I briefly got my bent, bony fingers on a copy of a pro wrestling program for a card that was presented at Madison Square Garden on July 20, 1981. The cover has a photo of a grappler named Magnificent Muraco. This fellow appeared to be something of a braggart who thought he was superior to his opponents and the fans in attendance. I’m sure the arrogance was just his way of covering up his insecurities, but I hope he received a sound thrashing just the same.
Inside the pub there are a variety of stories hyping different wrestlers and matches. Page three contains a thoughtful essay about legendary bad guy George “the Animal” Steele. An excerpt:
“He has earned the nickname of ‘The Animal’ for his completely unruly and unpredictable actions in the rings. Many feel that the man is actually a bit crazy. He has been known to actually bite apart the turnbuckle covers with his teeth on a number of occasions! It has been noted that Steele usually has a far away look in his eyes, and appears to have some strange green substance on his tongue. As Pat Patterson recently suggested, it should be looked into. Either he is not too healthy, or he has some foreign substance in his mouth that he may intend to use on his opponents.”
Tags: Andy Kaufman, George "the Animal" Steele, Magnificent Muraco, Pat Patterson, The Moondogs