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| − | {{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
| + | [[Randy Savage]] is one the greatest professional wrasslers ever to grace a wrasslin' ring. |
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| − | |name= Randall Mario Poffo {{flagicon|USA}}
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| − | |names=The Destroyer<br>The Executioner<br>The Spider Friend<br>The Big Geno<br>Randy Savage<br>'''"Macho Man" Randy Savage'''<br>Mr. Madness<br>The Macho Man<br>The Macho King
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| − | |height= 6'2" (188 cm)
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| − | |weight= 248 lbs. (112 kg)
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| − | |birth_date ={{birth date and age|year=1952|month=11|day=15}}
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| − | |birth_place = [[Columbus, Ohio]]
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| − | |resides= [[Sarasota, Florida]]
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| − | |billed= Sarasota, Florida
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| − | |trainer=[[Angelo Poffo]]
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| − | |debut=1973
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| − | |retired=2004
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| − | |website= [http://www.machoman.com MachoMan.com]
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| − | |}}
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| − | '''Randall Mario Poffo''' (born [[November 15]], [[1952]]){{Fact|date=November 2007}} better known by his [[ring name]] '''"Macho Man" Randy Savage''', is a former [[United States|American]] [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. Savage achieved prominence in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] and later [[World Championship Wrestling]]. For much of his tenure in the WWF, he was managed by his [[Legit (professional wrestling)|real life]] wife, "[[Miss Elizabeth]]" Hulette. Savage became instantly recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep, husky voice, colorful attire (often comprised of sunglasses and a bandana, gaudy robes and/or a cowboy hat), and his catch phrase ''"Oooh, yeah!"''
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| − | Poffo was a six-time world champion: a four-time [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship|WCW World Heavyweight Champion]] and a two-time [[WWE Championship|WWF Champion]]. In WCW, he was also the 1995 [[WCW World War 3|World War 3]] winner, and in WWF, the 1987 [[King of the Ring]].
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| − | ==Early life==
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| − | Savage was born in [[Columbus, Ohio]] to Angelo Poffo, an [[Italian American]] [[Catholic]], and Judy, a [[American Jews|Jewish American]].<ref>http://www.sptimes.com/News/122701/Floridian/A_wrestling_dynasty.shtml</ref>
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| − | He is a graduate of [[Downers Grove North High School]] in a suburb near [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. Randy Poffo attended Southern Illinois and graduated in 1971. After college, Randy was a [[minor league baseball]] [[catcher]] in the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Cincinnati Reds]], and [[Chicago White Sox]] farm systems. He injured his natural (right) throwing shoulder at one point so he learned to throw with his left arm instead. When Poffo played for the St. Petersburg Cardinals minor-league baseball team in [[1971]], one of his teammates was [[Keith Hernandez]]. The team was managed by [[Jimmy Piersall]].<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url =http://sports.ign.com/articles/519/519761p2.html|title = IGN: Randy Savage Interview|publisher = sports.ign.com|accessdate = 2007-08-25}}</ref>
| + | {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Macho Man Randy}} |
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| − | ==Career==
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| − | ===Early career===
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| − | He is a second-generation professional wrestler; his father [[Angelo Poffo]] was a well-known wrestler in the [[1950s]] and [[1960s]], who was featured in ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'' for his ability to do [[sit-up (exercise)|sit-up]]s for hours on end. Randy's brother [[Lanny Poffo|Lanny]] had a moderately successful career as a wrestler, too, most notably under the names "Leaping Lanny Poffo" and "The Genius."
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| − | Randy first broke into the business in the early [[1970s]] during the fall and winter of the baseball off season. His first wrestling character, "The Spider Friend", was similar to [[Spider-Man]]. It is interesting to note that he would appear as a wrestler in the first [[Spider-Man (film)|''Spider-Man'' film]] in 2002. His name change from Randy Poffo came at the suggestion of [[Georgia Championship Wrestling]] booker [[Ole Anderson]], who said that the name Poffo didn't fit someone who "wrestled like a savage". During this transition from Poffo to Savage, he also toyed with the idea of wrestling as a blue clad medicine man named "The Big Geno", rumors were spread of a drug problem during his first few matches, as was common with early independent wrestlers, and Savage quietly put to rest the short lived Geno. To this day Savage refuses to answer questions regarding The Big Geno and, eerily enough, he seems to become visibly shaken when this pseudonym is brought up. When he decided to abandon his baseball career, he became a full time wrestler working with his brother and father. Savage wrestled his first match against Midwest territory wrestler, the "Golden Boy" Paul Christy. Randy worked with his father and brother in Michigan, the Carolinas, Georgia, the Maritimes, and the eastern Tennessee territory run by Nick Gulas.
