"I know everybody respected that guy" – Vince Russo pays tribute to Steve McMichael (Exclusive)

Former WCW commentator and wrestler Steve McMichael passed away on April 23 aged 67. Vince Russo, WCW and WWE's former head writer, recently gave his thoughts on the one-time Four Horsemen member's legendary career.

McMichael, aka Mongo, made his name in the NFL before joining the wrestling business in 1995. After briefly appearing in WWE, the former football player worked for WCW as a commentator before becoming an in-ring competitor. In 2021, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Russo appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws alongside host Dr. Chris Featherstone and former WWE star EC3. Reflecting on McMichael's unique entry into wrestling, the veteran writer explained how he earned his peers' respect.

"When you look throughout history, there always was strong bonds between wrestlers and athletes," Russo said. "I think athletes wanted to be wrestlers, and wrestlers wanted to be athletes. There was always, always, always a mutual respect. I know everybody respected that guy. I know that guy respected the business and loved the business, and he certainly played the part." [2:33 – 3:00]

Watch the video above to hear EC3 reflect on his childhood memories of watching Steve McMichael in WCW.

Vince Russo on Steve McMichael's importance to WCW

One of the biggest moments of Steve McMichael's career came in 1996 when he joined the Four Horsemen stable in WCW. During that time, he became close friends with 16-time World Champion Ric Flair.

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Vince Russo believes McMichael played a significant role in WCW's television ratings success over WWE in the Monday Night Wars era in the 1990s:

"And, bro, Monday Night Wars, the dude was a big part of it on commentary. They're not going to just let him walk in and be a Horseman. He's gotta earn his stripes, otherwise that is not happening. That tells you what kind of respect they had for this guy." [3:00 – 3:21]

Another notable moment in McMichael's career occurred in 1997 when he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett. He held the title for 24 days before losing to Curt Hennig.

Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart