Last year, the Chicago Tribune reported that Steve “Mongo” McMichael, a Chicago Bears legend in the 80s and wrestler for WCW in the 90s, was suffering from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. And at the time of the disclosure, he’d already lost 50lbs and could no longer lift his arms or hold anything. Sadly the average life expectancy for those with this condition is just five years. Unfortunately, it appears McMichael may not even get that long. This is based on an update from his longtime friend Ric Flair, who has said on his podcast the Superbowl winner can no longer speak and has been hospitalized multiple times in the past five weeks.
Mongo might be in the hospital; I’m waiting to hear. This will be his third trip in the last five weeks, which really, really makes you think even bigger because he’s fought the fight of a lifetime. I don’t know how much more he has in him. He can’t say anything.
Ric FlairWhile to the masses, McMichael is famous for his NFL career, he is best known to wrestling fans for his run in WCW, where he defeated Jeff Jarrett for the United States Championship at a Clash Of The Champions event in 1997. However, his wrestling career wasn’t long, and his final match came in 1999 at a house show where he teamed with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko defeating Barry Windham, Curt Hennig, and Wrath. Although, he would go on to be a guest referee for tag team Monster’s Ball Match for TNA due to the show being held in a suburb of Chicago.
For those in a position to help Mongo and his family during this bleak time, a donation page has been set up at moneyformongo.com. Additionally, there will be a free event taking place on Saturday, 3rd September featuring Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Mick Foley to celebrate his life and career streaming via FITE.tv.
