Steve Stanlee

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Steve Zygowicz
Statistics
Ring name(s) Steve Stanlee
Paul Stanlee
Billed weight 232 lb (105 kg)
Born February 29, 1920?
Chicago, Illinois
Debut 1947?
Retired 1969?

Steve Zygowicz (born February 29, 1920?), better known by his ring name of Steve Stanlee, is a former American professional wrestler from the late 1940s through the 1960s. He is the younger brother of the more famous professional wrestler Gene Stanlee.

Steve served with Gene in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and entered the professional wrestling circuit after the war, using the name Paul Stanlee until sometime in 1949. Also like Gene, Steve took the nickname Mr. America for his chiseled physique, bleached his hair blond, and wore dazzling sequined jackets to the ring. [1] Gene and Steve did train together and had a couple of runs as a tag team, but the two generally stayed on separate career paths. [2] Notably, Steve wrestled Lou Thesz for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 27, 1950 - two full years before his brother would face Thesz.

Steve didn't catch on with the public in the same way as Gene did, and as a result never attained the same level of fame. However, he did have a longer career in the ring and may in fact be the better known brother among fans of 1960s wrestling. While Gene was out of wrestling by the early '60s, Steve remained active, both as a singles competitor and as part of a tag team, The Stanlee Steamers, with a (kayfabe) third "brother", Bob Stanlee (played by Bob Merrill). Unfortunately, Steve won few high-profile matches either way and is generally regarded to have been a "jobber to the stars" for much of his career.

Recently, Steve Stanlee appeared in an interview in the Icons Of Wrestling documentary series.