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George 'The Animal' Steele Shoot Interview
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Item Number: 00479
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Every once in a while RF VIDEO is lucky to happen upon a wrestling personality that we never thought we'd be able to "get." Some of those are because the money is just ridiculous. Others will not break kayfabe under any circumstances, fiercely clutching to one of the most time honored traditions of the sport. And a few, just a few mind you, are just legitimately out of their mind insane. Years ago we made headlines scoring an interview with the crazed Abdullah the Butcher. No one ever thought we could get the Madman of the Sudan to let his guard down, but he did, and only for RF VIDEO. Another shocking "get" was none other than the homicidal, the suicidal, the genocidal, SABU. The very performer who changed wrestling itself in the '90s broke his decades long silence in our ground breaking shoot interview series. Now, after years of trying to track one man down, we finally succeeded. A man who everyone knows, but no one has heard him talk. One of the wildest men to ever step into the ring of professional wrestling. Yes, we are talking about the one... the only... George "the Animal" Steele! Talk about one great story after another, George was so into this interview that it became an absolute blast just to be a part of the experience. Long time WWF (and going even further back, WWWF) fans are going to be euphoric with all the stories we got from Steele. George talked about what impact the original Sheik had on him, both personally and professionally, and how he constantly worked on his act to make it in wrestling. He discussed how it was Bruno Sammartino who got him into McMahon's WWWF and gives exclusive detail on the real life heat the two men had at the time. We went into all the legendary matches with Bruno at the Garden along with the sell outs in Pittsburgh. You want the scoop on all the top faces of the time including Pedro Morales, Gorilla Monsoon, Andre the Giant, and Bob Backlund? Well, today is your lucky day as George is as informative and entertaining as anyone we've ever hear talk about the subject. Coming from the old school, Steele described what it was like to work his gimmick 24/7 and what effect it had on his personal life. George talked about his constant breaks from wrestling, why they were needed, and some of the things he did on his off time. Wait until you hear how he fooled students when they asked if he was a wrestler! We also loved an incredible story on how Steele learned to play the backstage politics game after overhearing Vince Sr. and Jr. in the bathroom talking about his push. This is one story that will have you rolling! George also came from the time when great managers were littered all over the wrestling landscape, and we got stories on the best of them including Albano, the Grand Wizard, Mr. Fuji, and Freddie Blassie. Why did Capt Lou get fired every week? How did George react after Roddy Piper told him he was killing the business with his gimmick? Did Steele like working for Vince Sr or Vince Jr? What did George tell Vince after he filmed the Vachon wedding, and what did Vince do in return? You’ll have to listen to find out! George talks about all his infamous matches in the WWF with Hulk Hogan and working backstage with Mean Gene Okerland. He talked about his matches with Jimmy Snuka and Sgt. Slaughter and told everything about what happened with him when he went to Georgia to work for Ole Anderson. How did Steele ruin his match there on purpose with Piper and Ole, and why did he do it and leave? Is your appetite whetted yet? George talked about what it was like to finally turn babyface and work with Randy Savage and Elizabeth, including a great story concerning a locker room fight that took place in the shower between him and Savage. What were his thoughts on the way Savage controlled Liz and the way Savage acted in general? What ribs did he play on Savage? How did George land a part in the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie about Ed Woods ? We asked everything! For the first time ever George the Animal Steele lets you into his world, totally out of character, and at times he does some very funny bits during that will have you laughing out loud. Mixing the funny with the serious - such as talking about why he had a fall out with Vince and how he worked for WCW for one night and the heat that is caused - this is a shoot you will want to check out, especially if you are a fan of wrestling’s storied past.
