One of the most seminal characters of the golden era of WWE is sadly no more. George ‘The Animal’ Steele passed away at the age of 79 a few hours ago, because of kidney failure and the WWE Universe bemoaned his demise.
His passing comes shortly after the death of legends such as Chavo Guerrero Sr. and Jimmy ‘The Superfly’ Snuka. At a time when wrestling legends are leaving us all at once, let's remember them in the best way we can. By remembering their legacy, cherishing their careers and revisiting them when they were in their days of glory.
Here are 5 things you did not know about one of the most lovable and hateable characters in professional wrestling history.
#5. Steele never won any titles in the WWE
Despite being one of the top guys in WWE all through his two-decade long career, Steele never held a championship belt, either as a singles competitor or as a tag team wrestler. This is despite the fact that he challenged for multiple championships throughout his time in WWE.
It is a testament to how strong his character was that he is remembered and beloved by one and all despite this shocking statistic. Perhaps because of the nature of his character, Vince McMahon did not deem it worthy to put the title on him.
However, in McMahon’s defence, George ‘The Animal’ Steele was one of the first inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame, in the year 1995. In the year 2005, he was also inducted into the professional wrestling hall of fame for his contribution to the field of professional wrestling. A true legend!
#4. The Animal was a school teacher
George ‘The Animal’ Steele lived his character. That of a bald, hairy brute. A savage man with no restraint, who was only a little more civilised than a caveman presumably is. Here’s the funny bit.
George ‘The Animal’ Steele was anything but his character really when the cameras were off. He was a suave, sophisticated man who had been a schoolteacher before wrestling. To protect his identity, George Steele ironically also called himself ‘The Student’ when he first started wrestling.
George Steele had a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Michigan State University. In addition to being a teacher, he had also had stints as an amateur wrestling coach and a football coach at Madison High School, Madison Heights, Michigan. If anything, his character was the antithesis of the man he was inside the ring. Something nobody would believe if they've seen his matches. In fact, he was so good, he was eventually inducted into the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.
#3. His ‘brute’ interview style actually happened by accident
As we have discussed on the last page, Steele was nothing like his character. He was an eloquent, well-spoken man who could cut some really finely worded promos. However, this was a direct contrast to the ‘animal’ he was portraying, and Vince McMahon had pointed out the same to him.
Annoyed, George ‘The Animal' Steele would adopt the persona of a brute, cutting wrestling promos with a smattering of ‘duhhhhs’ and ‘uhhhhhss’. Much to his shock, this is exactly what McMahon was looking for, and it became the signature style that Steele would deliver his promos in, for the rest of his career.
#2. Steele made his tongue green with Clorets mints
George the Animal Steele had one of the more distinct looks among the WWE roster. His bald head, his hairy physique and even his crouched demeanour all contributed to the same. Perhaps the most distinctive thing about him, though, was his green tongue. You'll be shocked to find out how he achieved this scary effect!
No, it wasn’t from drinking algae-laden waters in the vilest of swamps. It was from eating Clorets breath mints before a match or even a promo. We recommend that you do the same today, to pay tribute to the legend we love!
#1. Steele battled health conditions all through his life
Steele looked like he was always having fun inside and outside the ring. In reality, he was plagued with so many health concerns, this was rarely the case. Not only was he dyslexic, Steele suffered from something called Crohn's disease, a bowel disease with no cure.
Because of the same, he was forced to retire from the ring and become part of the WWE staff as a road agent. A devout Christian, the man found respite from his ailments in religion. We will remember him very fondly. Rest in peace, sir!
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