A stand-out character in an entertainment industry where persona is everything, George "The Animal" Steele shares how he balanced his real life as Jim Myers, a highly respected high school teacher and coach, with the green tongued, hairy backed, turnbuckle eating wrestling icon he was in the ring. The memoir delves into the golden era of wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s and his entry into the World Wrestling Federation where he earned a spot in professional wrestling history despite only speaking in animal-like grunts. In reality, the educated man that overcame his struggles with dyslexia and Crohn's Disease was a father and an inspiration to many of his students and players, and the dichotomous personalities that marked this much-loved man's life are explored in his own words. The book is filled with nostalgic and humorous anecdotes about the whirlwind life of wrestling alongside such notables as Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino, both in and out of the ring.
Reviews with the most likes.
As an avid, life-long fan of professional wrestling, it was enjoyable to read about the life of Jim “George ‘The Animal” Steele” Myers. I grew up watching The Animal perform as one of the most hated “heels” in the wrestling business, and my early adult life seeing him transform into a “babyface” character in the WWF.
If you have any interest in professional wrestling, you'll want to read his story.