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| − | After a while, his father felt that his sons were not getting the pushes they deserved so he started the "outlaw" [[International Championship Wrestling]] (ICW) promotion in the mid-American states.
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| − | Eventually, ICW disbanded and Randy and Lanny entered the Memphis scene, joining [[Jerry Lawler]]'s [[Continental Wrestling Association]] (their former competitors). While there, Savage [[Feud (professional wrestling)|feuded]] with Lawler over the [[AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship]]. He also teamed with Lanny to battle [[The Rock 'n' Roll Express]]; this feud included one infamous match on [[June 25]], [[1984]] in Memphis, where Savage ([[kayfabe]]) injured [[Ricky Morton]] by [[Piledriver (professional wrestling)|piledriving]] him through the timekeeper's table, leading to the Express winning by disqualification. Later in 1984, Savage turned face and allied with Lawler against [[Jimmy Hart]]'s First Family [[List of professional wrestling slang#S|stable]], only to [[Turn (professional wrestling)|turn]] [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] on Lawler again in early-1985 and resume the feud over the title. This ended when Lawler beat Savage in a [[List of professional wrestling match types#Loser Leaves Town match|Loser Leaves Town match]] on [[June 8]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].
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| − | ===World Wrestling Federation (1985-1994)===
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| − | In [[1985#June|June 1985]], Savage signed with [[Vince McMahon]]'s [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]. One of Savage's first appearances was on ''[[Tuesday Night Titans]]'', where the established WWF managers all made their cases to offer their services to Savage (including [[Bobby Heenan]], [[Jimmy Hart]], and [[Fred Blassie|"Classy" Freddie Blassie]]). Savage eventually rejected all these offers in favor of his new manager, the debuting [[Miss Elizabeth]]. He made his [[pay-per-view]] debut at [[WWF The Wrestling Classic|The Wrestling Classic]] on [[November 7]], [[1985]], where he defeated [[Ivan Putski]], [[Ricky Steamboat|Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat]], and the [[Dynamite Kid]] on his way to finishing runner-up to [[Junkyard Dog]] in a sixteen man tournament. Junkyard Dog beat him by countout in the finals.
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| − | He eventually beat [[Tito Santana]] to win the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Championship]] at the [[Boston Garden]] on [[1986#February|February 8, 1986]] by using an illegal steel object stashed in his tights. Early on in his WWF career, Savage also won two countout victories in [[Madison Square Garden]] over his future tag-team partner WWF Champion [[Hulk Hogan]] (although the belt did not change due to the countout) and engaged in brutal feuds with [[Bruno Sammartino]] and [[George Steele|George "the Animal" Steele]].
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| − | ====WrestleMania III====
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| − | Savage wrestled in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest matches in [[North America]]n wrestling history when he faced Ricky Steamboat at ''[[WrestleMania III]]'' in the [[Pontiac Silverdome]]. The match was the culmination of a long and bitter [[feud (professional wrestling)|feud]] (which saw Savage crush Steamboat's [[larynx]] in [[kayfabe]]) and featured tremendous athleticism and in-ring storytelling. After nineteen two-counts, Steamboat pinned Savage (with help from [[George Steele]], who pushed Savage from the top rope seconds before he was pinned) to end his near 14 month reign as Intercontinental champion. The match was extremely choreographed, as opposed to the "on the fly" nature of most wrestling matches at the time. Savage was a stickler for detail, and he and Steamboat laid out and rehearsed every spot in the match prior to ''WrestleMania'', at his home in [[Florida]]. The highly influential match was considered an instant classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by both ''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'' and the ''[[Wrestling Observer]]''. Steamboat and Randy Savage were even reported cheering and hugging with other wrestlers after the match.
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| − | ====The Mega-Powers====
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| − | Savage turned [[face (professional wrestling)|face]] later in 1987 after drawing increasingly positive reactions for his charisma, in-ring ability, and the estimable presence of Miss Elizabeth and began to feud with [[The Honky Tonk Man]] after Honky began to refer to himself as the "greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time." On ''[[WWE Saturday Night's Main Event|Saturday Night's Main Event]]'' in [[1987#October|October 1987]] he solidified his status as a face when Elizabeth got [[Hulk Hogan]] to save him from a beatdown by [[Jimmy Hart]]'s cronies, The Honky Tonk Man and [[The Hart Foundation]]. As a result, [[The Mega Powers]] were born. Hogan and Savage together ruled the WWF for the next sixteen months. In later years in the WWF, he also became known for a very open and unscripted rivalry with Hogan after Savage accused Hogan of sleeping in Elizabeth's bed during a road trip. Savage and Elizabeth were divorced on [[September 18]], [[1992]]. Savage and Hogan have a strained relationship to this day. It has been speculated that Savage punched Hogan in the face just prior to ''[[WrestleMania IX]]'', causing Hogan to have a swollen eye during the event. The story was found to be untrue. WWE (then WWF) said that Hogan's swollen eye was due to a jet-ski accident.
