Gangrel Calls Midcard WWE Attitude Era Star 'A Legit Badass'

Former WWE wrestler Gangrel has heaped praise on a fellow former Attitude Era star by dubbing him "a legit badass."

"I loved wrestling Steve Blackman, he was tremendous," Gangrel told K&S Wrestlefest. "He was one of my favorite guys to wrestle. I ran into him at an airport a couple of years ago, he looked great. ... He's a nice guy, man. I love him. He was a legit badass."

Gangrel and Blackman competed against each other a number of times between 1998 and 2000, with their one-on-one bouts taking place on "Sunday Night Heat," "WWE Jakked," and house shows. They were placed on the same side at the Survivor Series 1999 pay-per-view, when the team of Gangrel, Blackman, Mark Henry, and Val Venis defeated the British Bulldog and the Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas, Joey Abs, and Rodney) in a Survivor Series elimination match. The last time Gangrel and Blackman competed in the same match was on the 15th anniversary episode of "WWE Raw" in 2007, as both performers entered a 15th Anniversary Battle Royal that was ultimately won by WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase. 

While Gangrel still regularly competes on the independent scene and has recently been training AEW's Paige VanZant, Blackman's last one-on-one match, according to Cagematch, was in 2004 for World Xtreme Wrestling, where he defeated Sugaa. Prior to that one-off match, Blackman had not stepped into the ring since 2001. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "K&S Wrestlefest" and give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.