Iron Mike Steele
 Iron Mike Steele | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Michael Meek July 18, 1955 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 29, 2007 (aged 52) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Iron Mike Steele Iron Mike Mike Steele |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg; 17 st) |
| Trained by | Boris Malenko Tor Kamata |
John Michael Meek (July 18, 1955 – August 29, 2007), better known by his ring name Iron Mike Steele, was an American professional wrestler who made frequent appearances on Pro Wrestling Weekly.[1] He was a student of Boris Malenko and Tor Kamata.[1][2] A Florida native, according to Online World of Wrestling, Steele took part in several matchups with notable wrestlers in the 90s, including Marc Mero and Dean Malenko.[2] However, a motorcycle crash would effectively end his wrestling career in 1994.[3]
In 2003, he broke up a fight between two men in a bar, telling them to leave each other alone. Later the same night, one of the men, Joshua Singletary, killed adversary Charles "Chuck" Rock by setting him on fire.[4]
Meek was killed in a traffic homicide on August 29, 2007. Steele got into a confrontation Harry Brian Taylor, a belligerent, drunk man at a bar.[2] Steele refused to fight him, walked out of the bar, and left on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Taylor followed behind him in his work van and rammed into Steele's motorcycle, a crash which killed Steele. Taylor was consequently charged with murder and sentenced to life without parole.[5][6]
The Iron Mike Foundation was started in his name to raise money for children's charity.[7]
References
- 1 2 Buckler, David. "Mike Steele". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Rickard, Mike (May 25, 2018). "Mike Steele". Wrestler Deaths. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ↑ Wesner, Jan. "EX-WRESTLER KILLED BY A HIT-RUN DRIVER". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ↑ Jenkins, Colleen. "Court Hears from Uncle Ugly". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "2-Time Killer gets life without parol in motorcyclists death". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ Wesner, Jan. "Ex Wrestler Killed by hit and run driver". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ Armaritnant, Kitt. "Iron Mike Foundation Ride, Concert Benefit". Bloomingdale-Riverview patch. Retrieved August 6, 2015.