It would seem that Big Poppa Pump has moved on from TNA.
A visit to TNA’s roster page at TNAWrestling.com shows that Steiner’s bio has been removed as of last night.
Steiner’s status has been in limbo for some time now. Back in October, around the time of Bound for Glory, it was strongly speculated that Steiner was not high on Dixie’s list of talent. Speculation was reported that he had given notice that he was going to leave, or would be released at the same time as Booker T. This was also where the Mafia storyline ended.
His performance in the Bound for Glory event was redeeming enough to keep him around for a while. Booker T, however, would no longer be used on television and was eventually released.
Steiner was used in a few short angles on TV after Bound for Glory, but nothing of substance. On January 5, Steiner was said to have met with Terry Taylor, TNA’s Talent Relations Director, to discuss his TNA future. He has not been seen on TV since.
Also of note, a few days before her passing (January 25) Georgiann Makropoulos reported that Steiner was expressing his displeasure with the TNA organization in front of fans at the hotel where the wrestlers were staying for that week’s tapings. This, I am sure, would not have been viewed as positive with TNA management.
I can’t say that I’m sorry to see Steiner go from TNA. His best days in the ring are clearly behind him, as it is said he is having a substantial amount of back and knee problems. In his early years, he was a good wrestler and he carried a sharp edge on the mic, but he has clearly declined in both phases.
Information from TNAWrestlingNews.com was used in this piece.
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A 37 year old engineer by day that enjoys writing on the side. I go back a lot of years in pro wrestling, from the old NWA/WCW days and the 80's WWF up til today with TNA, WWE, and occasionally some of the other independent federations. Primarily my scene here will be TNA, but expect a little bit of everything in terms of opinions and recaps in the world of pro wrestling from me.