Steve McMichael with the Chicago Bears.
With the announcement of Steve “Mongo” McMichael getting the call to be enshrined in Canton into the NFL Hall of Fame. McMichael is fondly remembered for his time playing with the Chicago Bears and winning a Super Bowl in 1985. On and off the field, McMichael was an energetic and captivating person, with a knack for entertainment. Once McMichael hung up his cleats for good in 1994, didn’t stop him from being in the spotlight – Stepping into the world of professional wrestling in 1995.
Steve “Mongo” McMichael alongside his wife Debra McMichael.
On April 2, 1995, at WrestleMania 11 in Hartford, Connecticut – former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor had a match against wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow, with several football players on Taylor’s corner outside the ring (McMichael among them), to keep wrestlers from interfering during the match from Bigelow’s side. The fight spilled over into the stands and the broadcasting tables…Taylor ended up winning the match. McMichael got a taste of what the wrestling world was like and make a career out of it.
Left to Right: Steve “Mongo” McMichael, Eric Bischoff, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.
In 1995, McMichael was hired by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). McMichael made his debut as a color commentator on the premiere of the weekly live series WCW Monday Nitro, alongside with lead broadcaster Eric Bischoff and fellow commentator Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. McMichael would root and praise the popular wrestlers during matches, while he would bicker back and forth with Heenan on a daily night, McMichael also brought along his dog Pepe to the broadcast booth. McMichael credited Bobby Heenan to helping him with commentating – According to Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast, “You’ve got to be smart enough to have your own script in your head, you can’t be fed it. That’s what gets a wrestler over on the mic. It’s gotta be off the top of your head man, you can’t go in there with a script,” McMichael said.
Steve McMichael with the Four-Horseman during a night on Monday Nitro.
In April 1996, Ric Flair started flirting with McMichael’s wife Debra, who would sit ringside during Monday Nitro broadcasts. McMichael challenged Flair and Arn Anderson to a match with his partner, former NFL player Kevin Greene. He trained with Randy “Macho Man” Savage for the match (Actually he was trained by Terry Taylor at the WCW Power Plant training center), meanwhile Flair and Anderson got Heenan to be their coach for the match. The match took place at The Great American Bash. During the match, Debra and Greene’s wife were chased towards the backstage by Nancy Benoit and Miss Elizabeth – Debra came back with Nancy and Elizabeth, along with a briefcase full of money and a Four Horsemen T-shirt. McMichael grabbed the briefcase and hit Kevin Greene in the head with it.
McMichael won his first wrestling championship belt on July 1997, when he defeated Jeff Jarrett for the WCW United States Title. McMichael made his final wrestling appearance on an episode of Nitro on February 8, 1999.
Steve McMichael with the WCW U.S. title belt.
In and out of the ring, Steve “Mongo” McMichael was known for his self-reliance and commitment, garnered him plenty of respect from the wrestlers in the locker room, regardless of his wrestling talent. When McMichael was diagnosed with ALS, many former wrestlers joined in the “Money For Mongo” fundraiser. With the 40th anniversary of WrestleMania approaching, we fondly reflect on the wrestling career of Steve “Mongo” McMichael, a short-lived wrestling career – but a memorable one, which has garnered him a cult-like following in the wrestling community.
