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Rick Steiner

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Robert Rechsteiner United States
Born (1961-03-09) March 9, 1961 (age 63)
Bay City, Michigan Michigan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Rick Steiner
Billed height6 ft 0in (180 cm)
Billed weight260 lb (114 kg)
Billed fromDetroit, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Trained byEddie Sharkey
Debut1983

Robert Rechsteiner (born March 9, 1961 in Bay City, Michigan) better known by his ring name Rick Steiner, is an American professional wrestler.

Steiner is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, and currently with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, both as a singles wrestler and one half of the tag team "The Steiner Brothers" with his younger brother, Scott.

Career

Robert Rechsteiner was an amateur wrestling standout at the University of Michigan, placing 4th at an NCAA Championship competition. While there, he was introduced to professional wrestling by George "The Animal" Steele, and entered the business immediately out of college.[1] Taking the simpler stage name Rick Steiner, he spent time in the American Wrestling Association, Montreal promotion International Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation before going to work for the National Wrestling Alliance in 1988.[2]

National Wrestling Alliance

He formed an early tag team with Sting in the UWF and was a charter member of the stable known as The Varsity Club along with Mike Rotundo and their manager Kevin Sullivan, with the long-term angle being that Rotundo was favored by Sullivan and both of them looked at Steiner as their dull-witted underling. Eventually this would lead to a break-up (and subsequent face turn for Steiner) and him winning the NWA Television Title from Mike Rotundo at Starrcade 88.

In early 1989, his brother Scott began accompanying him to the ring and eventually, the two formed The Steiner Brothers. The team proved they were for real by defeating the Freebirds for the NWA World Tag Team Championship in November 1989. The pair continued to dominate in the NWA (and later World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as NWA superterritory Jim Crockett Promotions came to be known), winning multiple championships and making occasional trips to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation (1992-1994)

The two jumped to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), WCW's biggest competitor, in December 1992 after then WCW-head Bill Watts lowballed them on a contract extension and then gave them the option for an early release from their present contracts. They found success there as well, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship from Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) in June 1993.

The Steiners left the WWF later that year. Steiner felt that Vince McMahon wasn't following through with promises made to the team. [1]

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

The Steiner Brothers debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling on July 28, 1995, defeating Dudley Dudley and Vampire Warrior. On August 4, they defeated Dudley Dudley and 2 Cold Scorpio. The Steiner Brothers made their debut in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ECW Arena on August 5, 1995 at Wrestlepalooza 1995, teaming with Eddie Guerrero in a loss to Scorpio, Dean Malenko, and Cactus Jack. On August 25, they defeated Scorpio and Malenko and defeated Scorpio and Chris Benoit the following evening. On August 28, they defeated Dudley Dudley and Dances With Dudley.

At Gangstas' Paradise on September 16, 1995, the Steiner Brothers joined forces with Taz in a loss to The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) and Jason. On September 23, they defeated Raven and Stevie Richards. Scott Steiner made his final ECW appearance on October 28, 1995, teaming with Taz and losing to The Eliminators in a tag team match.

World Championship Wrestling

Once in WCW, they found renewed championship success, winning the Tag Team Championship once again from Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) in July.

In 1998, the Steiner Brothers disbanded when Scott turned heel and joined the notorious New World Order (nWo) stable. Rick and Scott feuded for several months afterward. Scott gained newfound singles success in the nWo as "Big Poppa Pump", but Rick languished in the singles ranks, often disappearing and reappearing in angles after absences of several months.

He did, however, have notable feuds with Chris Benoit, Sting, and Booker T over the WCW Television Championship. When WCW was purchased by Vince McMahon, Steiner was a member of Ric Flair's heel group The Magnificent Seven with his brother Scott. Other members of this group were Road Warrior Animal, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Jeff Jarrett. Before WCW closed its doors, Rick managed to capture the WCW United States Championship before losing the title to Booker T a few weeks before the final Nitro.

Since WCW's demise, Steiner continued to wrestle in local venues and made several appearances with former fellow WCW superstar Buff Bagwell around the southeast and in Japan for Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Total Nonstop Action wrestling

Rick Steiner debuted for TNA on the very first show on June 19, 2002. He participated in the 20-Man Gauntlet for the Gold to crown the first World Heavyweight Champion in TNA, which was won by Ken Shamrock. Rick Steiner made a short-lived return to TNA in October 2003, brawling with Jeff Jarrett.

