Ric Flair pays tribute to Steve 'Mongo' McMichael after death

Former WCW star and NFL Hall of Famer Steve McMichael died on Wednesday at 67 following his battle with ALS. Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael, as he was known in the ring, carved out a successful career for himself in the professional wrestling industry after his memorable stint in the NFL.

In the wake of the saddening news, Ric Flair took some time to post a couple of photos of him and McMichael over the years. Flair and McMichael worked together in the late 1990s when McMichael joined Flair’s fabled ‘Four Horseman’ faction. The 16-time world heavyweight champion shared his condolences after hearing of his former colleague and friend’s passing.

“The World Just Lost The Incredible Steve “Mongo” McMichael! He Was My Best Friend Through It All!” Flair wrote. “An Amazing Athlete And Human Being! I Have The Fondest Memories Working With Him, And This Is An Extremely Heartbreaking Loss For Me! I Love You Mongo! You Fought One Hell Of A Battle! Rest In Peace My Friend!”

Despite being best known for his work in WCW with the Four Horseman, as well as on color commentary with Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan,’ McMichael got his start in the WWE, or WWF as it was known at the time. In his first appearance for Vince McMahon’s company, he sat at ringside for another NFL great,  Lawrence Taylor, at WrestleMania XI against Bam Bam Bigelow. He also worked one Monday Night Raw before making the jump to WCW (before it was cool).

He held one championship during his professional wrestling career. McMichael won the WCW United States Championship in 1997, defeating WCW Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett during an episode of Clash of the Champions for the belt. His title reign would end with the implosion of the Four Horseman.

McMichael’s professional wrestling career came to an end in 1999. His last match was non-televised in what is referred to as a house show. He teamed up with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko (fellow Four Horseman members) to defeat Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect), Barry Windham (father of the late Bray Wyatt) and Wrath.

Of course, this all came after his prolific career in the NFL, namely the Chicago Bears. He played for the Bears from 1981-1993. He earned two first-team All-Pro and three second-team All-Pro selections as he totaled 95 sacks over his career. But he made his mark alongside Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson and Richard Dent on arguably the greatest defense in NFL history.

During the 1985 season, McMichael finished third on the Bears with 8.0 sacks that season, trailing Dent’s 17.0 and Wilson’s 10.5, while also adding 44 total tackles. Chicago went 15-1 that season to win the only Super Bowl in franchise history. His efforts were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 before his death.