Steve Blackman's Run with WWE
Throughout the Attitude Era, WWE presented a variety of compelling characters, and a prime example of this was the ‘Lethal Weapon’ Steve Blackman. Blackman’s popularity within WWE peaked between 1998-2000, but his WWE career isn’t defined by just that era. His actual first match with Vince McMahon’s organization started back in 1986.
Blackman, trained by Tony Altamore, worked alongside the likes of The British Bulldogs and Brian Pillman in Canada’s Stampede Wrestling; along with making minor appearances for Vince McMahon’s WWE. In 1989, with Blackman on the verge of signing a full-time contract with WWE, he fell ill and spent two years bed-bound after contracting Malaria. While finishing some already arranged bookings, one booking was a tour of South Africa, where a single mosquito bite nearly ended his life. After years of physical therapy, Blackman learned Taekwondo to help with his recovery from the illness and helped him earn the moniker of ‘The Lethal Weapon’, Steve spoke to WWE.com about his trip to South Africa and contracting Malaria.
“I was supposed to start with WWE, but I promised this guy I would go over to South Africa for three weeks, I went over there to keep my word and I wound up getting dysentery and malaria and was on my death bed. It was a nightmare”
Once fully recovered, Steve Blackman called Brian Pillman to see if a job was available with WWE. Blackman returned to WWE television by coming to the aid of Vader in November of 1998, 8 years after his last appearance. He competed as part of Team USA at Survivor Series along with Vader, Goldust and Marc Mero, losing to Team Canada. Blackman participated in the 1998 Royal Rumble and throughout 1998, appeared on television but was devoid of a storyline where he could display any character development. Steve Blackman did compete in the notorious Brawl for All, winning his first-round match against Marc Mero but had to withdraw from the competition due to injury. Discussing the prospect of working against Mero, Blackman said:
“They put me in the first match with Marc Mero. Now Marc Mero has always had good boxing skills, I think he won the New York Golden Gloves for five years, but I took him down like 13 times in three minutes."
After being absent from television for a period, Blackman’s big break came when he returned as Vince and Shane McMahon’s hired gun. His mission was to take out Ken Shamrock, who had vowed revenge on the McMahon family after finding out they were involved in the kidnapping of his sister. Blackman continuously attacked Shamrock with a kendo stick, even costing him the chance to retain the King of the Ring. The constant attacks led to a match at Fully Loaded 1999, where Blackman and Shamrock squared off in an Iron Circle match, a match fought outside in the car park. Fighting each other while surrounded by cars; Shamrock defeated Blackman and then once again at Summerslam 1999 in a Lion’s Den Match.
After his feud with Shamrock, The Lethal Weapon moved into a more comedic role. Keeping his persona of an uncharismatic and serious man, he fought Val Venis at Unforgiven after Venis swapped his weapons bag for sex toys. He then began teaming with Al Snow. Snow and Blackman began filming comedy skits where Snow tried to bring out another side of Blackman. Each week, Al Snow would try and create a new gimmick for Steve whilst also trying to create a good tag team name. The one that stuck was Head Cheese, after Blackman wore a hat resembling cheese after the Green Bay Packers. Steve Blackman spoke highly of Al Snow:
"Al and I were so different, He was always laughing and outgoing and I was so straight-laced. It just made it comical."
Their biggest moment together came at Wrestlemania 2000, wrestling under the name of Head Cheese, losing to the team of Test and Albert. Soon after, Snow and Blackman disbanded, and Steve Blackman entered the hardcore division.
Once Crash Holly captured the WWE Hardcore Championship earlier in the year, he established that he would defend the championship 24 hours a day, seven days a week, creating the 24/7 rule. Once Steve Blackman set his sights on the division, he quickly became champion. With Blackman as champion, other wrestlers became wary of surprise attacking him. Early in his reign, Crash Holly and The Mean Street Pose would continue their quest to win the Hardcore Championship. But unlike before, when the champion lost the title or managed to escape, luckily, Blackman dominated them. This stopped others from trying to win the championship unless it was in an actual match.
Steve Blackman dominated the Hardcore division over the summer of 2000 until Shane McMahon, with the help of his allies, Edge, Christian, Test and Albert, pinned Blackman following a vicious beatdown and became WWE Hardcore Champion on an episode of RAW. WWE commissioner Mick Foley announced that McMahon would defend the WWE Hardcore Championship in a rematch against Steve Blackman at Summerslam. To ensure McMahon couldn’t get out of the match, Foley suspended the 24/7 rule, which meant McMahon would have no choice but to defend the championship against The Lethal Weapon.
The match was highly memorable for McMahon climbing the side of the entrance structure with the Lethal Weapon in tow. With both men up high, Blackman hit McMahon with a kendo stick, causing McMahon to fall to the floor. Blackman then delivered an elbow drop onto McMahon and successfully pinned him to regain the Hardcore Championship. His feud with McMahon and their match would be the most prolific point of Steve Blackman’s WWE career.
Blackman remembers the fall McMahon took along with the elbow drop:
“He took a hell of a fall, and that crazy guy took it backwards. I just took a breath and said, Here we go. I mean, there was no turning back at that point."
Blackman knocking Shane McMahon off the high steel structure. Credit: WWE.com
They would meet face-to-face once again the following month at Unforgiven. But this time, Shane McMahon came out to the ring to inform the returning Stone Cold Steve Austin that Steve Blackman ran him over. Blackman confronted McMahon about the allegation, but Austin simply hit the Stone Cold Stunner on both.
After Unforgiven, The Lethal Weapon remained in the hardcore division. He lost the championship to Raven, who ultimately took over the division for a period while becoming the main focal point. After Scotty Too Hotty hurt his ankle in 2001, Blackman teamed with Grandmaster Sexy in a role similar to his tag team with Al Snow. Blackman was encouraged to dance with Grandmaster each week but continued with his straight-faced, uncharismatic approach. On some occasions, he did dance, much to the crowd’s delight. Once Sexy was released from his contract, Steve Blackman‘s run with WWE ended. He made small appearances into the summer of 2001 but injured himself and did not return.
After WWE, Steve Blackman made some small independent dates. He made one return to WWE on their special 15th Anniversary show of Monday Night Raw. Outside of the ring, Steve opened MMA and self-defence gyms.
"I had a lot of guys asking me if I would train them in [mixed martial arts] and I kept putting it off. But after a year of getting back on track, I finally decided to open up my own gym. I do mostly jiu-jitsu instructing and wrestling drills, Then I brought one guy in to help me do some boxing training."
He is married with children and currently works as a bail bondsman. The Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman’s run in WWE, especially in the summer of 2000, is highly remembered by long-time wrestling fans. He remains on a shortlist of wrestlers that portrayed a real-life toughness that was genuinely believable outside of the ring.
