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- Memorable for his no-nonsense martial arts fighter persona,“The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman’s run with WWE during the Attitude Era only lasted about five years, with his pro wrestling career pretty much coming to an end after that. That said, Blackman is such a cool, underrated talent that it’d be a shame to limit this list to only 10 things. So let’s take a look at a few more things fans should know about Steve Blackman’s time in WWE, including his other odd couple tag team and his return to the promotion later in the 2000s for one night only.
A lot of wrestling fans from the late nineties will probably remember Steve Blackman as that guy no one should ever mess with. He didn’t just look like he was ready for a fight, he was actually entirely ready for a shoot fight. No one wanted to mess with Blackman.
He would often make his way to the ring with a bag filled with weapons, and he’d just as often make a surprise beatdown on most shows. He didn’t have the most legendary career around, but he was a staple of WWE programming for years, and one of the most entertaining Hardcore Champions of his era.
UPDATE: 2022/09/30 15:30 EST BY Danny Djeljosevic
Memorable for his no-nonsense martial arts fighter persona,“The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman’s run with WWE during the Attitude Era only lasted about five years, with his pro wrestling career pretty much coming to an end after that. That said, Blackman is such a cool, underrated talent that it’d be a shame to limit this list to only 10 things. So let’s take a look at a few more things fans should know about Steve Blackman’s time in WWE, including his other odd couple tag team and his return to the promotion later in the 2000s for one night only.
13 He Is The Longest Combined-Reigning WWE Hardcore Champion
Most people probably had no idea that Steve Blackman is arguably the most decorated hardcore competitor in WWE history. He didn’t simply have one long lengthy reign, he held the belt a total of six times with a combined 172 days as champion.
This was at a time when the title was expected to be defended at a moment's notice, often creating plenty of hilarity and chaos. He reigned longer than the likes of Big Boss Man, Rob Van Dam, Al Snow, Raven, and The Undertaker. Those aren’t bad names to be held above.
12 He Wrestled For NJPW
While it’s quite easy to follow the careers of modern wrestlers, that wasn’t exactly true only a few decades ago. Many high-profile wrestlers wound up doing tours for NJPW, but just as many young wrestlers wound up there toward the beginning of their career.
Steve Blackman was no different as he actually made his way to Japan for a tour with NJPW in 1988. While there, he wrestled both with and against some iconic names in Japanese wrestling. He wouldn’t remain there long, but he still likely managed to learn quite a lot during the short time.
11 He Started Out At Stampede Wrestling
For a lot of wrestlers that started out in the late eighties, there really weren’t a ton of indie shows to be working on. The territories were still in full swing, and some were much more reputable than others were. One of the most famous was Stampede Wrestling.
The iconic organization is one that birthed The Hart Foundation, a series of some of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Many past stars competed for the company at some point, and Steve Blackman was likely happy to be there.
10 Brian Pillman And Owen Hart Helped Him Get A Job
Something that many people may not know about Steve Blackman is the fact that he actually worked with WWE as early as 1988. Unfortunately, while he looked to be a promising star, some bad luck would end up sidelining him for quite a while.
Luckily, when Blackman was ready to get back into the ring, he had some friends over at WWE who were able to help him get another shot. He mentioned that names like Brian Pillman and Owen Hart helped him receive another tryout long after his short run with the company.
9 His First WWE Match Was Against A Legend's Son
A lot of wrestlers' first matches go unremembered for a variety of reasons. Many of them take place as dark matches or during house shows so that they can get used to working the WWE style. Thanks to that, most people might not know that Blackman's first WWE match was a big deal.
He faced off against David Sammartino, the son of the legendary Bruno Sammartino. Some might assume Blackman would take the loss to the legendary name, but he actually managed to pick up the win in what was likely impressive fashion.
8 His Momentum Was Derailed With A Serious Illness
Blackman seemed to be impressing during his early run with WWE, and because of that, it seemed that he was destined to be offered a full-time position wrestling for the company. Unfortunately, a serious illness would strike Blackman, leaving him out of action for years.
