Scot Steiner wore chain mail when he made his way to the ring for one simple reason – because he liked it!
The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion is one of the most iconic-looking wrestlers of all time, with his bulging biceps and bleached blonde hair crucial to his persona.
However, he also worse chain mail during various entrances and during promos, including for his infamous “Steiner Math” promo, which is one of the funniest, yet mathematically correct, things you’ll ever see in wrestling.
Big Poppa Pump began wearing the medieval armour during his main event run in WCW, when he was one of the top heels in the company during it’s dying days.
While not as many fans saw him wearing the iconic garment, he continued donning the chain mail during his runs in the WWE and TNA.
During an interview with Detroit News after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Steiner spilled the beans about the decision to wear chain mail during his wrestling career.
The former WWE, WCW and TNA wrestler claims that there was no significance behind the piece of medieval armour. He simply saw it one day, and liked it!
“I saw it one day, I liked it, and I wore it out to the ring,” Steiner said. “It was really that simple.”
What is chain mail?
Chain mail is a type of armour composed of interlocking metal rings, generally worn by soldiers over the centuries.
It dates back to antiquity and was widely used in various civilizations, including the Greeks, Romans, and medieval Europeans, and can be seen in various movies and TV shows set in those eras (also mid-2000s TNA Impact episodes).
Each ring is linked to four others, forming a flexible mesh that provides protection against slashing and piercing attacks, although more substantial armour was required to stop stabbing from heavier weaponry.
Chain mail was effective in deflecting blows from swords, axes, and arrows, offering a balance between mobility and defence for warriors on the battlefield.
Its construction required skilled craftsmanship and was labor-intensive, making it a symbol of status and resilience in warfare.
You could argue that Steiner thought the history of chain mail not only as a defence against enemies, but also as a status symbol fit his “Big Poppa Pump” character perfectly, and was the reason why he picked it.
But no.
He just liked it. He simply just saw it once and said “I’ll have that”.
What do you think about Scott Steiner’s chain mail? Should another wrestler bring back the look in AEW or WWE? Let us know down in the comments, or click below to read about Scott Steiner’s final, star-studded match in wrestling.