(I grew up watching this man wrestle. Now, I will go on in life remembering the impact he left on the wrestling world, all wrestling fans, and HIS fans alike. Randall Mario Poffo, Macho Man Randy Savage, died on May 20, 2011 stemming from a heart attack he suffered while driving with his wife, Lynn. The vehicle crossed a median and hit a tree. Lynn suffered minor injuries and now has to suffer with the loss of her husband of one year. They were together for 10)
(Update: Lynn Poffo was released from the hospital the evening of the accident after being treated at Bayfront Medical Center in Tampa, FL. My heartfelt condolences go out to all the family and friends of “Macho Man” and Mrs. Poffo. Praying for strength)
The first time I saw Macho Man on t.v. (somewhere around 1985 or 1986), he was a much-hated heel. His treatment of his manager, Elizabeth, was fodder for the ages. Elizabeth was his first wife in real life, so their chemistry on television was undeniable. In the wrestling world, he would chastise her, holler at her, pretend to be a jealous prick, and treat her like garbage only to garner the “Boos” from the audience. It worked wonders.
He became Intercontinental Champion the following year. He held that title for 14 months or so, only to lose it to Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in one of the greatest matches of all time. Instead of preparing for the match with the “one-take” mentality that stems from those classic times, the wrestlers choreographed every single move to each place in the ring to each second. It showed and was a beautiful display of a wrestling “ballet.”
He became WWF Champion after his stint as Intercontinental Champion, doing so after forming a partnership with Hulk Hogan called the Mega Powers. His time as a heel was over, the fans started cheering for him, and he soaked it up, doing all the things a face would do, including treating Elizabeth with dignity and respect. It was awesome. He held the WWF Championship for 371 days, losing it to Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania V after a falling out between the two that ended their tag team. He was soon to turn heel again.
Macho Man would win the King of the Ring tournament and declare himself The Macho King in 1989. The sceptre he got with his coronation ceremony would be used to win matches the easy way, by cheating. As the “King”, he would wrestle Hogan one more time for the title, and he lost this last attempt. The Ultimate Warrior and him would start a very memorable feud with each other in 1990. At Wrestlemania VII, Macho King and Warrior would meet in a Career-Ending Match, in which the loser would leave the WWF. After five of his finishing-move elbow drops from the top rope to the Warrior, Macho King would lose the match after each kick-out by the Warrior. His then manager, Sensational (Queen) Sherri, was so irate at his loss that she attacked him while he was down. Elizabeth came to the rescue, reuniting them in what was one of the best moments I remember at his supposed last time in the WWF.
He came back in an announcer roll and did things behind the scenes to help out new up-and-coming wrestlers. He made a return to the ring some months later after being slapped, beat up, and berated by Jake “The Snake” Roberts during his heel time. He was reinstated and beat Jake decidedly on several occasions. Soon after, his next memorable rivalry was with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who said he had an affair with Elizabeth. This sparked a headstrong Macho Man to beat Flair at Wrestlemania VIII and his second championship reign began. During this feud, the real-life marriage of Macho Man and Elizabeth came to an end (They were married in real-life for nearly 8 years. Sadly, Elizabeth Ann Hulette passed away in May 2003 as the result of a prescription drug and alcohol overdose. R.I.P. also Miss Elizabeth) .
He teamed with his old nemesis, Ultimate Warrior, for some time and carried feuds with Ric Flair/Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair/Razor Ramon, and Money, Inc. He became a singles competitor again and had some small feuds with the likes of Rick Martel, Doink the Clown, and Crush. After his contract expired, he jumped over to WCW immediately and carried on another feud with Ric Flair, a reformation with Hogan in the NWO, and then a feud with Hogan. Same old stuff, different brand. I was not into WCW at all, and I admittedly lost track of where he was in the wrestling world.
He came into TNA wrestling in 2004, and I couldn’t help but watch, even though his stint did not last long. Again, not a huge fan of TNA, but I missed the guy. He feuded with Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. He ended up leaving TNA not even a year later.
He made several television show appearances, shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger, Arliss, and Baywatch. He loaned his unique voice to cartoons Dexter’s Laboratory, King of the Hill, and Family Guy (just to name a few), and made appearances in movies like Spiderman (monster of a man in the cage at the beginning, Bonesaw McGraw), Ready to Rumble, and Velcro Revolver.
PLEASE ENJOY SOME OF MY MEMORIES OF HIM BELOW. THANK YOU FOR READING.
