John Michael Meek (July 18, 1955 – August 29, 2007) better known by his ring name Iron Mike Steele was a professional wrestler and also 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 names 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] Tragically, Meek was killed in a traffic homicide on August 29, 2007. Steele refused to fight a belligerent, drunk man at a bar. Steele walked out of the bar and left on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. The man followed behind him in his work van and rammed Steele's Harley Davidson. The killer was 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]
| Iron Mike Steele | |
|---|---|
 Iron Mike Steele | |
| Birth name | John Michael Meek |
| Born | July 18, 1955 Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Died | August 29, 2007 (aged 52) Tampa, Florida, United States |
| 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 |
References
edit- ^ a b Buckler, David. "Mike Steele". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ^ a b 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. 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.