10 Forgotten Final Matches Of WWE Legends
4. George Steele
AAW Event on July 29th 2001 against Angel Armoni
George "The Animal" Steele spent 40 years in the wrestling industry, joining the WWWF after a chance encounter with Bruno Sammartino. He'd face his mentor more than 50 times across the 60s and 70s, most famously taking him to a 60 minute time limit draw at Madison Square Garden.
As the Golden Era arrived in the 80s, Steele feuded with the likes of Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, becoming a household name in the industry. That all came crashing down in 1988 when he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and forced to retire. You guessed it: that isn't where the story ends for The Animal...
He'd lace up his boots again in the 90s; he'd start with the indies, then go back to WWE and onwards to WCW. Steele's last televised match was a squash win over Jeff Jarrett on the January 10th 2001 edition of Nitro. He still had some indie bookings left in him though, and bounced between brands in Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin, finally contesting his last match at an AAW show against Angel Armoni.
Despite his career being just before WWE went global, The Animal is still fondly remembered as one of the best of his era. He was introduced to a new generation of fans by being included as a legend on SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995.