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Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 17, 2017 11:33:45 GMT -6
variety.com/2017/tv/news/george-the-animal-steele-dead-wwe-ed-wood-dies-1201991318/WWE Star George ‘The Animal’ Steele, Who Appeared in ‘Ed Wood,’ Dies at 79 William James Myers, better known by his name in the WWE ring, George “The Animal” Steele, has died, WWE announced Friday morning. He was 79. The wrestling company issued a statement after Hulk Hogan tweeted out, “George ‘the Animal’ Steel, RIP my brother, only love, only grateful.” No other details about his cause of death have been released. A Detroit native, Steele attended Michigan State and played for the university’s football team. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s, he coached wrestling and football in Michigan. Steele first entered the ring under the pseudonym “The Student.” But when he was scouted and began appearing on television, he changed his name to George Steele. Earning his nickname “The Animal,” Steele was known for tearing up the turnbuckle with his teeth, sticking out his green tongue and generally acting like a wild man. He was inducted into the professional wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. Outside of wrestling, Steele made his film debut in 1994 with Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” in which he played Swedish wrestler-turned-actor Tor Johnson. His other credits include several shorts, 1997’s “Blowfish” and 2003’s “Small Town Conspiracy.” “WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer George ‘The Animal’ Steele has passed away at age of 79,” the WWE twitter account wrote. /photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 17, 2017 21:46:36 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/daily-updates/daily-update-george-steeles-death-cyborg-retroactive-tue-jarrett-230321Very sorry to hear the news about the death of Jim Myers aka George Steele from kidney failure at the age of 79. Steele was an iconic character in pro wrestling, really more for his 80s role as a babyface with Elizabeth to modern fans. He was a main event heel in the WWWF, working mostly the summer months in the Northeast as he had a regular job as a high school teacher and wrestling and football coach in Madison Heights, MI. Even though he achieved considerable fame as a pro wrestler, he never gave up his teaching job until the 80s when the money he started to make made keeping his teaching job ridiculous. He was actually quite well regarded as a football coach in the 60s and 70s. During the 60s he would pretend at school that he wasn't George Steele in case anyone made the connection, as he never used the George Steele name in the area. He did wrestle in Michigan under a mask as The Student in the 60s to keep his identity a secret (which was later the premise of a pro wrestling TV show with Lyle Alzado where he was a teacher in a show called "Learning the Ropes" who wrestled under a mask at night). Eventually he lost his mask in Michigan. Steele was also instrumental in starting the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame that was located in Amsterdam, NY, now in Wichita Falls, TX. He was actually completely different from his character, a very intelligent man who was a strong promo until the decision was made by Vince McMahon that being a strong promo didn't fit his character. He became a comedy figure, best known for the green tongue and eating turnbuckles. He once remarked to me that he regretted staying so long past his prime, but noted that it seems like everyone does that. He also branched out into acting. He had health issues dating back to the late 1980s when he suffered from Crohn's disease. It has been a very tough run for the profession with so many high profile deaths in recent weeks. Best wishes to his family.
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