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Thread: RIP George "The Animal" Steele & Ivan "The Russian Bear" Koloff

  1. #1
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    RIP George "The Animal" Steele & Ivan "The Russian Bear" Koloff

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    2 colorful wrestlers from the glory days have left us on consecutive days.
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  2. #2
    He was also a local football coach. Nicest guy you could ever meet...except when he was chewing on turnbuckles.
    "And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Screw "professional" wrestling. IMHO.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    He was also a local football coach. Nicest guy you could ever meet...except when he was chewing on turnbuckles.
    I remember the rumor that he once bit a man's nose off. Back then, there was a certain charm with pro wrestling. Jimmie Superfly Snooka (sp?) just kicked. But, he was lucky he did, since it was just after being charged with murder.
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    He was also a local football coach. Nicest guy you could ever meet...except when he was chewing on turnbuckles.
    I got to meet George The Animal once. We were tailgating at a Detroit Lions game in the old Pontiac Silverdome parking lot. We noticed a whole group of people kind of hanging around a few rows over from where we were parked. After a while we decided to walk over and see what the commotion was. Turns out it was George The Animal and a few of his buddies just tailgating with everyone else. Of course he was drawing a crowd around him, but he was just shooting the shit with anyone who walked up, signing autographs and taking pictures with people all while hanging out and drinking beers with his friends. When you saw him up close you could really tell how scarred up his forehead was, and his ears were all mangled and bent. He seemed very cool and friendly though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Screw "professional" wrestling. IMHO.
    Why bother posting in this thread, Jed? You look like a troll.

    Some of us, like me, grew up enjoying pro wrestling. While I just missed Koloff's heyday, I did see The Animal many times during WWF cards at Madison Square Garden. I rooted for him whether he was a heel (bad guy) or a babyface (good guy).

    RIP to two gentlemen who shaped childhoods just as much as TV characters, movie stars, and, yes, even prog musicians.
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and... clever" -- David St. Hubbins & Derek Smalls, Spinal Tap

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    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    Rrrrrip.

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    Pre wrestling is definitely an acquired taste, but there was a time back in the 80’s and 90’s that I was pretty into it. We would go to the matches, drink a bunch of beer, cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guys. Just fun mindless entertainment for a cool night out.

    I have known a few guys connected to the wrestling biz over the years and they are actually mostly very athletic people whose craft takes an enormous amount of practice and skill to pull off. In some ways it is like an athletic ballet. It is also a very rough life, even in the upper levels which is why you see so many of them dying young. The vast majority of “pro” wrestlers have amateur wrestling backgrounds in high school / college and actually can do it for real. Yes, it is scripted and “fake”, but it is also an art form.

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    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I rembember guys named Ray Stevens and Bearcat Write.

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    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Steele also played Tor Johnson in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" and gave a funny performance.
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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by paythesnuka View Post
    Why bother posting in this thread, Jed? You look like a troll.

    Some of us, like me, grew up enjoying pro wrestling. While I just missed Koloff's heyday, I did see The Animal many times during WWF cards at Madison Square Garden. I rooted for him whether he was a heel (bad guy) or a babyface (good guy).

    RIP to two gentlemen who shaped childhoods just as much as TV characters, movie stars, and, yes, even prog musicians.
    Sorry, professional wrestling has always confounded me, but you're right.

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    For some reason I thought George Steele died years ago. I must be thinking of another wrestler. RIP to two legends.

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    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    RIP.....

    I've watched plenty of wrestling over the years. Watched Friday Night Wrestling growing up. I was disappointed when I found out it was fake. It's like when you find out Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny ain't real.........

    You gotta have a sense of humor to watch wrestling.

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    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    I knew about George, but this is the first I've heard about Ivan Koloff. Both were two of my favorite wrestlers.

    I remember years ago George would only wrestle in the summer and wondered why. Someone told me that he was a school teacher and coach and could only wrestle during summer vacation. Imagine having the Animal as your teacher.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lopez View Post
    I knew about George, but this is the first I've heard about Ivan Koloff. Both were two of my favorite wrestlers.

    I remember years ago George would only wrestle in the summer and wondered why. Someone told me that he was a school teacher and coach and could only wrestle during summer vacation. Imagine having the Animal as your teacher.
    There is a very good documentary on Netflix about The Iron Sheik which also features quite a bit about Ivan Koloff since their careers intertwined quite a bit. Well worth a watch for both wrestling and non-wrestling fans.

