Every Look Of Scott Steiner's Wrestling Career, Ranked Worst To Best

Debuting in 1986, Scott Steiner had two notable phases in his pro wrestling career. Upon arriving in WCW in the late 1980s, he formed a tag team with his brother Rick, and The Steiner Brothers ended up being one of the best tag teams in the world. By the end of the 1990s, however, Scott broke away from his brother and became a singles wrestler, eventually reaching the top of the promotion as World Champion.

10 Things You Should Know About The Steiner Family

Between Scott, Rick and Bron Breakker, there are plenty of things that fans should know about the Steiner family.

Known for his in-ring abilities and later for his unhinged promos, Scott Steiner also sported a number of looks over the course of his career ranging from the iconic to the regrettable. Let’s take a look at every single one, ranking them from the worst to the best.

9 Young Scott Steiner

In His Rookie Days, Steiner Had Yet To Define Himself

Debut Year	Promotions
1986	UWF, AWA, CWA

Looking at photos of young Scott Steiner can be a trip. He certainly looks like Scott Steiner, but lacks all the defining features of Big Poppa Pump - no singlet, reasonable hair, and not even a hint of chainmail. Considering how memorable Steiner’s other looks are, his rookie era is easily his worst period visually speaking. Even when he arrived in WCW in 1989 as back-up for his brother, it would still be a little while before he adopted his trademark singlet.

8 Right Before Steiner Joined The nWo

Scott Steiner Was In A Transitional Phase In 1997

Show Where Scott Betrayed Rick	Date	Location
WCW SuperBrawl VIII	2/22/1998	Daly City, CA

Joining the nWo was a pivotal moment for Scott Steiner - leaving his brother behind him, Steiner transitioned to his heel persona and set a course for singles wrestling success. In the months leading to his big betrayal of Rick Steiner, Scott changed his look, wearing solid color tights, slicking his hair back, and growing facial hair. It’s a weird in-between phase for him that looked kind of awkward before he cut his hair, bleached it, and went full Big Poppa Pump.

7 Late Period Scott Steiner

Steiner Stayed The Same, But Wore A Lot More Clothes

Last Major Televised Match	Show	Date	Location
Aron Stevens vs. Scott Steiner	NWA Hard Times	1/24/2020	Atlanta, GA

When a wrestler becomes a “legend,” their identity tends to coalesce into whatever fans remember best about them, with very little changing about their character. One thing that does tend to change is their attire in order to account for their aging bodies.

10 Former WCW Wrestlers You Thought Were Retired (But Aren't)

WCW shut its doors over two decades ago, and while fans may think almost everyone from that roster has retired, it isn't altogether true.

Scott Steiner, who wrestled his most recent match in April 2023, has spent the last several years wrestling in a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off in addition to his usual wrestling gear. It’s a strange look for someone whose whole persona is centered around singing the praises of his physique, but for some fans it’s better than the alternative.

6 Scott Steiner With Long Tights

Steiner Rocked This Look In WWE & TNA

Scott Steiner's WWE Runs	Scott Steiner's TNA Runs
1992-1994, 2002-2004	2006-2010, 2011-2012, 2017-2020

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Scott Steiner regularly showed off his legs - either via a singlet or bicycle shorts style gear. Once he arrived in WWE, however, Big Poppa Pump began to exclusively wear long tights, a practice that continued for the rest of his career to date as he wrestled in TNA and on the indies. It’s an aesthetic choice that can go either way for some fans - CM Punk experimented with it when he came back from retirement - but for a long time the shorter legs on his gear seemed like a signature look for Steiner.

5 Scott Steiner In WWE Promos

Big Poppa Pump Was Pretty Much Always Shirtless

WWE Return Run	Notable Feuds
2002-2004	Triple H, La Resistance, Test

While Scott Steiner wearing long tights seems like a downgrade from his previous looks, there is a notable exception to this. Upon arriving in WWE, it was not uncommon for Steiner to show up in non-wrestling segments wearing jeans and no shirt. It made the typically unhinged Steiner seem all the more unhinged and physique-obsessed, especially when he had segments with rival Triple H who was wearing a shirt. The only exception to this was his infamous debate with Christopher Nowinski, but that seemed strictly for the sake of decorum.

4 University Of Michigan

Rick & Scott Steiner Showed Off Their Alma Mater

Graduating Year	Accomplishments
1986	NCAA Division I All-American, Big 10 Finalist (3x)

Before entering the world of pro wrestling, both Rick and Scott Steiner studied at the University of Michigan, where they both proved adept at amateur wrestling. Their amateur background was no secret once they went pro, and the two even wore their U of M varsity jackets on occasion.

5 Reasons Scott Was The Best Steiner Brother (& 5 Reasons It Was Rick)

With careers spanning TNA, WCW and more, which Steiner brother was the best? Rick or Scott? We make the case for both here.

This look is best seen in a WWE promo video of the brothers with their World Tag Team Title belts. The combination of their colorful singlets and the reserved, solid-colored jackets make for a great visual.

3 NWO Steiner

Joining The NWO Really Solidified Big Poppa Pump

jeff-jarrett-scott-steiner-bret-hart-nwo-2000

nWo Stint	Accomplishments
1998-1999	WCW World Television Champion

Upon joining the iconic New World Order faction, Scott Steiner honed his visual presentation as a singles wrestler, creating a look that he still uses today. Ditching the mullet, Steiner opted for a short, bleach-blond haircut along with a partially dyed goatee. But it wasn’t just his hair that changed - he also rocked a solid white singlet with a surprisingly conservative amount of airbrushing (including the Superman S-shield) that set him apart from his previous era as a tag team wrestler.

2 Scott Steiner’s Tag Team Look

Steiner Was No Stranger To Colorful Singlets

Steiner Brothers Original Tag Team Run	Accomplishments
1989-1998	NWA World Tag Team Champions, WCW World Tag Team Champions, WWE World Tag Team Champions, IWGP Tag Team Champions

In terms of in-ring work, Scott Steiner’s best period was arguably his early-to-mid 1990s era as one half of The Steiner Brothers. On top of having a killer combination of athleticism and powerhouse moves, Steiner also had some amazing ring gear in the form of overly designed singlets. Scott and his brother regularly looked like musclebound Trapper Keepers, a look that some may have mocked in the years that followed but serve as a charming and awesome reminder that pro wrestling gear used to be ridiculously colorful - even on the tough guys.

1 Chainmail Steiner

Steiner’s Medieval Head Accessory Is Iconic

Late Period WCW Titles	Reign
WCW United States Heavyweight Champion	84 Days
WCW World Champion	120 Days

By the turn of the century, Scott Steiner had been the muscle and freak-obsessed Big Poppa Pump for a few years. His bleached hair/beard and ridiculous muscularity already made him seem over the top, to say nothing of his promos. But in late period WCW - the couple of years leading to the promotion’s demise in the spring of 2001 - Steiner added another element to his presentation in the form of a chainmail hood. While this may make some look like they’re on their way to a Renn Faire, on Steiner this look proved iconic enough that other wrestlers like Petey Williams and Jordynne Grace have worn it in tribute to the legend.