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Harlem Heat

Who would have thought that a member of the two top dominating tag teams of the mid 90’s that wrestled in World Championship Wrestling would team together as a part of the Main Event Mafia faction, and currently hold the TNA (Total Non-Stop Action) Wrestling World Tag Team Titles. Booker T from the heel team Harlem Heat and Scott Steiner of the babyface team, the Steiner Brothers.

Famous for their ring black spandex with red flames and red breath right strips on their noses, Booker T and Stevie Ray, otherwise known as Harlem Heat became one of the top heel tag teams in professional wrestling.

The two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman, won the WCW World Tag Team Championships a record ten times.

Harlem Heat actually began in 1992 simply as the Huffman Brothers in the Western Wrestling Alliance owned and operated by Ivan Putski. In that same year, the WWA closed down and the Huffmans’ began with the Global Wrestling Federation as the Ebony Experience, mainly wrestling in the west Texas area. On July 31, 1992 under the direction of Gary Hart, the Ebony Experience won the GWF Tag Team Titles. Their title reign was a very short lived as they only held the titles for one week, losing to the Blackbirds.

As the Ebony Experience, the Huffman brothers’ would go on to win the GWF Tag Team Titles two more times before leaving the company in 1993 for Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. In August of 1993, they debuted as the heel team Harlem Heat with the in ring names of Kole and Kane, and being billed from Harlem, New York. In 1994, Harlem Heat asked that their in ring names be changed to Booker T and Stevie Ray, which was granted. They also acquired the managing services of Sister Sheri (Formally Sensational Sheri from the WWF/E).

At the end of 1994, Harlem Heat defeated Stars ‘n’ Strips (The Patriot and Marcus Bagwell) to become the new WCW World Tag Team Championship, which would be the first of ten title reigns as WCW Tag Champs. After holding the belts for a period time from 1994 and into 1995, Harlem Heat was scripted to lose the titles to the Nasty Boys, which they did, but eventually won them back in June of 1995, only to lose them a month later on WCW Saturday Night. Harlem Heat would go on to regain the titles at Fall Brawl in September of that same year. This title reign only lasted one day. Harlem Heat would not hold the titles for the rest of 1995. On the June 24, 1996 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Harlem Heat would win the titles from Sting and Lex Luger, after Luger and Sting were distracted from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash walking through the crowd to the front row. Later that month, Harlem Heat would lose the titles to the babyface team of the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott), only to win them back again a month later in July.

Following a defeat by the Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) in October 1996, Harlem Heat became babyfaces. Stevie Ray left WCW for short period time due to an ankle injury. Following his return, he joined the NWO (New World Order). In mid 1999, in a storyline, Booker T was able to talk his brother into leaving the NWO, thus reforming Harlem Hear one last time, in which they would win the WCW World Tag Team Titles for the tenth and very last time at Halloween Havoc 1999. In 2000 Stevie Ray world retire and Booker T would go onto win the WCW World Heavyweight Title and rise to successful singles competition, wining the WCW title on five separate occasions and in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), he held the Hardcore title, U.S. Title and was the 2006 King of the Ring.

Booker T was the first African-American WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Booker and his wife Sharmell currently own and operation the non-profit organization, Booker T. Fights for Kids located in the Houston area along with his own wrestling school and promotion, Pro Wrestling Alliance. You can learn more at www.bookertonline.com and www.bookertpwa.com

The Steiner Brothers

National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling 1989-1992

In November of 1989, Rick and Scott Steiner made their debut in Atlanta, GA defeating the Fabulous Freebirds to capture the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Tag Team Titles, which held until May 19, 1990 when they lost to the team of Butch Reed and Ron Simmons, known as Doom, in Washington D.C. at the Capital Combat Pay-Per View.

