Rick Steiner
A powerhouse amateur wrestler turned professional who, with his brother Scott, formed the brutal and beloved Steiner Brothers tag team.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American professional wrestler·Birthday: March 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Before he was known for barking and snarling in the ring, Rick Steiner was a standout amateur wrestler at the University of Michigan. That legitimate grappling foundation became the bedrock for a professional wrestling career defined by pure, unadulterated power. Debuting in the mid-1980s, he found his ultimate destiny when he teamed with his younger brother, Scott. Together, as the Steiner Brothers, they revolutionized tag team wrestling with a blend of authentic suplexes, stiff double-team maneuvers, and a no-nonsense intensity that made them champions everywhere they went. From WCW to New Japan to the WWF, they were a global force. In later years, Rick carved a memorable solo path, often playing a gruff, animalistic character, but his legacy remains inseparable from one of the most physically imposing and technically sound tag teams in history.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Rick was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Rick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the WCW World Tag Team Championship seven times with his brother Scott.
- Captured the WWF Tag Team Championship once during the Steiner Brothers' run in the early 1990s.
- Held the IWGP Tag Team Championship in Japan, cementing the Steiners as an international attraction.
Did You Know?
He was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Michigan.
He served as a member of the Board of Education for the Cherokee County School District in Georgia.
His signature move was the Steinerline, a running clothesline where he would often bark like a dog.
“You want a fight? I'll give you a doggone fight.”
