What’s the story?
WWF/E legend and Hall Of Famer George “The Animal” Steele is under hospice care, according to long-time wrestling agent Eric Simms. His condition is said to be terminal.
In case you didn’t know...
George “The Animal” Steele is credited to being one of the first ever “monster heels”, which led to the likes of the rise of King Kong Bundy, Kane, Big Show and Brock Lesnar. George “The Animal” Steele was also inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 1995, being in the third batch of Hall Of Famers.
Steele began working in WWE (then known as WWWF) when he started a feud with then-champion Bruno Sammartino. His heated rivalry managed to get The Animal a run in the WWWF, where he would spend the next 21 years.
He would go on to become one of the most famous names in the 80s wrestling world, the period which is well known as the “wrestling boom”. Steele played a major role in the famous Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat match at WrestleMania 3, where he helped Ricky Steamboat capture the Intercontinental Championship.
The Animal has been facing health issues for a while now, with him informing the world of it on Twitter nearly a year ago
The heart of the matter
Eric Simms posted the following on Facebook:
He continued on another post, stating that "it's not looking good":
Fellow WWE legend and Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund posted about The Animal as well:
What’s next?
From the look of things, George “The Animal” Steele does not have much time left to live. The biggest indicator of this is The Animal saying goodbye to Eric Simms and his wife telling Backlund that he may not come home.
The Animal is a religious man who will likely spend his remaining days with his close ones.
Sportskeeda’s take
It is always extremely sad to see old legends struggling with health issues in their later years of their life. While it may be time for The Animal soon, his legacy and contributions to not only the WWE but to the business of pro wrestling as a whole.
We at Sportskeeda would like to express our thoughts and best wishes to George “The Animal” Steele and his family and friends.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