While competing in Africa back in 1989, Blackman contracted both Malaria and Dysentery. The debilitating conditions ended the early portion of his wrestling career, keeping him out of action until he finally returned in 1997. The brutal battle back to full form seems to have worked out for Blackman.
7 He Went Undefeated For Nearly A Year
While he didn't debut with a series of big wins, he would manage to go undefeated for nearly an entire year shortly after making his return to the company. It's hard to not see why this was the case as Blackman was now a legitimate tough guy.
His time on the winning column would eventually come to an end when he met Jeff Jarrett. Some might think that would be a setback, but instead, Blackman began to feud with the Nation Of Domination, something that saw him getting some high-profile wins.
6 He Was There For The Radicalz Debut
While the Hardcore Championship was the only title Blackman would hold during his time with WWE, that doesn't mean he didn't try for other titles. He challenged for just about every midcard title, but arguably saw most success when he eventually challenged for the Tag Team Championships.
He and Al Snow as Head Cheese were up against the New Age Outlaws, but their match would be interrupted by The Radicalz. The group was made up of huge names in wrestling, all fresh from WCW, so he and Snow were lucky they weren't the targets of their ire.
5 He Holds Multiple Victories Over The Rock
These days, anyone beating The Rock is considered a monumental feat. Seeing him compete against anyone is always a spectacle, but that wasn't always the case. The Rock was always great, but he hadn't become a true star until after his time with The Nation Of Domination.
Thanks to the fact that he wasn't a mostly untouchable star at that point, The Rock actually took more than a few losses to Steve Blackman. It is fair to say that one of his most high-profile wins over The Rock came during a tag team match, but a win's a win.
4 He’s A Forgotten Part Of A Big SummerSlam Spot
How many times have people seen that clip of Shane McMahon being whacked and falling off of the SummerSlam titantron? It's a moment that is featured in tons of video packages, and most people forget that Steve Blackman was the man that caused the fall.
While the fall is a great moment, the following moment is often forgotten about for whatever reason. Blackman gathers himself and leaps off of the titantron as well, landing a huge elbow drop on Shane McMahon in an incredible spot.
3 *Formed A Tag Team With Grandmaster Sexay
Steve Blackman’s no-nonsense personality made him a perfect straight man for a variety of WWE’s goofier characters during the Attitude Era. In addition to his tag team Head Cheese with Al Snow, Blackman had a short run tagging with Grandmaster Sexay during a period where Sexay’s regular Too Cool tag team partner, Scotty 2 Hotty, was injured. As fans might not expect, “The Lethal Weapon” did not cotton to Grandmaster Sexay’s penchant for dancing, no matter how much Sexay goaded him into taking part. Their partnership would only last about two months with no title shots until Grandmaster Sexay was abruptly released from the company.
2 *Sent To Developmental Before Being Released
Shortly after tag team partner Grandmaster Sexay’s release, Steve Blackman himself got injured, with his last matches on WWE television being losses: one a King of the Ring 2001 qualification match against Perry Saturn, and a singles bout with K-Kwik (a.k.a. R-Truth) on Sunday Night Heat. By the fall, Blackman was moved to WWE’s Cincinatti-based developmental territory, Heartland Wrestling Association, where he shared the ring with a diverse array of established performers, up-and-comers, and ex-WCW talent including D’Lo Brown, Haku, Shark Boy, Nigel McGuinness, and Kaz Hayashi. Steve Blackman would be released from WWE the following year.
1 *Had One Last WWE Match in 2007
December 10, 2007 marked the 15th anniversary of Raw, and WWE rolled out a special episode for the occasion featuring returning legends, highlight reels of some of the show’s most iconic moments, and a special battle royal. With a mix of talent across eras including Bob Backlund, Jim Neidhart, and The Goon, Steve Blackman took part in the battle royal as one of several stars representing the Attitude Era, and was ultimately eliminated by 2 Cold Scorpio, who was reprising his old Flash Funk character. This would be Steve Blackman’s final in-ring effort.