Athletes - George Steele

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	Athletes - George Steele

George Steele, better known as George "The Animal" Steele, real name James Myers (b. April 16, 1937) is an American professional wrestler from Detroit, Michigan whose career lasted from the early 1960s until 1989 when he was forced to retire due to Crohn's disease, though he would make occasional wrestling appearances into the 1990s and 2000s.

Career

Steele's wrestling gimmick was to act like a wild man in the ring, tearing up the turnbuckle with his teeth and sticking out his green tongue (an effect accomplished by chewing green-colored chewing gum before each match). The Animal had a stooped posture and a hairless head, but a thick mat of fur on his back; wrestling broadcasters often speculated that The Animal was indeed the "missing link". At best The Animal could occasionally manage to utter a word or two during interviews.

Steele was almost always a crazy heel, but eventually he was one of the more beloved wrestlers of the early "Wrestlemania" era of the mid-1980s.

His most famous feud was in 1986 against Randy "Macho Man" Savage, after Steele developed a crush on Savage's valet, Miss Elizabeth. The feud was meant to last only a couple of months (and end with Steele being disappointed), but it proved so popular with fans that it continued well into 1987. In 1988, Steele began carrying a hand puppet named "Mine" to the ring.

In 1994, Steele made his professional acting debut as Swedish wrestler-turned-actor, Tor Johnson, in Tim Burton's Ed Wood.

In 1999 during the Attitude Era, George Steele returned as part of the Oddities.

Championships/Accomplishments

1-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Detroit version) (with Frankie Laine)
1-Time GWA Heavyweight Champion
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 267 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
WWE Hall Of Famer (inducted in 1995.)

Trivia

The name "The Animal" has also been used by wrestler David Bautista
.
Has a Masters Degree from Central Michigan University.
Was a teacher and coach at Madison High School in Madison Heights, Michigan.
Has "The Gift of Dyslexia"
Started his wrestling career in 1962 wearing a mask and wrestling as "The Student".

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for George Steele ]

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