Rick Steiner returned to TNA on the May 4 2006 episode of TNA iMPACT! as a possible partner for Sting at TNA Sacrifice 2006. He made a second appearance on May 11 2006 in a similar role.

He and Scott Steiner reunited at TNA Sacrifice 2007 after Scott and Tomko lost a TNA World Tag Team Championship match. Rick hit the ring and helped Scott beat down Tomko. Then on the next episode of iMPACT!, he and Scott busted down the door to Jim Cornette's office and asked for Cornette to have Team 3D meet them in the ring the next week. Jim Cornette said that if Team 3D and the Steiner Brothers were both in the ring together he smelled big money. However, this match never happened as Scott Steiner had emergency surgery after damaging his trachea during a match in Puerto Rico, Scott was then replaced by Road Warrior Animal at Slammiversary 2007, where the duo lost the tag title match to Team 3D.

At Victory Road he interfered in the Match of Champions, taking out the referee when he was counting Brother Devon on Kurt Angle. Then Steiner and Brother Devon brawled outside the ring. A month later at Hard Justice the reunited Steiners beat Team 3D. Team 3D, in retaliation to their loss, attacked the Steiners, putting Rick out of commission by powerbombing him through a table. Scott was attacked the following week, also putting him out of commission.

Rick and Scott returned to TNA in late September to challenge Team 3D in a 2 out of 3 Falls Tables Match at Bound for Glory. Rick would take the first loss after being 3D'd through a table. Brother Ray would take the first loss for his team after Rick's brother, Scott, would Frankensteiner him through a Table. The deciding fall would come when Scott would elevate Brother Ray on his shoulders and Rick would deliver a Bulldog from the top rope through a table, securing a win for the Steiner Brothers.

In wrestling

  • Nicknames
    • "The Dog-Faced Poop Monster"

Championships and accomplishments

  • Pro Wrestling America
    • PWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Scott Steiner
  • Southern Championship Wrestling
    • SCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • United Wrestling Federation
    • UWF Rock 'n' Roll Express Championship (1 time, current) - with Scott Steiner
  • World League Wrestling
    • WLW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

1Although almost always defended in Florida, the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was given to Rick Steiner by Mike Rotunda while working a storyline together in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in December 1987. Steiner was stripped of the championship so that it could be defended in the Florida promotion exclusively once again in December 1988.
²Tournament was won in 1990 when Mid-Atlantic was bought by Ted Turner and renamed World Championship Wrestling, but prior to WCW's withdrawn from the National Wrestling Alliance.
³Rick Steiner's reigns with this championship occurred after Ted Turner purchased Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from Jim Crockett, Jr. in November 1988 and renamed the promotion World Championship Wrestling. The reigns also occurred prior to the title being renamed the WCW United States Tag Team Championship and while WCW was still an NWA affiliated promotion.
4While this Mid-Atlantic promotion operates in the same region of the United States and has revised several of the championships used by the original, it isn't the same promotion which was originally owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. and sold to Ted Turner in 1988.

Personal life

Steiner is married to his wife, Jamye, and they have three children, Hudson, Maveric and Bronson.[3]

In mid 2005, Steiner began selling real estate, a common career choice for retired and semi-retired wrestlers.[4] He is also a member of the Cherokee County School District.[5] However, he was disqualified from entering the primary for the 2006 term, due to the fact he used the Steiner name, rather than his legal name. Steiner could have run for reelection had he presented a petition calling for this with 4500 signatures, however he was unable to do so. Consequently, Steiner ran unopposed as a write-in candidate in November 2006.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Doomsday". pub.umich.edu. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  2. ^ "Rick Steiner's OWW Profile". onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  3. ^ "The Townelaker". townelaker.com. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  4. ^ "Broadus/Steiner Realty Group". donnabroughtushome.com. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  5. ^ "Cherokee County Board of Education". cherokee.k12.ga.us. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  6. ^ "Cherokee Ledger News". ledgernews.com. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
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