The Steiner Brothers would then go on to defeat the Midnight Express to win the NWA United States Tag Team Titles in August 1990. During their championship reign, WCW withdrew from the NWA, thus renaming the titles as the WCW United States Tag Team Championship. The Steiner Brothers would also go on to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles in February 1991, thus vacating the U.S. Tag Team Titles just a few days later, making them the second tag team to ever hold both titles (Midnight Express was the first). The Steiner Brothers a month later won the IWGP World Tag Team Championship.

During this time, WCW Management was grooming Scott for singles competition. On the weekend programs, Power Hour, Saturday Night, and Main Event, WCW held a special gauntlet match in which the winner would not only win $10,000, but also get a title shot for the World Title, held by Ric Flair. Due to unsuccessful interference from other Four Horsemen members, Scott pinned Flair and ended up wrestling Flair for the title at the Clash of Champions in January 1991, which ended in a time limit draw.

In what was being teased as a heel turn, Scott won the WCW World Television Title from Ricky Steamboat in 1992, but then was scrapped due to the Steiner Brothers leaving WCW for the World Wrestling Federation after a contract dispute with Bill Watts.

The Steiner Brother to World Wrestling Federation 1992-1994

The Steiner wasted no time in signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation. They made their television debut as babyfaces in a TV interview by Vince McMahon on December 21, 1992 edition of Prime Time Wrestling. The Steiner Brothers faced many tag teams before finally capturing the WWF World Tag Team Titles at the RAW television taping on June 14, 1993, but losing them to Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) two days later at a house show, but the Steiner Brothers regained the titles at another house show just days following.

In Mid 1994, following the end of their contracts, The Steiner Brothers left the WWF.

The Steiner Brothers enter Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1995

The Steiner Brothers made their ECW debut in July of 1995 by defeating Dudley Dudley and the Vampire Warrior. Though the Steiner Brothers faced many tag teams with many wins, they never held the ECW Tag Team Titles. In November of 1995, the Steiner Brothers left ECW.

The Steiner Brothers re-sign with World Championship Wrestling 1996-1998

The Steiners re-signed with WCW in 1996. They began feuding with the Road Warriors and had several matches with then the current tag champions Sting and Lex Luger. The Steiner Brothers would capture the WCW Tag Team Titles from Harlem Heat in July 1996, but Harlem Heat regained the titles a few days later, with the title change never be mentioned on WCW television programming. After the formation of the New World Order, the Steiner Brother feuded with the Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) all of 1997.

The Steiner Brothers Split 1998 – the demise of WCW

Scott Steiner turned heel in late 1997. He changed his physical look with increased muscle mass, short bleached blonde hair and a goatee. His heel turn on WCW TV was when he attacked his brother Rick at the SuperBrawl Pay-Per View in February 1998, thus joining the NWO. Shortly before WCW was sold to Vince McMahon, the Steiner Brothers reunited, both as heels, but not as a tag team, but more-less watching out for each other.

Shortly before WCW’s demise, the Steiners reunited, not so much as a tag-team but they both wrestled as heels who watched each one’s backs. When WCW finally closed, the two went their separate ways again.

Steiner Brothers Reunite 2006 – 2008

The Steiner Brothers would reunite in Wilson, North Carolina at the United Wrestling Federation Event, in which they defeated Matt Bentley and Frankie Kazarian. They also defeated Team 3D the very next night in Wilmington, NC. The Steiner Brothers also had a short reign as the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champions.

The Steiner Brothers in Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA) 2007 – 2008

At the 2007 TNA Sacrifice Pay-Per View, Rick Steiner made his debut, thus reuniting the Steiner Brothers as babyfaces. At the Bound for Glory 2007 Pay-Per View, the Steiner Brothers defeated Team 3D in a two out three falls table match. The Steiner Brothers and Team 3D were scheduled to have a match at Slammiversary that year, Scott could not compete due to a life threatening of his trachea being injured in a match in Puerto Rico. Shortly thereafter, due to budget issues within TNA, Rick was released from his contract.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, www.bookertonline.com & www.bookertpwa.com