Scott Steiner experienced a major transformation post his brotherly split in WCW that was so significant, many in the industry failed to recognize the icon.
In his solo journey, Steiner’s transformed appearance included bleached short hair and an increased muscle bulk, along with donning a chainmail headpiece.
Recently, in an episode of the “Insight” podcast, Steiner reminisced the reaction he received following his new look, saying,
“The next day, they didn’t recognize me, as we had wrestled at the pay-per-view when I turned on my brother. That very morning, I visited a salon in California and had my hair bleached. On arriving at the building, not a soul recognized me.”
“It took a while for me to be recognized, even the announcers barely noticed until realizing that yes, I looked entirely different, but this was the precise outcome I aimed for. I didn’t want anyone to assume I was the same Scott Steiner from the Steiner brothers.”
Steiner’s solo venture introduced the ‘Big Poppa Pump’ persona, a character that emerged from Scott’s burning frustrations at that period, as he expressed,
“When I initially left college, I was a cheerful college kid. However, wrestling for that long changes you. Overcoming hurdles, dealing with people holding you back, politics, it got to me.”
“When I adopted the Big Poppa Pump persona, there was a lot of anger and even the public could sense that during my interviews since I had had enough of the nonsense that goes on behind closed doors in the professional wrestling world.”
Steiner’s first match after his metamorphosis ended in a loss to Hulk Hogan, adding to Scott’s discontent over older talents suppressing the younger ones.
Faced with the query as to why Hogan elected to inhibit him, just as he was embarking on a solo journey and a fresh avatar, Scott responded concisely, “The man is obnoxious.”