Toughness can be defined in a number of ways. Whilst the word might immediately conjure up images of physical endurance and fighting prowess, toughness can also be used to describe a being's mental and emotional fortitude in the face of great adversity. One man that can certainly claim to be tough in every sense of the word is "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman. With an on-screen persona of a deadly killer, Blackman's journey through life away from the cameras is filled with just as much hardiness.
For WWF fans during The Attitude Era, Blackman came across as one of the baddest men on the planet, let alone just in the professional wrestling industry. Though he may not have had a career full of listable achievements, he was a credible threat to anyone on the roster. But, his skills in the ring are only one piece of the puzzle that creates an image of one of the toughest men to ever step foot in the squared circle.
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Steve Blackman Spends Years Literally Fighting For His Life
Whilst most fans will remember Steve Blackman's wrestling career as the intimidating badass that wreaked havoc in the WWF's hardcore division, many may not know that he first appeared for the promotion in the late 1980s. Between 1988 and 1989, Blackman worked a number of house shows for the WWF, impressing enough that the company was willing to offer him a contract. However, Blackman was then faced with the hardest battle of his life.
On a trip to South Africa in 1989, Blackman contracted malaria and dysentery, a terrifying pair of diseases that are dangerous on their own, let alone when they're paired together. Severe dehydration struck in the first hours, then an inability to breathe leading to a week-long hospital stay. During that week, Blackman lost around 35 pounds of body weight and decided that he needed to get home, dead or alive. In order to get home, Blackman endured a route that took him from Durban to Johannesburg in South Africa, up to Kenya, on to Amsterdam, then New York City, and finally Harrisburg, all whilst in and out of states of consciousness and delirium.
The journey home was just the start. Blackman improved for a few days, before quickly deteriorating once again. He was essentially bedridden for much of the next several years, eventually diagnosed as having a fierce infection throughout his entire intestinal tract. After years of hanging by a thread, Blackman's condition eventually improved. He slowly began the long road to recovery, determined on getting back into the WWF. Having lost a great deal of muscle mass, Blackman went through years of physical therapy on top of his own martial arts-based training before finally achieving his goal.
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Blackman Proved Himself As One Of The Toughest Men In The Locker Room
When people look to compare toughness in the world of professional wrestling, the conversation inevitably turns to a discussion of their standing in the locker room. From the impression given by various interviews and memoirs over the years, the backstage atmosphere during the Attitude Era seems to be no different. Blackman was certainly portrayed as one of the WWF's toughest, working programs with fellow legitimate athletes Dan "The Beast" Severn and Ken Shamrock. But, stories have circulated about the sort of presence Blackman held behind the scenes.
One account from Teddy Long details how Blackman took The Big Show down from his back, hooking his leg and dropping the giant to the floor. Bob Holly's The Hardcore Truth details several of Blackman's exploits, notably an encounter with John Bradshaw at an airport where a drunken Bradshaw incurred The Lethal Weapon's wrath. According to Holly, a fight broke out after Bradshaw kept harassing Blackman, with Bradshaw's surly swings missing and his jaw being rocked by Blackman's pin-point jabs. It was broken up by several others, but only after Blackman's attempt at a kick was thwarted by his foot being caught in the straps of a bag. Holly recalls how the two came face-to-face later at the arena, with Bradshaw apologizing, and Blackman mentioning to Holly that '"if it weren’t for that bag, John would be in intensive care right now.’'
Another chilling impression of how deadly a human being Blackman is, once again, comes from The Hardcore Truth as Holly discusses the infamous Brawl For All — a single-elimination tournament contested under shoot-fighting rules. Per Holly, upon finding out about the tournament and the cash prize, Blackman started training like crazy, determined on taking out whoever he was drawn against. Holly also remembers how in a meeting explaining that anything goes, Blackman asked ‘so that means that if I want to take somebody’s knee out with a kick, I can do it, right?’ This apparently spurred management to enforce some rules, as according to Holly, "I think they got worried that Steve might kill people, and you know what? He probably could have. There is nobody more dangerous than Steve Blackman, period."
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Steve Blackman, The Bounty Hunter
Following his wrestling career, as well as being involved in Pennsylvania's mixed martial arts scene, Blackman ventured into the world of bail bonds. In short, Steve Blackman became a bounty hunter. 'Blackman Bail Bonds' still operates today, with WWE reportedly being interested in making a Dog the Bounty Hunter-style reality show out of his exploits in the early days of the WWE Network. Footage of the test pilot exists online for those curious to see the man in action.
Cleary, Steve Blackman exemplifies the word 'tough'. From teetering on the brink of death to thriving in situations that any normal person may be petrified to find themselves in, there are few who can touch Blackman. Even if they could, would they even want to?
