For as far back as I can remember, I’d always wanted to meet the Animal. If ever there was proof that wrestling was fake … choreographed … just one big scam, it was the existence of George “The Animal” Steele. My Dad and I used to crack up at his antics on Georgia Championship Wrestling in the mid 1980’s and the followed some of his incredible storylines when he moved to the WWF in the late 80’s. Through his career, he only managed to sputter a few noises, grunts, and later, single words to the likes of a very distraught Mean Gene Okerlund.
Those who believe wrestling was real would probably have a hard time explaining how this hairy bald missing link who ate the turnbuckles off the wrestling ring and let his very green tongue casually fall from his mouth later turned up in a speaking role in the Tim Burton classic film Ed Wood. They’d have an even harder time explaining his career as a high school teacher who held a Master’s Degree.
But we’ll just go on the assumption that we all know that wrestling is fake. In that case, George Steele (who got the idea to name himself ‘Steele’ while working in Pittsburgh, the Steel City) is one of the very funniest wrestling performers to enter the ‘squared circle’. And that’s why I’ve always wanted to meet him.
He had appeared at at least one Hollywood Show, and Bob had gotten me an autographed photo that I gave to my Dad as a gift. And he was temporarily put on an early schedule of a show that I was going to attend, but was swiftly removed. But my chance finally came on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the Steel City Con. At the time, I didn’t connect the dots between his name and the fact that we were in Pittsburgh.
By today’s standards, his autograph prices were dirt cheap: just $15 for a signed photo. But it was an additional $15 for a photo – but I had absolutely no qualms with that. When I got up to him, I saw the evidence in person from what I knew for years: George “The Animal” Steele was an eloquent intelligent guy. I mentioned that I had watched him on Georgia Championship Wrestling back in the 80’s and he acknowledged that that had been a long time ago. He was nic enough to throw in an extra photo with my Dad, as well as a second one for me. The first one – per his suggestion – was of me strangling him. That was fabulous and all, but I also wanted a ‘nice’ one…which ended up looking like he was talking into a fake telephone while I was rubbing his belly for luck. Considering it was George “The Animal” Steele, I wouldn’t have settled for anything less dumb looking.
Celebrity encounters from the 2014 Steel City Con will conclude in the next posting…
Great personality! I remember him eating the turnbuckles and the foam rubber would end up everywhere – especially becoming lodged in the hairs on his back!
Dave Chasteen
May 24th, 2014