An influential member of the Chicago Bears, Steve McMichael is getting his just due. "Mongo," who was recently hospitalized and being treated for a urinary tract infection, will enter Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. It is a long time coming for the former defensive tackle who helped bring a Super Bowl title to Chicago in 1985.
Now 66 years old, McMichael was part of the Seniors category after multiple petitions for him to be elected. Support grew following his ALS diagnosis in 2021. His selection was made official on Feb. 8 at the NFL Honors ceremony, the perfect cap on a career that saw him become a two-time first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection.
Best known for his time with the Bears, McMichael finished his career with 847 tackles and 95 sacks.
McMichael was not just a football star, though. “Mongo” has fans in pro wrestling, as he was a prominent figure in the sport in the 1990s. From wrestling to commentating, McMichael crossed paths with some of the best in the business. Whether agitating people in the booth or celebrating in style with Ric Flair, McMichael is part of a historic era of wrestling.
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The Sporting News looks into his pro wrestling career and his place in history.
Steve 'Mongo' McMichael's wrestling career, revisited
Following a football career that began in 1980 and ended in 1994, McMichael entered the world of pro wrestling in 1995.
WCW pro wrestling debut
"Mongo" appeared in the then-WWF as an enforcer-like figure for Lawrence Taylor's WrestleMania XI match against Ban Bam Bigelow. Providing commentary for Vince McMahon's company, McMichael would later join WCW in 1995, becoming a heel commentator during the early days of Nitro.
Receiving mixed reviews, McMichael was a colorful personality on the mic, as he knew he had to leave an impression. He credited Bobby Heenan for helping him adjust.
"It was just something I wanted to keep in my life," Mongo told Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast. "Football was gone in my life. Entertaining people and the roar of the crowd? Man, there's nothing like that. Go out and entertain the crowd and give them what they want? Man, you're over.
“You've gotta 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.”
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The Four Horsemen
After Ric Flair hit on McMichael's then-wife Debra in WCW, he fought Flair and Arn Anderson at The Great American Bash in 1996. He was trained by Terry Taylor. However, it was all a ruse, and McMichael turned on tag partner and fellow NFL alum Kevin Greene. The only motivation he needed to join the Four Horsemen was a briefcase with money and a shirt. Joining the legendary group, “Mongo” competed against the Dungeon of Doom, Jeff Jarrett, and football players Reggie White and Greene.
In 1997, McMichael won his first piece of gold in pro wrestling when he beat Jarrett for the WCW United States Title. McMichael continued to compete against various wrestlers while the Horsemen were no longer an active group n the late '90s, and was one of Goldberg's first wins that started his legendary streak.
Pro wrestling legacy
McMichael broke his hand in 1998, returned, and rejoined the Horsemen, which would be the final iteration of the group following WCW's demise.
Following a long hiatus (1999), McMichael returned to the ring in 2008, refereeing a TNA Wrestling Monster's Ball match.
Over the years, wrestling fans and figures have reflected on McMichael's career in the ring, with the account "What Will Mongo Do Next" (now deleted) posting clips of him either doing well or looking lost. Though he was a novice, McMichael did give it his all.
“As much as I love this account, I hope people respect Mongo for the effort he put forth. He was thrown in the deep end and went full bore. Many others would have big leagued and been lazy,” Lance Storm said on social media in defense of McMichael.
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Known for his confidence in and out of the ring, McMichael, regardless of skill level, had respect from the boys in the back. Various WCW alumni participated in the “Money For Mongo” fundraiser when he was diagnosed with ALS. It went along with the support he received over the years from fans of football and wrestling.
“From a fan's standpoint, he wasn't a mat classic type of wrestler, who was going to wow you with a bunch of different moves,” Conrad Thompson told Patch. “But that being said, he was always entertaining, whether in his matches or on commentary.
“He was really made to be a pro wrestler or sports entertainer, it just so happened he had a Hall of Fame-worthy professional football career that got in the way of some prime wrestling years. Now, if you are talking about his legacy with the people he worked with every week and in the locker room? He's hands down an absolute legend.”