WWE Legend George ‘The Animal’ Steele Passes Away at Age 79
WWE Hall of Famer George ‘The Animal’ Steele has passed away.
On Friday, WWE revealed that Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele has passed away at age 79. This comes after Steele noted how he had been dealing with “serious health challenges” back in May 2016. This included a battle with Crohn’s Disease. Steele’s passing comes a short time after fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka death at age 73.
Steele, real name William James Myers, had a wrestling career that lasted over two decades, from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. He won championships with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and the National Wrestling Federation (NWF).
However, Steele is best known for his WWF run in the 1980’s. He feuded with the likes of Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and became popular from the “duhh-dahh” sound he used in interviews. In the same article as the announcement, WWE talked about how Steele became one of the most beloved figures in wrestling during this time too:
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"His transformation was remarkable, as one of the most hated men in the sport became one of its most loveable figures. Long after his in-ring retirement and WWE Hall of Fame induction, George “The Animal” Steele’s name still evoked terror for one generation of WWE fans and warm smiles for another."
Steele also made one-off appearances on WCW and TNA well after his wrestling career ended in the 2000’s. His last showed up on WWE programming in 2010 for a match between Kofi Kingston and David Otunga.
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We give our condolences to Steele’s family during this difficult time.