Scott Steiner's Reign of Terror

In the autumn and winter months of 2000/2001, in WCW, there was nothing finer than Scott Steiner. "Big Poppa Pump" steamrolled his way through the competition and earned a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title. At Halloween Havoc, he brutalized Booker T so badly that he got himself disqualified. However, a few weeks later at Mayhem, he destroyed the paper champ, in a steel cage, to claim his first World Title. Steiner then went on a path of rage that would make Taz proud. He defended his title against all of the top stars in WCW, destroying them in the process. By early 2001, Steiner was joined by a group of hangers-on called the Magnificent 7. After each PPV, following the total destruction of another of his challengers, the stable would have a small in-ring funeral for the fallen adversary. One by one, all of WCW's big names fell to the man with the largest arms in the world. Sting, Goldberg, Sid Vicious, Kevin Nash, Booker T and DDP all felt the wrath of Scott Steiner.

Say what you will about latter-day WCW. During much of 1999 and all of 2000, the company was going down the proverbial tubes. In particular, the World Title was treated like a toy, being passed off every other week or put on people that had no business being near it (Booker T, David Arquette, Jeff Jarrett, etc.). However, they did do something right. Though it was later than it should have been, they finally gave Scott Steiner the chance to run with the ball and they booked him very well. So rarely do we get a dominant heel champion. Usually, even a dominant wrestler has to change his ways upon becoming a heel. Nevertheless, "Big Poppa Pump" conquered everything in his path, during WCW's dying days.

Sadly, he'd never be booked in such a manner again. However, he does have the honour of being the last true WCW World Heavyweight Champion, before the company was purchased by Vince McMahon. He did have to job the belt off on the final Nitro, but this was because his contract wasn't being picked up and they needed the belt on someone that was going to be working for them. He's not nearly the wrestler he once was, back in the days when he and his brother, Rick, dominated the tag team scene from WCW to WWF to Japan. Still, it would be nice to see him get one last World Title run, possibly in TNA. It's not like he's inferior to the majority of TNA's champions...