Can you talk about your football background How and why did you get into wrestling Who trained you What do you remember about your first match Did the veterans kayfabe you when you first broke in Talk about the dressing rooms back then, the heel and face locker rooms Who came up with the Student gimmick Was it difficult wearing a mask Do you think a masked wrestler could get over today Memories of Gary Hart Memories of the first time you met the Sheik How far did he go in playing his gimmick You have been outspoken in the past about the difference between gimmick and persona, can you elaborate What did you learn watching the Sheik Who mentored you early on Memories of Bulldog Brower How did you wind up wrestling for Bruno Sammartino in Pittsburgh How come you didn’t continue as the Student Who came up with the name George Steele Were you the Animal yet Memories of Bill Miller Did you like the territory Memories of wrestling Bruno in Pittsburgh Was the promotion an outlaw promotion since Bruno had been blackballed At what point in your career did you gain more confidence in yourself How did the Animal gimmick come about Did you find it hard to do or did it come easy How did the turnbuckle eating start Is it true that you taught and coached during the year at this time How hard was it to do both Did you have a student during that time period recognize you at school What happened the one day with the green tongues How did you wind up in the WWWF Impressions of Vince Sr and Toots Mondt Did you like working the territory Who did you ride with Memories of wrestling Bruno for an hour Memories of matches with Jay Strongbow Memories of matches with Edouard Carpentier When you went to the WWWF the first time, did it come out to the media that you were a teacher part time Memories of wrestling Gorilla Monsoon Memories of matches with Pedro Morales Where were your favorite territories to wrestle in and why Memories of matches with the Sheik in Detroit Memories of wrestling in Georgia Thoughts on Ole Anderson Memories teaming with Dusty against Ole Anderson and Roddy Piper Memories of matches with Andre the Giant How did you wind up going back to the WWF in 1977 How were things different with Billy Graham on top Thoughts on wrestling Dusty Memories of matches with Ivan Putski Memories of teaming with Stan Stasiak How different was it when you went back with Backlund on top the next year Memories of Lou Albano getting fired at the TVs Did you like Vince Sr Memories of matches with Backlund during this time period Billy Graham says he was hard to work with because he was paranoid, do you agree In 1981 you seemed to have wrestled all year, did you take a sabbatical You had a few runs against Backlund, did he get easier to wrestle A few of your matches that aired either on the USA network or Spectrum wrestling ended really quick, was there a reason for that Memories of the Grand Wizard Memories of Freddie Blassie What was the secret behind the green tongue How different were things when you returned in 1984 Memories of being managed by Mr. Fuji Did he ever rib you Did you find it more competitive, because it seemed like a lot of guys were fighting for a top heel spot How crazy was the drug and party scene then Memories of Roddy Piper How different was Vince Jr to his dad Did anything he do or not do as compared to his dad impact you Any good Iron Sheik stories from this era Were you surprised at how big the WWF was getting at that time Memories of the infamous match against Hogan and Gene Okerlund Memories of matches with Hogan Memories of matches with Jimmy Snuka Some say he was so messed up that it was hard to work with him at times, any truth to that Memories of matches with Sgt Slaughter Were you surprised when Vince started expanding into other territories Were you surprised he took over Georgia Championship Wrestling Did you like doing some of the off the wall stuff like TNT Who’s idea was it to turn you babyface Were you for it Memories of your run with Savage A lot of guys have said that Savage was crazy and over protective of Liz, did you ever see that How was Elizabeth to work with Memories being paired with Lou Albano Was it weird to be a babyface after being a heel for so long Memories of your babyface turn on Saturday Nights Main Event Memories teaming with Hogan How did Vince change as he got more successful Memories of Wrestlemania 2 Was there any thought to you going over for the IC belt Did you think the business was too exposed when Mr. T came in Memories of the British Bulldogs Do you think Dynamite went too far with his ribs Bruno talks a lot about being miserable during his comeback in 86, do you have any memories of Bruno during this time period Memories teaming with Junkyard Dog Memories of matches with the Honkytonk Man Memories of Jake Roberts Memories teaming with the Crusher in Chicago in 87 Memories of Wrestlemania 3 Memories and thoughts on Steamboat Were you surprised when Harley Race came over to the WWF What happened at Wrestlemania 4 Who came up with the Mine puppet How did you wind up leaving the WWF Did you leave on good terms How did you get into Ed Wood Were any of the actors wrestling fans How did you wind up back as part of the Oddities Was it supposed to be a one shot deal How did you wind up taking an agent’s job Do you like it Who was the one guy or girl that frustrated you or angered you the most How did you wind up wrestling on Nitro Did you feel that you burnt a bridge with Vince How were you treated How shocked were you about what happened to Elizabeth What do you think about all of the deaths in wrestling over the last several years Why do you think guys today seem to be injured more than guys from your era You once said the biggest mistake you made was not taking Vince to a wrestling gym when you broke him in, can you expand on that Are you surprised that Vince started wrestling Who was your favorite and least favorite manager and why Who were your favorite opponents What are your thoughts on today’s wrestling Thoughts on TNA Any good road stories, ribs Have you ever refused to do a job and if so why Any regrets Fav and least favorite matches Thoughts on the current WWE and TNA products Do you think a character like George the Animal could get over today Do you see yourself with another WWE run as a manager or anything like that? Are you surprised when you see some guys who don’t know when to let go Do you still wrestle on the indys today Who was your fav and least favorite booker and why Do you ever want to write a book
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