Smark Out Moment

On this eighth edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, our fans voted for it to revolve around someone who many felt goes unmentioned as an underrated star from the Attitude Era: Steve Blackman.

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Backstage, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.

*NOTE: I don't remember as much about Blackman as I do about a lot of the others that we've discussed on Superstar Scores in the past, so don't take this one too much to heart!


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 6 / 7
Blackman's clearly an athletic guy when it comes to his specialties, which is the reason why he ranks in the positive. However, he's far from the most versatile person in the ring. Since both aspects are a factor in this section, that hinders him quite a bit. Can you really remember a wide range moveset and a strong finisher coming from Blackman?

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 5
I don't remember him being anything but average in this regard.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 3
Blackman wasn't a promo guy.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 4
Basically, his gimmick was that he was a fighter. Was it tough to pull that off? Nope. Why? Because he WAS a fighter! He had some extra fun with Head Cheese, but come on, that whole thing was built around him not having much of a character!

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 7
Blackman had a body that made perfect sense for his strengths and weaknesses. He kept himself fit and was never supposed to be the bulkiest, most muscular guy out there.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 4 / 5
I like his music, but there isn't much else beyond that. Showing off some fighting moves works for shoot fighting, but it isn't all that impressive for an entrance in WWE with no grandeur.

BEHAVIOR

Backstage: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 7
I'll admit, I don't know too much about Blackman behind the scenes, so I can't give him a 10, nor can I give him a 0. I haven't heard anything negative about him that I can remember and it seems like he's got a decent enough reputation. Therefore, I have to go with the average of the good side of things and give him a 7.

Public Relations: Is this wrestler a public relations problem with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 5 / 6
Blackman wasn't a character that could resonate with audiences in a way to really capitalize on things like this, nor was WWE in a position where they did as much for charity back when he was on the roster. The only fair thing to do, then, is to give him a middle of the road score.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 5 / 4
Blackman was a noteworthy enough star to stick around for many years and have people remember him, but even at his pinnacle, he was never the person selling out arenas.

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 4
Blackman was a career midcarder and not much more than that at any point in his run. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as not everyone can be winning championships left and right, but that does mean that he can't score more than a 5. Since he never won a championship outside of the Hardcore title (which was lower than the Intercontinental title), he sticks around the 4 range.

TOTAL SCORE: 50/100 - 52/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: Funny enough, I didn't plan on giving Blackman a perfect score of a 50/100, but it just worked out that way! Look...Steve Blackman was cool and I was a fan of him back in the day, but that doesn't mean he's entitled to be given a score that ranks up with the likes of Shawn Michaels and such. He did his job admirably and was an awesome person to watch when it came to hardcore matches during the era that had more flexibility than what we see today.