Professional wrestler George The Animal Steele dead at 79
Gossip & Rumours
By
Mirror
| Feb 18, 2017
WWE hall of fame wrestler George 'The Animal' Steele has died, aged 79.
Steele was one of the wildest wrestlers of his day, with his trademark green tongue and hairy torso and made his first appearance in the sport in 1967.
Prior to his wrestling bow Steele was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in the Detroit area. He began to moonlight in sports-entertainment, working as a promoter before entering the ring, where he began a bitter rivalry with WWE champions Bruno Sammartino.
He embraced the villain role for almost 20 years, managed by fellow legends The Grand Wizard, 'Classy' Fredie Blassie, Captain Lou Albano and Mr Fuji.
He came close to winning the WWE title on several occasions.
In 1985 he transformed into one of the most loveable figures under the tutelage of Albano after being abandoned in the ring by the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.
The news was confirmed by the WWE on Friday afternoon, as they extended their condolences to his family, friends and fans.