At Royal Rumble we seen exactly how dangerous Brock Lesnar is so we thought we could find two superstars who are/were as dangerous as the Beast Incarnate.
Batista
Taming wild animals is best left to trained professionals. Taming “The Animal” is another matter entirely.
If Batista always appeared in control of his meteoric rise through the ranks of WWE, that’s because you’re not counting his tempestuous formative years. That what would ultimately bring the six-foot-six, 290-pound brute to the top was his ability to avoid the perils and violence all around him in his troubled youth.
He didn’t ask to be born into a rougher part of Washington, D.C. that delivered three early reality checks in the form of homicides committed on his parents’ front lawn. He cannot undo becoming estranged from his parents by age 17 or the assault charges he accrued and probation he served for unleashing his ferocious temper on two unruly patrons at a club where Batista worked as a bouncer.
But rather than let his past pull him down, Batista rose above it by setting a goal of becoming an athlete and entertainer. He trained under Afa at the Wild Samoan Training Centre in Allentown, Pa. and redoubled his efforts after a WCW scout told Batista he’d never make it — only to find himself thriving in the independent circuit shortly thereafter. Two years later, WWE finally came calling.
And in 2002, Batista answered that call in a beastly way. With a bit of refinement from Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair, The Animal developed from a self-described “muscleheaded goofball” to a six-time World Heavyweight Champion. His first World Heavyweight Championship win came at the expense of Triple H at WrestleMania 21 and lasted 282 days, which still stands as a WWE record for longest single reign in that title’s history. His resume includes winning two Royal Rumble Matches, handing Triple H his first loss in a Hell in a Cell Match at Vengeance in 2005, and wins over The Undertaker, John Cena and Randy Orton.
Batista departed WWE in 2010, but returned in January 2014 and immediately won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match to earn a WWE World Heavyweight Title opportunity at WrestleMania 30. The Animal tapped out to Daniel Bryan in the Triple Threat main event, but the loss did little to curb his ego. In the weeks that followed, the arrogant Batista realigned himself with Triple H and The Viper in a reformation of their Evolution grouping. Together, the trio looked to take out The Shield.
However at Extreme Rules, Evolution was ultimately defeated in a showdown with The Hounds of Justice — an incredible battle between two of the most dominant factions in WWE history. Then, at WWE Payback, Rollins, Ambrose & Reigns shut out all three members of the legendary faction in a brutal No Holds Barred Elimination Match.
One night later on Raw, frustrated that he never got the one-on-one WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match he earned by winning the 2014 Royal Rumble Match, Batista abandoned his Evolution associates and quit WWE.
Scott Steiner
It’s hard to believe that the Scott Steiner who ruled the tag ranks alongside his brother, Rick, and the Scott Steiner who later dubbed himself the “Big Bad Booty Daddy” were the same man. But in a career that spanned more than three decades, the collegiate standout from the University of Michigan dominated sports-entertainment as both an innovative member of The Steiner Brothers and a hulking, loudmouthed gym rat who bleached his hair white and reinvented himself as an aggressive ladies man known as “Big Poppa Pump.”
Forming one of sports-entertainment’s most celebrated tag teams with his brother, Rick, in 1989, Scott captured the WCW Tag Team Titles seven times and the United States Tag Team Titles once.
The duo’s success was not entirely limited to the Atlanta-based organization. During their brief time in WWE in the early ’90s, the pair also won the WWE Tag Team Championships on two occasions.
Following a brief run in ECW in 1995, The Steiners returned to WCW in 1996, battling Harlem Heat and The Outsiders for the WCW Tag Team Titles. But as The New World Order’s power expanded, Scott Steiner saw an opportunity to achieve a higher level of success beyond the tag team division.
During a Tag Team Title defense against The Outsiders at SuperBrawl VIII, Scott turned on his brother and joined The nWo. In the months that followed, Big Poppa Pump would be unleashed.
Steiner hit the weight room twice as hard and bulked up his physique, embracing his new competitive style as a complete powerhouse. His newfound attitude aided him in capturing two United States Championships, two Television Championships and the WCW World Title before the company was acquired by WWE in 2001.
At Survivor Series 2002, Steiner returned to WWE with SmackDown General Manager Stephanie McMahon and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff fighting over his contract. Ultimately, Big Poppa Pump joined Raw and set his sights on World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. After unsuccessful bids for the title, Steiner joined former WCW colleague Stacy Keibler and formed a tag team with Test. Eventually an injury sidelined Steiner in 2004 and he did not return to WWE.
Boasting an impressive resume of both tag team and singles success, Big Poppa Pump is one of the most memorable competitors and personalities in WWE history. His agility and strength were a dominant combination inside the squared circle and one thing was always certain, “Big Poppa Pump is your hook up. Holler, if you hear me.”
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