Tag: Mongo

Daily Update: Mongo tributes, Nick Wayne, Joe Hendry

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • Running down AEW Dynasty, controversy over the finish, where the angles look to be going, Young Bucks return, what the PPV number says and what to learn from it, long-term, Chris Jericho update, Why the show was long, Swerve vs. Booker and match-by-match rundowns.
  • Update on the Mania card, what matches are on what night, what is up in the air on the card, length, odds, Kevin Owens injury, Paul Heyman angle, Flair vs Stratton and Stand & Deliver, ticket demand and more.
  • New Japan Sakura Geneis report, angles at the show, Best of the Super Juniors and Windy City Riot.
  • Update on the legal strategy of WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon regarding the ringboys lawsuit.
  • El Hijo del Santo’s possible last match in Mexico City
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows, including comparisons with a year ago quarters, demos, placings and competition.
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • Arena Mexico hosting tournament of champions
  • Mina Shirakawa leves Stardom
  • Dragon Gate in Las Vegas
  • Lots of Las Vegas lineups for this coming week
  • Champion Carnival in All Japan begins
  • Junior Sakura Geneis thoughts
  • Anniversary of a legendary match
  • Advance ticket sales to the major WWE & AEW & Las Vegas wrestling events
  • Injury updates
  • Ospreay on Owen Hart
  • Aaron Pico signs with UFC
  • Major 2010 feud rematch falls apart
  • Lex Luger Hall of Fame notes
  • Legacy Hall of Fame notes

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • WWE extended its condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Steve “Mongo” McMichael following his death at 67 years old after a courageous battle against ALS:
    • WWE is saddened to learn that Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael has passed away.
    • McMichael initially started as a star NFL player, most known for his time playing for the Chicago Bears, where he won a Super Bowl ring and made two Pro Bowl teams.
    • After his NFL career, he transitioned into sports-entertainment, briefly appearing for WWE in the lead-up to Lawrence Taylor’s match against Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI.
    • McMichael then found success in WCW in 1995, initially appearing as a color commentator on Nitro. 
    • ‘Mongo,’ his nickname from his NFL days, then joined up with Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen, competing in a WarGames Match and having a long-running rivalry with Jeff Jarrett. His issues with Jarrett led to McMichael winning the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship at Clash of the Champions XXXV.
    • On Feb. 8, McMichael was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, and he will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 3.
    • WWE extends its condolences to McMichael’s family, friends, and fans.
  • Paul “Triple H” Levesque added: “From the gridiron to the squared circle, Steve brought every bit of intensity to everything in his life.  True legend in every regard. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
  • WWE uploaded a behind-the-scenes video from WrestleMania.

Other Wrestling

  • Jeff Jarrett was a guest on Busted Open Radio today remembering Steve McMichael.
  • Sting wrote: “Grateful for my last few conversations with Mongo about this life… and the life to come.”
  • The Chicago Bears, AEW, TNA Wrestling, Diamond Dallas Page, Marc Mero, Michael Hayes, and Frankie Kazarian are among the others paying tribute to the late Four Horsemen member. 
  • Bears chairman George McCaskey issued the following statement:
    • It’s a cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease. Yet Steve showed us throughout his struggle that his real strength was internal, and he demonstrated on a daily basis his class, his dignity and his humanity. He is at peace now. We offer our condolences to Misty, Macy, the rest of Steve’s family, his teammates, and countless friends and fans of a great Bear.
  • AEW uploaded a post-Dynamite promo from Mark Briscoe.
  • In an interview with NJPW’s English-language website, Nick Wayne explained what he wants to gain from competing in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament:
    • Honestly, just being in Best of Super Juniors is a dream come true. Ask anyone close to me — this has been my goal for years. But beyond that, I want to grow. I want to go to Japan and come back a better man, better wrestler. I want to soak in everything — the training, the matches, the fans, the culture. I’m treating every match like it’s the main event. I want people to see that I belong here, and that I have the potential to be not just one of the best juniors — but one of the best, period. A lot of my favorites — the legends — came through Japan, and I want to follow that same path.
  • Wayne named Hiromu Takahashi as someone he’s hoping to face in BOSJ:
    • Hiromu, for sure. That’s number one. He’s won this tournament so many times, and I’ve studied all of his matches. If I can get in there with him, put on something special — or even beat him — that would mean everything. Ninja Mack is another. We’ve wrestled in the U.S. a few times, and I know what he brings. He’s made a name for himself over here too, but he’s someone I’d love to share the ring with again in this setting. But Hiromu and [El Desperado]? That’s the dream.
  • Tony Khan told the Way of the Blade podcast that he talks to Bryan Danielson nearly every day:
    • I still work with Bryan Danielson. He’s still a big part of my office. He’s not on the show, and he’s been injured and maybe retired for good, but he’s never said he’s done for good, and I hope that there’s some possibility he will be able to return to wrestling from the injuries and the way he left, but he’s still a part of AEW, so I’m still very fortunate to work with Bryan. I talk to Bryan almost every day. He’s got a great mind for wrestling, and he’s somebody that I’m really pleased and blessed came into AEW and got involved with us. He’s a great person in and out of the ring, and he’s a great leader in AEW.
  • Kevin Knight was the guest on AEW Unrestricted this week.
  • The Battleground Podcast interviewed Adam Cole.
  • TNA World Champion Joe Hendry thanked TNA and WWE for allowing him to compete at WrestleMania:
    • I want to say a huge thank you to both TNA Wrestling and WWE for collaborating on this appearance and allowing such a cool moment for you, the fans. The fans put me in this position. You kept saying my name, you kept it going, and the support that you’ve given me has been more than I could ever ask for. So thank you so much for all of the support, and I’m excited just like you to see what’s next.
  • Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown published a feature story on Mike Santana.
  • MLW has booked Atlantis & Esfinge vs. Hechicero & Guerrero Maya Jr. for its Azteca Lucha show in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, May 10.