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| − | Savage reached the pinnacle of his career to date during ''[[WrestleMania IV]]'' when after defeating [[Butch Reed]], [[Greg Valentine]], and [[George Gray (wrestler)|One Man Gang]] on the same day, he defeated "The Million Dollar Man" [[Ted DiBiase]] in the finals of a tournament for the vacant [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]]. With help from Hulk Hogan, Macho Man pinned DiBiase. Despite the WWF's disappointment in the "somber" crowd in Atlantic City, nothing like the one witnessed a year earlier in ''Wrestlemania III'' in Pontiac, it was seen as a rejuvenation of a sport getting tired of the same champion {{Fact|date=October 2007}}. However, Hogan's popularity would never be successfully overcome by Savage. Savage would set a new trend however because, after turning face, he would retain many fans who adored him as a heel. Savage held the title for just over a full year before losing it to Hogan at ''[[WrestleMania V]]'' in [[1989]]. Prior to his ''WrestleMania V'' match, he [[turn (professional wrestling)|turned]] [[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] on Hogan, getting jealous of him over Miss Elizabeth as well as his self-perceived third-banana standing in the Mega Powers. He eventually replaced Elizabeth as his valet with [[Sherri Martel|Sensational Sherri]]. Savage would co-main event ''[[SummerSlam (1989)|SummerSlam '89]]'', where he teamed with [[Tom Lister, Jr.|Zeus]], a character from Hulk Hogan's movie, ''[[No Holds Barred]]'', against Hogan and [[Edward Leslie|Brutus Beefcake]]. In this match, Hogan "no-sold" Savage's flying elbow by standing straight up after Savage hit it in the center of the ring.
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| − | ====Macho King and "retirement"====
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| − | He adopted the moniker "Macho King" after defeating [[Jim Duggan]] for the makeshift King's Crown Championship (a moniker originally given to [[Harley Race]] on his WWF arrival.) After the match, Savage proceeded to give Duggan five big elbow drops from the top rope and Sherri did several splashes from the top to further humiliate Duggan. On a later wrestling episode, he had a coronation as the new "King of the WWF" led by wrestler The Genius (actually Savage's brother, Lanny Poffo), with Dibiase giving him a sceptor as a gift. Savage would use that sceptor as a weapon numerous times during his duration as "The Macho King."
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| − | Through most of [[1990]], the "Macho King" feuded with the "commoner" [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]], losing a mixed-tag match (along with Sherri) to Rhodes & Sapphire at ''[[WrestleMania VI]]'' but beating him in a singles match at ''[[SummerSlam (1990)|SummerSlam]]''.
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| − | After ''SummerSlam'', Savage started a feud with then-WWF champion [[Warrior (wrestler)|The Ultimate Warrior]]. The feud escalated at the ''[[Royal Rumble (1991)|Royal Rumble]]'' in 1991 when Warrior refused to grant Savage the No. 1 contendership after [[Sgt. Slaughter]] (Warrior's opponent for the event) had already promised to do should he beat Warrior. Savage had sent "Sensational Queen" Sherri out during the ''[[Royal Rumble (1991)|1991 Royal Rumble]]'' to try and convince the Warrior in a face-to-face interview laced with sexual innuendos. This failed to get anywhere with the champion. Outraged, Savage promised revenge, which he got during the Slaughter-Warrior title match. Before the match began, Randy "Macho King" Savage attacked the champion to the point where the Ultimate Warrior had to crawl to the ring for the match. The final nail in The Warriors title reign came when Savage busted the scepter over his head, knocking him unconscious for Slaughter to pin.
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| − | This led to a [[List of professional wrestling match types#Retirement match|career-ending match]] at ''[[WrestleMania VII]]''. Savage lost the match after delivering five consecutive elbow drops as the Warrior somehow managed to kick out and return to score the victory after several flying clotheslines and shoulder blocks. After the match, Savage was attacked by Queen Sherri as he lay dejected in the ring. This was too much for Miss Elizabeth who happened to be in the audience. Elizabeth rushed to Savage's aid, fighting off Sherri and reuniting with her one-time love to huge crowd appreciation. The match was far from a legitimate "retirement" match, especially since Savage stayed in WWF afterwards while the Ultimate Warrior himself eventually left at ''SummerSlam'' that year.
