Here’s
a very candid online interview with Jim Myers “George the Animal Steele” on
how he is managing Crohns disease and dyslexia.
A
difficult journey with many hurdles and pain, but in the end overcoming every challenge to be a survivor and
winner!
NSAEN:
Jim, you were a full-time physical education teacher and football coach at the
JIM:
Great question. Early on in my career I wore a mask and wrestled as THE
STUDENT. Back in those days wrestling was very territorial. Then I
moved to the Northeast and became George Steele. I was not seen on the local
Detroit Television. Students would bring the wrestling magazines in and
say this is you Mr. Myers. I would look at the article and laugh and ask
“do you really think I am that ugly?” Really, what were they going to
say? I quit teaching shortly after the WWE went national on cable
television. There was a short period that I was on national television
and still coaching and teaching. At that point it was very cool to be
with the WWF.
NSAEN:
When you entered the world of wrestling, did you go through a specific
training. If so, where did that take place?
JIM: I needed a part time job. I took a
friend Dave Pierce along as I was looking for a job as a bouncer in a
bar. I guess I was looking for a fight right from the beginning. Well
I found that you don’t get hired as a bouncer in a bar if you take a friend
with you and drink beer. Dave was a big wrestling fan and had told me
many times that I should try pro wrestling. My back was against the wall so I
allowed David to talk me into calling Burt Ruby (the local wrestling promoter)
at
I had worked out with John Baum. John was the heavyweight
wrestler at
It was Wednesday, April third. April fools week so I figured
why not. I drove over to
I was nervous when I knocked on Burt Ruby’s door. I had no
clue where this was going. To my surprise this short, (5’9) well
built, stocky soft spoken older man opened the door. A big smile came to Burt’s face as he put his
hand to shake hands and he said beautiful. I knew what I looked like and
beautiful did not quite fit. Burt introduced me to his wife, mother in
law and his two sons. What a relief. I was no longer worried about the beautiful
comment and Burt’s motives.
Burt then took me into his office, closed the door and started
asking many questions. One of the questions was, why did I want to be a
wrestler? I simply told Burt that I needed money. I could tell that
Burt really liked that answer. It was not to long before he ask me to
take off my jacket, tie and shirt. I reluctantly followed Burt’s
instruction. I did not understand how important the body look was in
wrestling. When Burt saw the hair on my body he went crazy saying beautiful,
beautiful. I just did a double take and did not get it. Should I be
concerned about Burt, preferences? Burt was straight and became my
personal mentor.
I learned so much from Burt Ruby. Burt talked about providing and
raising a family. Burt showed me a false wall that was loaded with food and
other necessities. Burt told me about the hard times of the
depression.
Burt explained that he had really done well during the
depression. Burt believed that when things were tough poor people wanted
to have some kind of treatment to release their frustrations. Burt said
that people paid ten cents to a quarter to watch wrestling and the small arenas
were packed. Years later, when I saw the movie Cinderella Man,
which was a great boxing story during the depression, I thought of
Burt. I had tears in my eyes during
Burt taught me about the wrestling business, not how to wrestle.
Burt told me that I would never make the big money working for him, but I would
always have a port in the storm. Burt did not know how much it would take
to be big money to me. I still had no clue of what he was talking
about. I was just looking for a part time job, not a career. When
he said that I could make fifty dollars in one night I thought that I had found
a gold mine. I did not realize that I would be driving all over the country for
fifty bucks. Burt talked about the possibility of me wearing a mask.
I thought that it was a little strange when Burt told me not to
tell anybody that I was going to be a pro wrestler. I figured it was
because I was wearing the mask. Burt told me that wrestling was like
a secret society. I was getting my first taste of kayfabe and did not know it. I had no clue of what I
was getting myself into.
Burt sent me just across the
Remember money was real tight for us. When I told my wife
that I was going to
I was not about to kayfabe my
family. I told my Mother and Father that I was going wrestle professionally
to help support my family. My Mother said “you are going to do what?” I
explained that wrestling was not what it looked like. I told them that
wrestlers were not really trying to hurt each other.
I met Gino Brito, my wrestling coach
along with El Gaucho (
After a while of the craziness Gino called me aside and told me
that I was advanced. They were now going to teach me how to work but, I
was not to tell Burt.
NSAEN:
What was your most notable wrestling match and why?
JIM: I was
blessed from the beginning. I had many great matches wearing the mask and
wrestling as the Student. Later on I had the opportunity the wrestle in
every major venue in the Northeast as George The Animal Steele in the main
events. I was in the right place when the WWF went world wide. There was
not one match that jumps out as the greatest. I can’t tell you how many
sellouts I had wrestling the different WWF Champions.
NSAEN:
What is your most memorable memory of your wrestling career?
JIM: In
1967 I arrived at Channel 11 in
NSAEN:
How has wrestling changed and what do you think of the current state of
professional wrestling?
JIM:
The wrestling business has changed big time. What you see today is a
business that fits in fine with today’s society. I started wrestling in
1963. I am not just talking about wrestling with this next statement.
What you see on television today would not have worked in 1963. This is a
very different world. Pro Wrestling is a billion dollar business in today’s
world.