  16. #16
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Yeah,I had to come to grips with realizing wrestling was fake, but I still found it entertaining. I can't imagine anyone believing it to be real nowadays with the PG-rated stuff thats on now. I grew up near Memphis where wrasslin was king. My highschool hosted at least two events a year. When I was a kid, I had an autographed photo of Dwayne Johnson's (The Rock) dad, Rocky Johnson, as he was feuding with Jerry Lawler at the time they both appeared in town.

    Didn't see George the Animal Steele until he was on TBS (Georgia Championship Wrestling) where he talked and didn't act as crazed as he did in the WWF. It was a great character though. Ivan Koloff was a mainstay on GCW as well and did appear in Memphis occasionally. RIP
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  17. #17
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    There are some cool interviews with George on YT that are worth checking out.
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  18. #18
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    There is a very good documentary on Netflix about The Iron Sheik which also features quite a bit about Ivan Koloff since their careers intertwined quite a bit. Well worth a watch for both wrestling and non-wrestling fans.
    I have see that one, Steve. Thanks for the reminder. It was very good. The part about his daughter being murdered was a heart breaker.
    Lou

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    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    Yeah,I had to come to grips with realizing wrestling was fake, but I still found it entertaining. I can't imagine anyone believing it to be real nowadays with the PG-rated stuff thats on now. I grew up near Memphis where wrasslin was king. My highschool hosted at least two events a year. When I was a kid, I had an autographed photo of Dwayne Johnson's (The Rock) dad, Rocky Johnson, as he was feuding with Jerry Lawler at the time they both appeared in town.

    Didn't see George the Animal Steele until he was on TBS (Georgia Championship Wrestling) where he talked and didn't act as crazed as he did in the WWF. It was a great character though. Ivan Koloff was a mainstay on GCW as well and did appear in Memphis occasionally. RIP
    Growing up in Michigan, George was pretty well known here long before his WWF days. If I remember right he used to wrestle with Big Time Wrestling out of Detroit.

  20. #20
    Member Staun's Avatar
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    I remember when the Animal fell in love with Miss Elizabeth. I think she's gone to isn't she?
    The older I get, the better I was.

  21. #21
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Sorry I broke the kayfabe! (I just learned that term.)

  22. #22
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Yeah, if ever there was ever any doubt that wrestling was fake, that train left the station in the '80s officially with the WWF taking it to NBC. I was wise to it earlier than that, since I grew up in Tennessee but had family in Michigan. I'd see wrestlers pretending one thing in the Mid-south and doing some other bit up north. Memphis wrestling was always edgier, gimmickier, more prone to foreigner bating. Fun stuff.

  23. #23
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    Yeah, if ever there was ever any doubt that wrestling was fake, that train left the station in the '80s officially with the WWF taking it to NBC. I was wise to it earlier than that, since I grew up in Tennessee but had family in Michigan. I'd see wrestlers pretending one thing in the Mid-south and doing some other bit up north. Memphis wrestling was always edgier, gimmickier, more prone to foreigner bating. Fun stuff.
    Couldn't everyone always see them stamping on the floor when they hit each other, etc. I think the only real wrestling move I saw was the one used on Richard Belzer.

  24. #24
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Pre wrestling is definitely an acquired taste, but there was a time back in the 80’s and 90’s that I was pretty into it. We would go to the matches, drink a bunch of beer, cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guys. Just fun mindless entertainment for a cool night out.

    I have known a few guys connected to the wrestling biz over the years and they are actually mostly very athletic people whose craft takes an enormous amount of practice and skill to pull off. In some ways it is like an athletic ballet.
    I agree with Jed on this one -- beer-drinkin' mindless entertainment is what got us a reality show rodeo clown, Linda McMahon and alternative facts. It is not harmless.

  25. #25
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I agree with Jed on this one -- beer-drinkin' mindless entertainment is what got us a reality show rodeo clown, Linda McMahon and alternative facts. It is not harmless.
    How is it harmful? It's kind of a soap opera for men. Mind you I'd never pay money to go see it. And the last time I watched more than a few minutes of it on TV, it seemed the fans who did show up are only there to heckle what was going on in the ring.

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