CHICAGO (AP) — Steve McMichael always had that big, exuberant personality and a willingness to say what was on his mind. It’s no wonder the Chicago Bears great’s speech upon his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame would have been an unforgettable experience.

“He would have cut a scorcher,” said his wife, Misty McMichael. “He would have been great.”

McMichael is in advanced stages of ALS and will not be able to travel from Homer Glen, Illinois, to Canton, Ohio, for his induction on Saturday. He has lost his ability to move or speak, but he will deliver a short, heartfelt message composed through an eyegazer: “Hello Chicago. Thank you, Chicago.”

The 66-year-old McMichael is part of a seven-man draft that also includes former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.

He was an All-Pro defensive tackle in 1985 and 1987 and played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993. He is second only to Richard Dent on the Bears’ all-time sack list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.

Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, the man known as “Ming The Merciless” and “Mongo,” after the character in “Blazing Saddles” who knocked out a horse, remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days were over. He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late ’90s.

McMichael’s brash personality and willingness to say what was on his mind made him a natural for professional wrestling. It also got him ejected from a Cubs game in 2001 for challenging home plate umpire Angel Hernandez during the seventh inning.

He began working for World Championship Wrestling at the height of the “Monday Night Wars” with the World Wrestling Federation, starting as a color commentator and later working with Ric Flair in the “Four Horsemen” group.

McMichael told the Chicago Tribune in April 2021 that he was battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, a disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control.

“I promise you, this epitaph that I’m going to carry with me now? This is never how I imagined this would end,” McMichael told the Tribune.

McMichael has transformed from a 275-pound behemoth who used to pummel NFL offensive linemen and drive wrestlers headfirst into the mat with the “Mongo spike” to someone who is bedridden and emaciated, a decline documented in photos on social media.

McMichael was born in Houston and starred at Texas from 1976-79, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

The New England Patriots drafted McMichael in the third round in 1980. He didn’t last long, playing just six games as a rookie before being released before his sophomore season. McMichael would play hard on and off the field, brawling during practice and then exploring Boston’s nightlife.

“They looked at me and said, ‘Steve, we think you’re the criminal element in the league. Get out,’” McMichael said in his 2019 Gridiron Greats Hall of Fame speech.

George Halas welcomed the same qualities in Chicago.

“Papa Bear” made it clear. “You know what he said to me, boys?” McMichael recalled in that speech. “I heard what a dirty rat you are in practice. Don’t change, Steve.”

McMichael became one of the most feared players on what is arguably the greatest defense in history. Featuring Hall of Famers Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Dent and McMichael, the 1985 Bears crushed just about everyone in their path en route to the franchise’s only Super Bowl championship.

He played 15 years in the NFL — 13 with Chicago. His final season was with the rival Green Bay Packers in 1994, after being fired by the Bears.

Shortly after his career ended, McMichael began to dabble in professional wrestling and was a regular on Chicago sports radio.

To see him now?

“It breaks my heart,” said Dave Siden, a friend of McMichael’s for more than 40 years.

The two met when Siden lived across from the old Halas Hall at Lake Forest College.

“It changed my life, man,” he said.

Siden was given prime spots at matches and backstage access to wrestling events, and when McMichael married Misty in 2001, he was best man.

“It’s just really cool to be a part of Steve’s life and, as Steve says, bask in his reflective glory,” Siden said.

Now McMichael gets one more moment of glory.

“He’s afraid to die and he shouldn’t be because he’s the most badass man I’ve ever known, inside and out,” Misty McMichael said. “He’s a good man. He’s going to heaven before anybody else, so I don’t know what he’s afraid of. But I told him to wait until the 3rd and then I don’t want to see him suffer anymore. He suffered.”