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[[quoteright:329:[[Wrestling/GeorgeSteele https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/george_steele_3377.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:329:How's the turnbuckle taste, George?]]
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->''"Those meaty paws, I feel like I'm dating George 'The Animal' Steele!"''
-->-- '''Creator/JerrySeinfeld''', ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', "The Bizarro Jerry"

->''"Looks kind of like Film/KingKong and Creator/JessicaLange"''
-->-- '''Wrestling/VinceMcMahon''', ''WWF Saturday Night's Main Event'', January 4, 1986

William James Myers (April 16, 1937 – February 16, 2017) was an American {{professional wrestl|ing}}er and actor from Madison Heights, MI best known for his work in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from the 1960s through the 1980s as George "The Animal" Steele. He started his career in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} in the 1960s under a mask as The Student and was the first wrestler managed by Gary Hart, who would go on to be better known for his work in Texas. As he was a teacher and football coach in RealLife, he would wrestle during the summer and school vacations for extra money. He dropped the mask and became George Steele, taking the last name from how he would be working in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, which is known as the Steel City. He worked on and off for WWE for years as a {{Heel}}, until he finally retired from teaching in 1985-1986. He retired from full-time competition in 1988 due to contracting Crohn's Disease and worked as a talent scout. He returned in late 1998 as a member of Wrestling/TheOddities, just in time for the group to get jobbed out on their way out the door. He has also competed for various independent promotions. He was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/mi/nwa/mi-nwa-t.html NWA (Detroit) World Tag Team Champion]] with Frankie Laine. He was inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 1995. [[YouMightRememberMeFrom You may have also seen him as wrestler-turned-actor Tor Johnson]] in ''Film/EdWood.''
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!! "'''YOU!''' READ MY TROPES!":
* AbhorrentAdmirer: For Elizabeth.
* ArchEnemy: (in Detroit): [[Wrestling/EdFarhat The Sheik]]; (as a heel in WWE): Wrestling/BrunoSammartino; (as a face): Wrestling/RandySavage
* [[{{Biography}} Autobiography]]: ''Animal''
%%* BaldOfEvil: Depending on his Heel/Face alignment at the time.
* BashBrothers: Gorilla Monsoon (until Monsoon's face turn), Wrestling/MrFuji, Wrestling/JunkyardDog, Wrestling/RickySteamboat
* TheCameo: The January 10, 2000 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'' saw Commissioner Wrestling/TerryFunk and the Old Age Outlaws (Wrestling/ArnAnderson, Larry Zbyszko and Wrestling/PaulOrndorff) announce that they were going to be bringing some friends in to deal with [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO member]] and [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/JeffJarrett. Steele was revealed as the first opponent, in a [[GarbageWrestler "Bunkhouse Match"]]. Steele hit Jarrett with weapons, but got sidetracked, of course, by eating a turnbuckle. Jarrett nailed Steele with his guitar, but Arn hit him with a spinebuster. Special referee Wrestling/ChrisBenoit dragged Steele over on top of Jarrett and counted the pin.
* CarpetOfVirility: Was incredibly hairy on his back and chest, which naturally made him even more beast-like.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Oh yeah. Once at the start of a match with Wrestling/{{Kamala}}, commentator Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon said, "I don't know what goes on in the head of George 'The Animal' Steele, but, then again, neither does George."
* CompanionCube: A doll he carried around that he called "Mine."
* ConfusionFu: He was "The Animal," after all.
** LampshadeHanging: When commentator Wrestling/JesseVentura would complain about Steele always kicking/punching/stomping/biting his opponents, with the ref doing nothing to stop it, Vince would say, "Well, you have to make some allowances for George 'The Animal' Steele."
* CoolMask: As The Student.
* CoolOldGuy: Many out-of-character interviews appear online, thanks to Steele's rich knowledge of the sport and the dozens of superstars he's worked with through the years.
* CoolShades: As a member of the Oddities
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Although he behaved and wrestled mostly like a caveman, he could be surprisingly smart and efficient at times. His finishing move, for instance, was a modified version of the hammerlock, whose usage is very associated to technical wrestlers.
* DistractedByTheSexy: His whole feud with Savage started because Steele was fixated on Wrestling/MissElizabeth, who, in decided contrast to the Divas who would follow, wasn't actually ''doing'' anything to provoke this reaction. She was just ''there.''
* FinishingMove: The flying hammerlock, also called Animal Clutch, a move in which he locked a hammerlock and then lifted the unlucky opponent by his twisted arm. He also used a running powerslam later on his career.
