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Continuing with our series on the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time, at No. 7 comes in none other than the ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage!
No. 7 – ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage
Born as Randall Mario ‘Randy’ Poffo on November 15th, 1952 in the town of Columbus, Ohio, Poffo was the elder son of famous wrestler Angelo Poffo and the brother of wrestler Lanny Poffo. Poffo is more commonly known by his famous ring moniker, ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage, which he adopted in the WWE (then WWF).
Poffo had his beginnings at his father’s promotion, the International Championship Wrestling. After becoming a full-time wrestler, he also worked in Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler’s Continental Wrestling Association with his family before finally joining the WWF in the summer of 1985.
Randy Savage debuted in the WWF as a crazed maniacal bully and after receiving several offers, he finally chose Miss Elizabeth to be his manager. Savage constantly mistreated his future wife and made a huge impact in the ring, beating Tito Santana to win his first Intercontinental title in 1986, which was also his first ever title in the WWF. This was Savage’s stepping stone to greatness as he went on to adopt the moniker of “Macho King” and engaged in memorable feuds with the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiase.
Randy Savage’s crowning moment came at WrestleMania 4 when he defeated Ted Dibiase in the finals of a 14-man tournament to win the WWF Championship for the first time in his career.
Savage is noted for forming the legendary tag team ‘The Mega Powers’ with Hulk Hogan and then wife Miss Elizabeth as valet-cum-manager. The team was stable in the WWF for for over two years, and it culminated in a match at WrestleMania 5 between the two teammates for the WWF Championship, in which Hogan defeated Savage to become the WWF Champion.
After the implosion of the Megapowers in 1989, Savage underwent a face turn and his ‘Macho Man’ gimmick was now in full flow. With Miss Elizabeth re-instated as his valet again, Savage received a great response from the crowd, and ended up being more popular than the likes of Hogan and Ultimate Warrior during this period.
What made Randy Savage so well-liked were his eccentric behaviour, his deep and raspy voice and his colourful outfits (which included a bandanna, sunglasses and cowboy hats occasionally). One of the most charismatic wrestlers ever, Savage was not the most decorated of wrestlers, but his impact in the revolution of the WWF is very under-rated.
When people think about the 80′s in the WWF, they immediately think about Hulkamania. But where would the Hulkster be without Savage? During his time, Savage was the No. 2 face wrestler of the WWF and arguably a much better promo worker than Hogan with his trademark “ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhh”, one of the greatest catchphrases of all time (yes, right up there with the Rock‘s numerous phrases), which went on to be further popularised by the notorious Slim Jim ads.
At WrestleMania 7, when the Macho Man faced The Ultimate Warrior in a career-threatening match (the loser had to retire), his ex-wife Miss Elizabeth was in the stands. Macho Man would go on to lose to the Warrior in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in WWF history and after the match, Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth had an emotional reunion, leading to Savage turning face again. The respect that was shown for the Macho Man that night was heart-warming and one of the best feel good moments ever, even greater than the farewells of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.
Despite Savage’s much-publicized tension and eventual departure from the WWF and defection to WCW, his legacy cannot be erased, not even by Vince McMahon. In an era where flamboyance was at its highest, it was the Macho King who stood head and shoulders above the rest; no other wrestler was as passionate as he was.
Savage’s match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 is widely considered as one of the best fights ever – it was voted match of the year in 1987. Savage was also named Wrestler of the Year in 1988, and earned countless other awards, including two WWF Championship titles and four WCW World Heavyweight Championship trophies.
The Macho Man’s death in May 2011 elicited universal respect for the man, and many of the older fans were saddened to the point of heartbreak. He left an indelible mark on WWE/F and his legacy will endure on forever, with even his estranged former boss Vince McMahon saying that Savage was “extremely charismatic” and “one of wrestling’s all-time greats”.
It is a crying shame that Savage hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet, and one can only hope that the WWE will do it sooner rather than later.
And now, a video clip in memory of the legend:
Here are the other players who have made it so far:
No. 10 – John Cena
No. 9 – Triple H
No. 8 — Andre the Giant
Read the detailed write-ups on all the players in this list here:
The greatest WWE wrestlers of all time