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| − | ====Later WWF career====
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| − | Savage returned to [[television|TV]] in a non-wrestling role as the "Macho Man" after ''WrestleMania VII'' as a broadcaster. Meanwhile the angle with Miss Elizabeth continued, culminating with Savage "proposing" to her in the ring leading to an on-air "wedding" at ''[[SummerSlam (1991)|SummerSlam 1991]]'' dubbed '''''The Match Made in Heaven'''''. It was at this time that Savage was targeted by [[Jake Roberts|Jake "The Snake" Roberts]], who was by now a dastardly heel. On an episode of ''[[WWF Prime Time Wrestling|Prime Time Wrestling]]'' prior to ''SummerSlam'', the announcers and several other babyface wrestlers threw a "bachelor party" for Savage, with Roberts' arrival deemed unwelcome by the rest of the contingent due to his recent heel turn.
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| − | In response, Roberts ambushed Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth at the wedding reception by putting a snake in their pile of wedding presents. Later, while Savage began a public campaign to get himself reinstated, Roberts forced a cobra to bite Savage's arm as the Macho Man was tied up in the ropes (seen on ''[[WWF Superstars of Wrestling|WWF Superstars]]''). Due to fan pressure brought on by Savage's lobbying, Savage was "re-instated" as a wrestler by WWF president [[Jack Tunney]] so that he could do battle with Roberts. During the ''[[Tuesday in Texas]]'' pay-per-view, Roberts — after losing to Savage — beat him down with three DDTs and then forced Elizabeth to beg for mercy towards her husband; when Roberts was dissatisfied with her, he slapped Elizabeth hard across the face. The feud finally ended after a ''[[Saturday Night's Main Event]]'' match in [[1992#February|February]] [[1992 in television|1992]].
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| − | Savage then had another run as WWF Champion, defeating [[Ric Flair|"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair]] at ''[[WrestleMania VIII]]'' in [[1992]]. In this feud, Flair claimed that he had slept and carried on relations with Savage's wife Miss Elizabeth, going as far as presenting pictures of Elizabeth in which Flair had himself superimposed. Savage held the championship until [[1992#September|September]] of that year, when he lost it back to Flair at a WWF TV taping in [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]]. Savage and Flair later swapped the [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship]] during their [[1995]]–[[1996|96]] feud making them the only duo to win and lose both the WWF/E and WCW versions of the world title to each other.
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| − | He formed a tag team with The Ultimate Warrior known as the Ultimate Maniacs after defending the title against the Warrior at ''[[SummerSlam (1992)|SummerSlam '92]]''. Flair and Mr. Perfect inflicted (kayfabe) knee injuries on Savage during the match resulting in a countout loss and ultimately costing Savage the title to Flair in September. Savage backed Warrior to be the man to dethrone Flair. Savage and Warrior were scheduled to face Flair and Ramon in a tag team match at that year's ''[[Survivor Series (1992)|Survivor Series]]''. However, Warrior was fired from the WWF weeks before the event, so Savage chose [[Curt Hennig|Mr. Perfect]], executive consultant to Flair, as his partner to replace Warrior. Perfect turned face and teamed with Savage. The duo defeated Flair and Ramon via a disqualification.
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| − | When ''[[WWE Raw|Monday Night RAW]]'' began in [[1993#January|January]] [[1993 in television|1993]], Savage served primarily as a color commentator, wrestling only occasionally against characters such as [[Doink the Clown|Doink]], [[Barry Darsow|The Repo Man]], and [[Brian Adams (wrestler)|Crush]]. He also defeated Crush in a [[List of professional wrestling match types#Falls Count Anywhere Match|Falls Count Anywhere Match]] at ''[[WrestleMania X]]'' after Crush punctuated his heel turn by attacking Savage and dropping him face-first on the guardrail, lacerating Savage's tongue. Savage also made periodic appearances in [[Jim Cornette|Jim Cornette's]] [[Smoky Mountain Wrestling]] promotion in fall [[1994]]. His final WWF pay-per-view appearance was at SummerSlam (1994), where he served as a color commentator.
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| − | ===World Championship Wrestling (1994-2000)===
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| − | Savage signed with WCW, and his first appearance was slated for ''[[Starrcade#1994|Starrcade 1994]]'', for which TV announcers speculated whether Savage would arrive to "shake [Hogan's] hand or slap his face". Savage eventually saved Hogan from an attack by the [[Faces of Fear|Three Faces of Fear]], shaking hands with his oft-friend and rival.