* GeniusBruiser: He was a teacher in real life.
* HesBack: The November 15, 2010 ''Raw'' was billed as "Old School Raw" and featured appearances by various legends[=/=]Hall of Famers and references to WWE's past. During the Wrestling/KofiKingston vs. Wrestling/DavidOtunga match, with Kofi down on the mat, Steele made a surprise appearance. He entered the ring and shouted "EAT! EAT!" until the referee got in his way. So, Steele simply walked down to another corner and ate ''that'' turnbuckle. The referee told him, "That's enough, George," as Steele left to the cheers of the crowd. Otunga looked utterly confused, and Kofi got up, rammed Otunga's head into the exposed turnbuckle and hit him with [[FinishingMove Trouble in Paradise]] for the pin.
* HeelFaceTurn: On the first episode of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' in 1985, where he was abandoned by tag team partners Wrestling/NikolaiVolkoff and Wrestling/TheIronSheik in the ring. He was taken under Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano wing [[note]](ironically, Albano – who had managed Steele during the late 1970s as a heel – had also recently turned face)[[/note]].
** He ''had'' worked face in Georgia with Wrestling/DustyRhodes some years prior to his turn in WWE.
* InformedDeformity: During his mid- to late-1980s run in the WWF.
* ManChild: The basis of his mid-to-late 1980s gimmick, after turning face. Several vignettes reinforced this: Trips to the zoo and ice cream factory, and later a hand puppet named "Mine."
* MadnessInducedOmnivore: He would play up his [[WildMan "The Animal"]] moniker by tearing open one of the turnbuckles during his matches and eating the stuffing.
* ManiacTongue: Colored green, from eating Clorets Mints. WWE's announcers would often acknowledge "that nasty green tongue lapping about."
* MidseasonReplacement: Was introduced as a new member of the Oddities to replace Music/InsaneClownPosse, who had betrayed the stable some time before.
* NamedByDemocracy: It was the fans who first named him [[RedBaron "The Animal."]] He had actually had his first match against Sammartino at Madison Square Garden as George "The Bruiser" Steele.
* NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught: Would often sneak foreign objects into the ring and could use them in such a way that referees would seemingly not notice. Steele even defeated Headbanger Mosh this way on the January 3, 1999 episode of ''[[{{BShow}} WWF Sunday Night Heat]]''.
* OhCrap: What Steele appeared to be thinking when Bruno started making his comeback during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7clUL_vZE their match]] on May 16 (aired May 19), 1977. Justified, since Bruno unleashed a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that left Steele bloody and unable to continue.
* PackedHero: The Oddities introduced him in a giant HollywoodGiftWrap before one their matches against The Headbangers. While Mosh and Thrasher were GenreSavvy enough not to open it, it burst when they were near and George came out to beat them.
* PopularityPower: Has claimed since that his feud with Savage wasn't intended to last as long as it did, but it got so over that they ran with it.
* PowerStable: The Oddities, with [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Golga]], Wrestling/{{Kurrgan}}, Wrestling/GiantSilva and Wrestling/LunaVachon, until she turned heel.
* PrimalStance: Had a stooped posture.
* RingOldies: Was 61 when he had his last match in WWE in 1999.
* StoutStrength: While not obese, he certainly wasn't built like a bodybuilder, and he had to be very strong to perform the flying Hammerlock, since he was lifting 200+ lbs. men in the air by one arm.
* TagTeam: [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown The Machines]] as Animal Machine, with [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant The Giant Machine (Andre, of course)]], [[Wrestling/TheBlackjacks Big Machine (Robert "Blackjack Mulligan" Windham]]), [[Wrestling/{{Demolition}} Super Machine (Bill "Masked Superstar"[=/=]"Demolition Ax" Eadie)]], [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hulk Machine]], [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper Piper Machine]] and [[Wrestling/TheCrusher Crusher Machine (AWA legend Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski)]].
* VerbalTic: "'''YOU!'''"
* VocalDissonance: He was surprisingly well spoken outside the ring, and honestly had what could be described as a "good radio voice".
* TheVoiceless[=/=]HulkSpeak: Most of the time, especially as a face. However, he ''could'' be articulate when he wanted to, though mainly as a heel in the 1970s.
* WildMan: Bald head, hairy back, billed as "The Animal," it comes with the territory.
* TheWorfEffect: Lost several matches to Wrestling/{{Kamala}} in 1987 in order to build Kamala up for his feud with Hogan.
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"'''YOU!'''"