A week ago in my stomping grounds of New England, there just so happened to be a gathering of geek and fan alike that takes place once a year in Marlborough, MA called Super Megafest. The name might seem like a mouthful but that is only because there is so much to contain inside these walls. There was something for every type of fan, new and old alike. However only one thing drew me there: the man called Big Poppa Pump: Scott Steiner.

As a self proclaimed Wrestling Geek or a “smark” as insider terms would have it, I was looking forward to this greatly. I have met many a wrestler in my day, but this one always eluded me. So I relished the opportunity to make so chit chat and talk some shit with one of my favorite wrestling personalities with Big Poppa Pump. His legacy is a big one in the annuls of Pro Wrestling (I refuse to say Sports Entertainment) he was a WCW World Heavyweight Champion, US Champion and of course Tag Team Champion.

Never one to mix words and not afraid to speak his mind, I was looking forward to it.

Graphic Policy: Hi my name is Joe on behalf of Graphic Policy, and I am here at Super Megafest talking to the Genetic Freak, Big Poppa Pump himself: Scott Steiner. How are you Scott?

Scott Steiner: Pretty good Joe, thanks for asking man.

GP: So Scott you were at the forefront of Professional Wrestling when it was at its apex, something it has never quite reached again. What is missing from today’s product that you all had back then?

SS: Another company. It’s always good when there is competition. You know what I mean? Now it is a monopoly. When we had the “Monday Night Wars” there was a point where we dominated for 83 weeks straight. That means we were drawing better ratings than them (WWF/E). That means people didn’t want to watch their shit. Now that we are gone, they still don’t want to really watch their shit. That’s what it is, shit. The reason being is you have two idiots in charge who basically think they are geniuses and they’re not. The ratings reflect this.

GP: I agree with your point there, to a point. They feed you what I feel is scraps. It’s nowhere near the caliber of what it could be, but they don’t have to be forced to change because they are the big game in town and they know it.

SS: Thing is though, on top of that they feed you a line of bullshit. They tell you we are giving you what you as fans want. They don’t. They give you what they want.

Graphic Policy: I agree. There is certainly an agenda to who they push.

SS: Exactly. For them to say otherwise, it’s really an insult to the fans. I think many fans are smart enough to realize this themselves and it shows. They aren’t featuring who the people want to see, they feature who they want to see. They feature who they can control. It’s all about the control. The people who do work for that company I mean they are not even considered employees. They are self contracted. Which I think is a damn shame. They don’t want to pay employees tax or insurance and a bunch of other stuff they don’t want to get into.

GP: That is unreal.

SS: Yeah. It really is unreal, how they can operate like that. Just a shame.

GP: Do you have advice now for guys that are coming up, on how to navigate that kind of system?

SS: Well the thing you gotta do, is stick together. Unfortunately with Vince, really the whole WWE is that it is set up so you don’t stick together. They have it so everyone is at a distance and they can’t become friends so that way you don’t form a union. That is why when you look back at when Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and all those guys stuck together, he hated that. They ended up controlling the industry. That is what it takes is sticking together but it is set up in a way that you can’t. Or he won’t allow you to.

GP: I think, hearkening back to what you said about competition it just breeds true for anything. If you don’t have competition then you are going to have shit and not get the best you could.

SS: Right.

GP: That is why it is so great to see what Cody Rhodes and the Bullet Club have done. Both here and in Japan. They were told no one would ever want to see them put on their own Pay Per View and they did it. They sold out a big venue faster than anyone ever expected with “All In”. They thumbed it right at everyone too. Do you think we should see more of that?

SS: Well hopefully. I hope so. What happened in Chicago, is now going to happen in Madison Square Garden too. That was basically a large scale independent show. I mean that is the first time in history that has ever happened. On that scale. That just goes back to that people are sick of WWE product. You can’t take people’s memories away from them. They remember when they watched wrestling growing up, how good it could be. So now they have this crap on TV and they are forced to watch and they don’t have to.

GP: Is there a company out there that you haven’t worked with that you’d like to?

SS: Well it’s not going to really work unless you get another big conglomerate like a Ted Turner or FOX that can compete. Basically it will take a large TV company that can compete with Vince. Like a Ted Turner or something along that. It has to be someone who likes Wrestling and understands it as well.

GP: I think it would be great if a large network like a FOX would back it because the production values would be off the charts and with the correct backing could be visually stunning.

SS: That’s really the only way you could compete. You would see so many guys jump on that ship. They know how it is. When it comes down to it, Vince, the WWE they don’t really care about the people they employ. They don’t care about them. They use them and then kick them out the door.

GP: It always boggles me that whoever says wrestling is fake, I feel is a damn moron because you do this 365 with barely any off days and the toll it takes on your bodies is tremendous. What makes me happy is you get to do conventions like this and hopefully the people pay it back to you. How much it means to us. All that you’ve done and given us over the years. I especially speak for myself.

SS: Thank you so much.