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| − | ====1995====
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| − | Savage resumed his rivalry with [[Ric Flair]] during this time. During the 1995 WCW United States Championship tournament (created when former champion [[Leon White|Vader]] was stripped of the belt for attacking WCW on-air Commissioner [[Nick Bockwinkel]]), he defeated [[Edward Leslie|The Butcher]] in the first round and [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|"Stunning" Steve Austin]] in the quarterfinals. However, Savage interfered in Flair's match vs. [[Alex Wright]]. He attacked Flair and caused Wright to get disqualified, setting up a tournament semifinal match where the winner would face the winner of the [[Sting (wrestler)|Sting]] vs. [[Tonga Fifita|Meng]] match for the United States Championship at ''[[The Great American Bash#1995|The Great American Bash]]'' that June. Savage and Flair's match never took place, as Savage and Flair brawled in the backstage area prior to the bell ringing. They were both eliminated from the tournament, and had their own match in the main event of the Bash, which Flair won with underhanded tactics. However, Savage won a [[List of professional wrestling match types#lumberjack match|lumberjack match]] the next month at ''[[Bash at the Beach#1995|Bash at the Beach]]''. Later on that year, during part of the storyline where Arn Anderson and Ric Flair turned on each other, Flair (looking for a partner to take on Anderson and [[Brian Pillman]] in a tag match) tried to recruit Savage to be his partner. However, remembering the rivalry (and how Flair had attacked Savage's father, [[Angelo Poffo]], which was the catalyst for their feud back in May), he refused, telling Flair point blank to "get the hell out of here!"
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| − | In 1995, Savage pushed for WCW to place his father, [[Angelo Poffo]], in its [[WCW Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]]. Commentator and wrestling legend [[Gordon Solie]] opposed this decision, because he felt wrestlers (or in this case, family of wrestlers) should not be asking for spots in the Hall, in this case, especially, since Poffo did not have much of a career in WCW. Poffo's induction went on and Solie left the company shortly after.
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| − | At ''[[Clash of the Champions#Clash of the Champions XXX|Clash of the Champions XXX]]'', he fed the infamous "reviving elbow" to Hulk Hogan.
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| − | On [[November 26]], [[1995]] at ''[[WCW World War 3#1995|World War 3]]'', Macho Man won the WCW World Title by winning the 60-man three-ring battle royal. He lost the title to Flair a month later. Macho Man won the title back a month afterwards but lost the title back to Flair the next month.
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| − | ====1996====
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| − | In January 1996, he brought Elizabeth with him into WCW as his valet once again. Elizabeth turned on Savage in his last title loss to Flair. Thereafter, Flair claimed that Elizabeth had given him a sizable amount of Savage's money, taken in their divorce settlement, and which Flair used to set up a "VIP section" at Monday Nitro events. Flair and Savage continued to feud through the Great American Bash in June 1996.
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| − | In [[1996#July|July 1996]], the [[New World Order (professional wrestling)|nWo]] was formed when [[Hulk Hogan]] turned on Savage and joined "[[The Outsiders (WCW)|The Outsiders]]", a tag team of former WWF wrestlers [[Kevin Nash]] and [[Scott Hall]]. After their inception, one of their main enemies became Macho Man himself. At ''[[Halloween Havoc#1996|Halloween Havoc]]'', Macho Man faced Hogan for the WCW Title but lost when the Giant interfered and hit Savage with a Chokeslam.
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| − | After the loss at ''Halloween Havoc'', Savage departed WCW as his two year deal had expired. Ultimately Savage resigned with WCW and would return to television on 20 January 1997's ''Nitro'', emanating from Chicago's [[United Center]].
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| − | ====1997====
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| − | After months of abuse from the nWo, Savage joined them at ''[[SuperBrawl#SuperBrawl VII|SuperBrawl VII]]'', when he helped Hogan defeat [[Roddy Piper]] in a rematch from their [[Starrcade#1996|Starrcade]] match the previous year. He also reunited with Elizabeth, who had joined the nWo several months earlier. He began feuding with [[Dallas Page|Diamond Dallas Page]] and Kimberly. When Hogan failed to recapture his "nWo" Title from [[Sting (wrestler)|Sting]], it was Savage's turn, and he got his shot at ''[[Spring Stampede#1998|Spring Stampede 1998]]''. Hogan tried everything he could to make sure that Savage would not win the title because Hogan felt that he was the only nWo member who should be World Champion, since he was the leader of the stable. With the help of Nash, however, Savage beat Sting for the belt, despite tearing the [[anterior cruciate ligament|ACL]] in his knee during the match.
