Scott Steiner’s doomed return to WWE was severely affected by the Hall of Famer’s health, according to former Head of WWE Talent Relations Jim Ross.
Steiner returned to WWE in late 2002 following the demise of WCW, and his ‘Freakzilla’ persona was far different from the collegiate athlete fans had seen in the New Generation.
Despite strong booking from the start, including two pay-per-view matches for the World Heavyweight Champion, Steiner’s return would be a dud.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross examined Steiner’s return, and what exactly caused the former WCW World Champion to fall short of reaching similar heights. He said,
“Scotty wasn’t healthy to the level that he could go out and be the athlete that he was coming out of Michigan. His body was taking a toll and a lot of those big muscle guys have that issue and I just think Scotty wasn’t healthy.
“His injuries and culmination of injuries simply did not allow him to have his normal, back-in-the-day, athletic match. Plus, he was getting older.”
Steiner would leave WWE in August 2004 without capturing any championships during his return, and would join TNA Wrestling in 2006.
After keeping clear of the promotion (and making unsavory comments about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon,) Steiner would return to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.
