10 Times Wrestling Legends Returned (And NOBODY Cared)

In his prime, the late George Steele was an intrinsic cog in the WWE machine. He never reached the heights of Hulk Hogan or Bruno Sammartino, but Steele embodied sports entertainment to a tee. Meticulously perfecting his 'Animal' persona, a figure whose characteristics and woolly image allowed him to stand out in a crowd of hulking, chiseled frames, George Steele was everything the Golden Era stood for.

He did not, however, exemplify what the Attitude Era stood for.

Characters had their place in the Attitude Era, but none of them got by on their character work alone; each was a solid hand between the ropes as well. George Steele, too, was a fine wrestler in his prime. By 1998, at which time he was 61-years-old, the green-tongued grappler struggled through his walk to the ring, let alone a match or, God forbid, his horridly sluggish comeback.

Returning on Sunday Night Heat, which says enough about WWE's diligence toward George Steele's return, he lethargically emerged from an oversized Christmas gift box to clock one of The Headbangers before watching as both Mosh and Thrasher briskly walked away. It was a lazy, halfhearted comeback from Steele who threw punches like he was a tipsy pensioner outside his local boozer and unfortunately, the crowd wasn't nearly as ecstatic to see him as Kevin Kelly was.