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| − | The following night on ''[[WCW Monday Nitro]]'', Hogan faced Savage for the championship. For a while it looked like Hogan had Savage beat, but for the second consecutive night, Nash came to Savage's aid, powerbombing Hogan. Savage tried to capitalize, but an interfering [[Bret Hart]] attacked Savage and preserved the victory for Hogan.
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| − | After that, Savage joined with Nash and others to form the [[New World Order (professional wrestling)#nWo Wolfpac|nWo Wolfpac]], a split from Hogan's group, which became known as nWo Black and White or nWo Hollywood. He went on to feud with both Bret Hart and Roddy Piper before leaving the company due to his knee injury.
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| − | ====1998-2000====
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| − | For nearly a year, Randy Savage took a hiatus from the company to recover from at least two major knee surgeries. He made only one more appearance in 1998, helping Ric Flair defeat Eric Bischoff for the Presidency of WCW on the [[December 28]], [[1998]] episode of ''Monday Nitro''. When Macho Man returned, he came back with a new look and new attitude and also brought with him his then 22-year-old girlfriend [[Stephanie Bellars|Gorgeous George]] as a valet. His first action was as the guest referee in the WCW world title matchup at ''[[Spring Stampede#1999|Spring Stampede 1999]]'', which was won by Diamond Dallas Page. For a short time after, Randy interfered in DDP's matches to make sure that Page kept his World Title (for reasons unknown and never explained by WCW; assumed that, given their past rivalry, he wanted DDP to keep the belt so that he could win it from him), but when Kevin Nash won it at ''[[Slamboree#1999|Slamboree 1999]]'', Savage went after the title himself. It was around that time that [[Debra Miceli|Madusa]] and [[Nora Greenwald|Miss Madness]] joined Macho Man as his other two valets; together they were known as '''Team Madness'''.
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| − | At ''[[The Great American Bash#1999|The Great American Bash 1999]]'', [[Sid Eudy|Sid Vicious]] returned to WCW and helped Macho Man attack Kevin Nash. This led to a tag team match between Kevin Nash and Sting against Randy Savage and Sid Vicious, in which whoever pinned Nash (including Sting) would win the World Title, at ''[[Bash at the Beach#1999|Bash at the Beach 1999]]''. Savage won the WCW title for the fourth time when he pinned Nash but lost the title again to Hollywood Hogan the next night, when Nash interfered and powerbombed Macho Man (in a reversal of the situation from the previous year, where Nash had attacked Hogan to help Savage keep his title, albeit unsuccessfully).
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| − | After that, Team Madness slowly started to disband as Madusa and Miss Madness started fighting each other because they blamed the other for Savage's title loss. Savage soon fired both of them and started a feud with [[Dennis Rodman]], defeating him at [[Road Wild#1999|Road Wild 1999]]. This would be his last PPV appearance. Savage's contract expired shortly thereafter and [[Vince Russo]] chose not to renew it. Savage never returned to WCW after that, save for one special appearance during a Nitro battle royale between the New Blood and the Millionaire's Club.
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| − | ===Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004)===
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| − | Savage made his return to wrestling for TNA at ''[[TNA Victory Road#2004|Victory Road 2004]]'' and feuded against Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. At ''[[TNA Turning Point#2004|Turning Point 2004]]'' he teamed up with [[Jeff Hardy]] and [[A.J. Styles]] to defeat the '''[[Kings of Wrestling (TNA)|Kings of Wrestling]]''' ([[Jeff Jarrett]], [[Kevin Nash]], and [[Scott Hall]]). The main event of ''[[TNA Final Resolution#2005|Final Resolution 2005]]'' was going to be Jeff Jarrett and Randy Savage for the NWA Title. Savage's plan was to win the belt and then drop it back to Jarrett at the next pay per view. When TNA management didn't like the idea, Savage left because neither party would budge. There were also stories of a confrontation between Savage and Hulk Hogan, who was backstage at the TNA tapings. Hogan only wished to shake Savage's hand and wish him luck yet Savage had harsh words for Hogan. He asked if Savage wanted to "step outside" to settle matters; Savage apparently declined. Savage then claimed TNA was an "unsafe working environment" and actually left one time prior to leaving TNA for good, for this reason; he returned after being promised his own private dressing room and allowed his own personal security, which consisted of one of the Harris Brothers and ex-wrestler [[Brian Adams (wrestler)|Brian Adams]]. While this pacified tensions between Macho and TNA management for a while, his eventual departure was indeed due to the proposed outcome of the title match.
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| − | In 2007, X-Division star [[Jay Lethal]] took on the new ring personality "Black Machismo," which is a satirical impersonation (and tribute) to the Macho Man.