Poor choices have cost many young wrestlers their lives.
People are responsible for their own poor choices.
NSAEN:
Prior to being diagnosed with Crohns disease, did you
already have symptoms and why did no doctor diagnose you based on your
symptoms?
JIM:
I was 51 years old and traveling with a much younger WWF crowd in 1988.
My energy level was dropping fast. I believed it was my age and the fast
pace that I was living. I was really run down. I Told Vince McMahon
that I need a month off to regroup.
My first day home I visited my doctor and I was immediately sent
to the hospital. I was told that I had Crohn’s.
I was kept in the hospital for 31 days and lived on IV’s. I was told that
they did not know the cause of Crohn’s and that there
was NO cure.
This was the start of my living hell. I was on as high as 120 mgs
of Prednison, Flagyl, 6mp, Dipentum, and Muran. I took
"moon face" to a new level. Some of the side effects I had were drug
induced diabetes, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, cataracts and dehydration;
which resulted in a 911 trip. In 1994 I had a total bowel blockage. My colon
was disconnected. I now have an ileostomy. This was
not the end of my problems. After surgery I had major skin problems. I developed
a hernia. I had a bout with shingles and the blood clots continued. Eighteen
years ago I was told I had six months to live.
NSAEN:
How did this disease affect your career, family life, your outlook on life and
spiritual attitude?
JIM:
My Wrestling career came to a screeching halt. I was fighting
for my life. I did everything that the doctors told me to do and just kept
getting sicker and sicker. I moved to
NSAEN:
The pain you must have endured on a daily basis had to be tremendous, how did
you handle such enormous pain and is there now medication to ease and help to
reduce the pain?
JIM:
I had no choice. I just had to handle Crohn’s. I
was just getting sicker taking the pharmacy drugs. Then I did the 911 and
shut down in the hospital. I mean I flat lined and that was caused by the
drugs that I was on and not the disease. I started cutting back on the drugs
and looking toward natural cures. I now believe that GOD put everything on
earth that we need. If GOD made it, eat it and if man made it, read it. I
am drug free and I will not take over the counter drugs for pain.
NSAEN:
What advice could you give a person who just got diagnosed with Crohn’s disease?
JIM:
Always work with your doctor, but you must be in control, you are the major
player. We only get one shot at life we must make the most of it. I'm about
education, look around things are changing. When you are told there is NO
CURE just look a little deeper. We are all different. What worked
for me might not work for you when it comes to supplements. Put your full
trust in the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
NSAEN:
JIM: That was a tough adjustment for
me.
NSAEN:
As of today there is no cure for the disease, do you see a cure in the near
future or are we still years away from finding one?
JIM:
Turn to the LORD JESUS CHRIST and think outside the box.
NSAEN:
You mentioned on your web site that there is a blood test available for $450.
Is this test not covered by the insurance and why not?
JIM:
That blood test just tells you if have Crohn’s.
That test let me know that I had no markers for Crohn’s
Disease. I have NO idea on how and why the insurance companies make their
decisions.
NSAEN:
What steps can we take to prevent Crohns disease?
JIM:
Sense they have no clue of the cause of Crohn’s
disease there is no clear way to prevent it.
NSAEN:
Since early childhood you also dealt with dyslexia, but of course at that time
nobody had heard yet of dyslexia. How difficult was it for you to maintain your
grades and to survive day by day school, especially at that time in your life
not knowing what you are dealing with and why you were having such difficulties
learning?
JIM:
In those days we had reading groups in school; you know, Bluebirds, Redbirds,
Yellow birds and Brown birds. I was always in the Brown bird group which meant
we read like bird crap.
Every youngster wants to do well in school. I was embarrassed at
how poor I read in school and it got a lot rougher at home after school.
I hated school. In school I would try to disappear. I hated
it when I was called on. When I tried to read all of the other kids would start
laughing and I hated that. It got much worse when I was called to the front of
the room. I would just freeze.
By the time I became a second grader I was a total wreck. The
other kids were all smiles and doing good in school and I was just falling further
behind. How many people do you know who failed in the second grade?
NSAEN:
Are you still struggling with dyslexia and how do you manage to deal with it
now?
JIM:
Working on the computer has been very helpful with my gift of dyslexia.
In the big picture my struggles with dyslexia have been a blessing. You
see what GOD takes away, he replaces with other gifts. We all must learn
to use all of the tools that GOD gives us.
NSAEN:
What does the future hold for Jim the survivor with Crohn’s
disease and Jim the professional business man?
JIM:
I have turned my life over to the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
NSAEN:
If our readers like to read more about Crohn’s
disease and find out more about Jim Myers and what are your doing, how can they
reach and contact you?
Just check out my Web Site www.georgetheanimalsteele.com
We thank you for this interview, and for giving us a glimpse into
the world of living with Crohn’s disease. Thank
You and GOD BLESS.
God
Bless
Jim
Myers