10 Things You Didn't Know About George "The Animal" Steele
6. His Promo Style Came From Frustration With Vince McMahon
Earlier in his career, and despite his gimmick as an unpredictable caveman, Steele was considered a great promo. By the time he achieved nationwide success in the 1980s, though, his interviews were largely gibberish, with maybe a couple of actual words thrown in. What happened?
Vince McMahon, that's what. In the early 1980s, Steele was being interviewed by McMahon and going on one of his signature diatribes when the boss cut him off. He told Steele that his speech was incompatible with his character, and he shouldn't speak like that if he was going to be portraying an "Animal."
Steele, who prided himself on his promos, was irate. In order to prove to McMahon how ridiculous his request was, Steele started the promo over, spouting gibberish the whole time. Surely, McMahon would see the error of his ways and reconsider.
You guessed it. Vince McMahon loved the promo so much that it became Steele's trademark style for the rest of his career.