Arn Anderson posts tribute to Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Arn Anderson is paying tribute to his Four Horsemen stablemate Steve “Mongo” McMichael following his passing at 67 years old.

Four years after disclosing his battle with ALS, McMichael passed away on April 23. He had been unresponsive over the last couple of weeks and in and out of the hospital. McMichael died shortly after it was recommended that he be moved from the ICU to hospice care.

Anderson called McMichael “one hell of a man” and said he’s honored to have known him.

“Today, the world is less one hell of a man,” Anderson wrote in a statement posted by his Arn Show podcast. “A beast on the football field and, as everyone in Chicago knows, a real man’s man! He walked into the world of professional wrestling with little or no formal training. Being a god in his world didn’t mean he would necessarily be a success in our world. When we made him a Horseman, we found out right away you would never want to meet him in a dark alley if he had ill intentions. But no better guy to go to war with as we found out on many occasions.

“To his family, thank you for sharing him with us for even a short period of time. To Mongo, nothing but love and respect. I am honored to have known you. Side note to God: You’re gonna have your hands full with this one!”

During his courageous fight against ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) — currently a fatal neurological disease with no cure — McMichael achieved his dream of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. A defensive tackle, he was a star for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, considered the greatest defense in NFL history and one of the best football teams of all time.

The charismatic McMichael crossed over to pro wrestling in the 1990s with a run in WCW as a wrestler and commentator. He held the United States Championship one time.

Ric Flair also shared a remembrance of McMichael on Wednesday after his passing:

Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael entering hospice care

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NFL legend and former WCW United States Champion Steve “Mongo” McMichael is entering hospice care in the next step in his battle against ALS.

WGN in Chicago confirmed on Wednesday that McMichael, 67, is being removed from a ventilator in the ICU and moving to a hospice care facility. WGN sports anchor Jarrett Payton — the son of Mongo’s late Chicago Bears teammate Walter Payton — asked everyone to keep McMichael in their prayers.

“Four years ago today, I stood beside Steve McMichael as he bravely shared his #ALS diagnosis,” Payton tweeted. “Today, as he enters hospice care, I ask that you please keep Steve and his family in your prayers. Thank you. #Bears”

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) currently has no cure. As he courageously battles the fatal disease, McMichael — a star defensive lineman who helped the 1985 Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl — achieved his long-awaited dream of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. With former teammates and his wife Misty surrounding him, McMichael received his gold jacket at home and saw his Hall of Fame statue.

The 1985 Bears are considered one of the greatest teams and greatest defenses in the history of football.

To wrestling fans, McMichael is known for his run as a wrestler and commentator for WCW in the 1990s. He was a member of the Four Horsemen alongside his friend Ric Flair.

Hospice care “aims to manage [a] patient’s symptoms while supporting their quality of life” when continuing treatment is no longer considered the correct option. Patients are eligible for hospice care when they’re expected to live six months or less.

“As of today, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has recommended to the family to transfer Steve into a Joliet hospice facility this afternoon,” Misty McMichael told Fox 32 Chicago. “He’s been unresponsive for last two weeks and in and out of the hospital. He’s currently in the ICU at Silver Cross.”

Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer on Steve McMichael’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction & WCW career

Posted on by F4W Staff

Dave Meltzer has a new premium article up on the site for subscribers looking at the life and career of Steve “Mongo” McMichael including what brought him to WCW and his appearance at WWE WrestleMania as part of the Lawrence Taylor/Bam Bam Bigelow angle.

Subscribers can click here to read the report