Two Broken Bodies

January 2003. In his first major pay-per-view match-up in nearly two years, Scott Steiner challenged Triple H for Raw’s World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble. Steiner had made his return to the WWE some three months earlier at the Survivor Series, and this was his first television match since his signing. Having overcome serious health problems including major nerve damage to his leg, this was perhaps Steiner’s last shot at the big-time.

And it stunk. Move after move was botched, and the crowd booed both wrestlers out of the building as Triple H was disqualified for using his trusty sledgehammer on Steiner. As one noted journalist wrote at the time; “Both men were built like tanks, and moved like tanks as well.” This match was definitely one of the worst of 2003.

Moments later, Kurt Angle defended Smackdown’s WWE title against Chris Benoit. In what was the polar opposite of the previous match, two of the world’s greatest ever wrestlers put on a wrestling clinic, with Angle winning and retaining the title after Benoit tapped to an ankle lock. As the Crippler leaves the ring, he receives a standing ovation for a match that was definitely one of the best of 2003.

It’s well known fact that both Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle have both suffered from numerous health problems over the years, but that’s where the comparisons end.

Steiner’s health problems have clearly hindered him in the ring. In recent months I’ve had the pleasure of watching NWA/WCW shows from the late eighties and early nineties, namely Starrcades 89 and 90, and the New Japan/WCW supershow. On each of those shows, Steiner teamed with his brother Rick, and against the likes of the Samoan Swat Team, the Road Warriors, Doom, Hase and Sasaki, and Muta and Saito, he put in a hell of a performance, evidence that the Steiner Brothers were indeed one of the greatest tag-teams of all time.

But it’s clear that as Steiner piled on the pounds, his skills declined, and his last tenure in the WWE and current tenure in TNA are evidence that his skills are not what they used to be, and that his injuries have been catching up with him for years now. Not even Samoa Joe, regarded by many as one of the best wrestlers in the world at the moment, could get a decent match out of Steiner. It’s clear to all that observe him that he’s now just going through the motions, and perhaps it’s now time Steiner hung up his boots. Sadly, this isn’t going to happen.

Kurt Angle is perhaps the polar opposite to Scott Steiner. While he has suffered numerous injuries over the past few years, he has always given one hundred percent, even though it has cost him dearly. Numerous neck injuries and operations have taken their toll on Angle’s body, and now, with his body in such a state that he has to take a ton of painkillers just to get into the ring and perform, Angle realises that now is the time to rest, to rehab his various injuries, to attempt to get back to his best, so he can give the fans a top notch performance every time he steps through the ropes. Unlike Steiner, Angle is happy just to go through the motions.

This is a tale of two broken bodies, of two people who have performed for you, the fans of professional wrestling, despite numerous, career-ending injuries that will hamper them for the rest of their lives. But when we look back on the careers of Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle in a few years, which one will provide the fondest memories?