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| − | ==Post-wrestling career==
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| − | Savage's two WWF and four WCW World Heavyweight Championship reigns were all ended with Savage losing the title to either [[Hulk Hogan]] or [[Ric Flair]]. His only PPV defense in his first reign came against Hulk Hogan at ''[[WrestleMania V]]'', which he lost. His second resulted in a loss to [[Ric Flair]] just three days after his countout loss to [[Ultimate Warrior]] at [[SummerSlam 1992]] where his knee was injured. During the match with Flair, his knee was attacked by the recently debuting [[Razor Ramon]], causing Savage to lose consciousness while Flair had his figure-four leglock applied, forcing referee [[Earl Hebner]] to count Savage's shoulders and award the title to Flair. In WCW, Savage would lose to Ric Flair at ''[[Starrcade#1995|Starrcade 1995]]'' and ''[[SuperBrawl VI]]''. He never actually defended the WCW World title on pay-per-view during his last two reigns due to them lasting one day each.
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| − | His former wife [[Miss Elizabeth|Elizabeth Hulette]] was found dead in the home of professional wrestler [[Lex Luger]] on [[May 1]], [[2003]] from a drug overdose. While numerous wrestlers and insiders have blamed Luger for Elizabeth's death, it is important to note that Savage bears no ill will towards Luger. According to a 2003 shoot interview with Lanny Poffo (Savage's brother), Savage has no animosity towards Luger, and feels that Elizabeth brought about her own death due to her drug use.
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| − | In 2005, Savage told a [[Missouri]] newspaper that he couldn't wrestle right at the moment because of "health concerns".
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| − | [[Jakks Pacific]] tried to sign him up for the Classic Superstars line up only to be denied by [[Vince McMahon]], despite the fact that he allowed them to sign a number of wrestlers on bad terms with WWE, including [[Warrior (wrestler)|The Ultimate Warrior]] (signed twice by Jakks), [[Bruno Sammartino]], [[The Honky Tonk Man]], and even [[Bret Hart|Bret "The Hitman" Hart]]. Savage remains one of the only prominent WWE stars who hasn't signed up with Jakks for a figure.
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| − | ==Outside of the ring==
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| − | In 1998, Savage accepted an award from [[Harvard University]]'s humor society [[Harvard Lampoon]] as '''''Man of the Year'''''.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Acting career===
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| − | Savage provided the voice for the character, Rasslor, on the "Dial M For Monkey" segment on an episode of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]''. He has also lent his voice to the online cartoon ''[[College University]]'' in which he voiced himself. He also appeared in one of the more popular episodes of the television program ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'', entitled "Piledriver." In the episode, Savage supplied the voice of Space Ghost's grandfather, a former professional wrestler. Zorak commented, "That sounds like Randy Savage," and the character also referenced Elizabeth, his brother, "Leapin" [[Lanny Poffo]], "Wildfire" [[Tommy Rich]], and [[William Calhoun|Haystacks Calhoun]].
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| − | Savage beat out rival former wrestler [[Bill Goldberg|Goldberg]] as the casting choice to appear in ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'' (2002) as the underground wrestler "Bonesaw McGraw." The original character from the comics is named Crusher Hogan. It was his "Bonesaw McGraw" character that has inspired fans of Clarkson University Hockey to bring the Bonesaw to hockey games to use as an intimidating gesture to the other teams as well as support the Golden Knights team. An entire website has been devoted to this cause, www.bonesaw.org.<ref>http://www.bonesaw.org</ref> In 2005, he provided the voice of Sasquatch in the [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] show ''[[The X's]]''. He appeared on ''[[The Jeff Foxworthy Show]]'' as himself and played pro wrestler James "Pretty Boy" Carter on the [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Nikki (TV series)|Nikki]]'', Ep# 14, Season 1, "Fallback". His character's financial bankruptcy and physical injuries led Dwight (Nick Von Esmarch) his long-time fan, to rethink his own options between college education and passion for wrestling.
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| − | | |
| − | Savage played a prison inmate who was forced to fight other inmates in a cage in the episode "Fight or Die" of ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]''. In 1999, Macho Man appeared as himself on ''[[Mad About You]]'', Ep #17, Season 7. In the episode Savage wrestles "Gorilla Boy" (Marvin), and wins only after Ira, Marvin's manager, tells him to bite Marvin on the back of the foot, his achilles heel. Savage responds by asking "is he basically a clean guy" before he bites Marvin. Marvin's mom then attacks Savage resulting in a brawl in the ring. He also acted in an episode of ''[[The Weird Al Show]]''.
