George “The Animal” Steele, who died this week at 79, was one of my favorite wrasslers and I can’t quite explain why.
Maybe it was Steele’s green tongue.
Maybe it was the way Steele would chew the ring’s turnbuckle pad.
Maybe it was the way the Animal would grunt and groan, although he did have a limited vocabulary– one syllable words like “mine” and “nice.”
Back in the ’80s, George was a star in the WWF, now the WWE. My favorite storyline was when The Animal had a mad crush on Miss Elizabeth, then the main squeeze for Randy “Macho Man” Savage.
During one match with Savage, The Animal jumped out of the ring, hoisted Miss Elizabeth in his arms and ran off. It was Beauty and The Beast all over again.
Another great bit came when Lou Albano, Steele’s manager, sent The Animal to a hypnotist to cure him. Before you knew it, The Animal, under hypnosis, was quoting Shakespeare and reciting poetry. Until Steele woke up, got mad, decked the hypnotist and started eating his pillow.
In real life, Steele was William James Myers. He had Masters degree from Central Michigan and taught and coached high school students.
But it was in the ring where George “The Animal” Steele left his mark on a generation of wrestling fans.
And we won’t forget him.
Villager Tony Violanti writes about entertainment, pop culture and sports for Villages-News.com
