>>13822186The entire feud was what was wrong.
Scott for YEARS refused requests from pretty much EVERYONE to go solo because everyone was sick of Rick and Scott knew that Rick would get buried and buried HARD if Scott went solo.
He finally caved by the end of 1997 after the never ending burial at the hands of Hall and Nash (culminating in Nash faking an injury because he was THAT fucking pissy that he was having to job to the Steiners) and agreed to go solo.... so long as he would exclusively feud with Rick and only Rick.
So you had Scottt stuck in a heat sink feud with Rick purely to keep Rick from being buried and Buff Bagwell thrown into it as Scott's flunkie because Buff/Scott were weightlifting buddies and Buff had been reduced to jobber status in the NWO and Bischoff was dead set on not giving up on Buff as a top guy even though the NWO heel turn pretty much killed Buff's career dead.
Finally they gave up and just turned Rick heel, ditched Buff, and put Rick in as Scott's bully boy brother and reunited the Steiners as a heel team after briefly taking the two off TV to let the stink of their never ending feud go away. And by that point, Rick had basically checked out mentally and gave Scott his blessing to go solo full time as Rick faded away until he finally retired.