kept in contact with after you leave?

With you gone Rick would somehow reform the Varsity Club with Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan…that wasn’t going to be a winner was it, bro?

When you return in 2000 - Rick is not active. Do you remember the reason why? Did Rick indicate to you at any point during this era that he was interested in winding down his career?

Rick would return in January of 01 and he’s a babyface then a heel and it’s all a mess as was WCW at the end.

Tell us about your communication with Rick in early 2001, right before Vince McMahon purchased WCW. Was he figured into your plans if you had bought the company?

After the deal was done and McMahon ultimately had the company, how long was it until your next conversation with Rick Steiner? Describe what you remember about that conversation.

Post-WCW Wrestling Career and Life (2002 - 2023)

The WWF didn’t pick up Rick’s contract, so he didn't wrestle again until February 1, 2002. He competed almost exclusively in Japan for New Japan, All Japan, and the NOAH Exceeding Our Dreams promotion until 2005, minus a few shots in Europe and Puerto Rico.

Eric, you’re the Raw General Manager in WWE in 2002, right about the time Scott Steiner comes in. Do you remember any talk about bringing Rick in during that time or at any point when you were there?

Rick went on to TNA, but he was there before you arrived in 2010. Did you have any interest in bringing Rick back when you were in TNA?

Away from the ring, Rick got involved in the real estate business in 2004, forming Rick Steiner and Associates at Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage in the North Metro Atlanta area. He also served as a school board member of the Cherokee County School District. He has three sons, Hudson, Maveric, and Bronson. Bronson was signed to WWE in 2001, quickly becoming the NXT Champion under the name Bron Breakker.

Eric, what is Rick Steiner’s legacy in your opinion?

What is your contact with him like in 2023?

What is your favorite memory or story of working with Rick?