3. The Steiner Brothers
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Fans who know Scott Steiner by his later “Big Poppa Pump” years may be amazed to see the clean-cut athlete he once was. Rick had already been rising in the NWA with his ring work and a goofy character with brother Scott joining him as the more down-to-earth type. Together, the brothers took their collegiate athletics and applied it to wrestling, Scott the strongman and Rick the quick fighter but both amazingly fast and agile and able to face most anyone. It took little time for them to hold the NWA tag team titles and wow fans with their ring work. In 1990, you did not see stuff like a bulldog off the top rope or the rana that became known as “the Frankensteiner.”
Fans could not get enough as the Steiners were soon dominating the tag scene in WCW and later jumped to WWF for a few titles there before back to WCW again. They would split with Scott going on his singles run, a few brief reunions but that glory period of the early ‘90’s showed two amazing athletes at the height of their abilities who set a new tone for wrestling that would inspire quite a few folks over the decade.
2. The Fabulous Freebirds
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If there’s a thin line between love and hate, the Freebirds walked it better than anyone. It was the perfect mix: Michael Hayes, a man born for wrestling with his handsome looks, build and fantastic mic skills; Terry Gordy, tough as nails and backing it up with his own terrific ring work; Buddy Rogers, capable of taking a beating and looking bad-ass doing it. They were the first cool heels, the first bad guys fan actually wanted to be like and even cheer on at times and they would do everything from wild fights to fantastic interviews and even music videos.
They were rising in Georgia with a feud where they “blinded” the Junkyard Dog but it was in Texas that they would become legends. Their feud with the Von Erichs basically launched World Class to prominence, the crowds could never get enough of them and the Freebirds reveled in the heat with fans honestly wanting to kill them. They would bounce around at times, including a run in the UWF and Hayes and Jimmy Garvin would join under the Freebird name to hold the WCW tag team titles. That’s not to mention the stories of their partying that are still legendary. When it came to attitude, no one could touch them in or out of the ring and created a legacy for so many heels to follow.
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