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| − | He appeared in an episode of ''[[King of the Hill]]'' as a minor character, one of [[Bill Dauterive]]'s personal trainers. Displaying both his typical overexaggerated vocal and physical actions, he was responsible for Bill injuring himself (partially). The episode aired Sunday, [[May 20]], [[2007 in television|2007]].
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| − | Savage was also briefly shown in ''[[Family Guy]]'' in the episode "[[The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire]]."
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| − | ===Television===
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| − | When [[Phil Hellmuth]] did an interview on [[Sirius Satellite Radio]] recently, he said that Savage will be on the next season of [[VH1]]'s ''[[The Surreal Life]]'' along with [[playmate|Playboy Playmate]] [[Tina Marie Jordan]] and rock musician [[Peter Steele]]. This has been verified by Savage himself in a press release, though VH1 has not released the official cast list yet.
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| − | He was the celebrity spokesman for ''[[Slim Jim]]'' snackfoods for a period, and still is noted for this today.
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| − | | |
| − | == Music ==
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| − | On [[October 7]], [[2003 in music|2003]], Savage released a [[hip hop]] [[album]] titled: ''[[Be a Man (album)|Be a Man]]''.
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| − | | |
| − | ==Wrestling facts==
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| − | ===Finishing and signature moves===
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| − | :*'''''Savage Elbow ''''' ([[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Diving elbow drop|Diving elbow drop]])
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| − | :*''Savage Strikes'' (Alternating [[jab]]s to the chest and head)
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| − | :*[[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Axe handle|Diving double axe handle]] to an opponent outside the ring
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| − | :*[[Professional wrestling attacks#Knee drop|Jumping knee drop]]
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| − | :*[[Professional wrestling attacks#Elbow smash|Various elbow strikes]]
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| − | :*[[Professional wrestling throws#Body slam|Body slam]]
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| − | :*[[Powerslam#Front Powerslam|Running powerslam]]
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| − | :*[[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Diving crossbody|Diving crossbody]]
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| − | :*[[Piledriver (professional wrestling)|Piledriver]]
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| − | | |
| − | ===Managers===
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| − | :*[[Miss Elizabeth]]
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| − | :*[[Sherri Martel|Sensational Sherri/Queen Sherri]]
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| − | :*[[Stephanie Bellars|Gorgeous George]]
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| − | :*Team Madness ([[Stephanie Bellars|Gorgeous George]], [[Debra Miceli|Madusa]], & [[Nora Greenwald|Miss Madness]])
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| − | | |
| − | ===Theme music===
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| − | Savage's ring entrance music in the WWF was ''[[Pomp and Circumstance Marches|Pomp and Circumstance]]'', known best as the theme played at high school graduations. The song was originally used by legendary wrestler [[George Wagner|"Gorgeous George"]] (who is credited as being the first wrestler to use an entrance theme). Because the song was in the public domain and therefore could not be copyrighted by the WWF like most themes, Savage was able to bring it with him to WCW and used a rock version of the theme for much of his early to mid-WCW career). During his short [[TNA Wrestling]] stint, Savage used a similar rock version as his theme.
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| − | | |
| − | ==Championships and accomplishments==
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| − | *'''[[Continental Wrestling Association]]'''
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| − | :*[[AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship]] ([[AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship|2 times]])
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| − | :*[[AWA International Heavyweight Championship|CWA International Heavyweight Championship]] ([[AWA International Heavyweight Championship#Title History|1 time]])
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| − | :*[[NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship#Title History|3 times]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[Georgia Championship Wrestling]]'''
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| − | :*[[NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship#Title History|1 time]]) - with [[Lanny Poffo]]
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| − | *'''[[Continental Championship Wrestling|Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling]]'''
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| − | :*[[NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship#Title History|1 time]]) - with Lanny Poffo
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[International Championship Wrestling]]'''
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| − | :*[[ICW Heavyweight Championship]] ([[ICW Heavyweight Championship#Title History|3 times]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[United States Wrestling Association]]'''
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| − | :*[[USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship#Title History|1 time]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[World Championship Wrestling]]'''
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| − | :*[[WCW World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[List of WCW World Heavyweight Champions|4 times]])
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| − | :*[[WCW World War 3]] ([[WCW World War 3#1995|1995]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[World Wrestling Council]]'''
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| − | :*[[WWC North American Heavyweight Championship]] ([[WWC North American Heavyweight Championship#Title History|1 time]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]'''
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| − | :*[[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]] ([[List of WWE Champions|2 times]])
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| − | :*[[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Championship]] ([[List of WWE Intercontinental Champions|1 time]])
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| − | :*[[King of the Ring|WWF King of the Ring]] ([[King of the Ring#1987|1987]])
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''
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| − | :*[[PWI Match of the Year]] award in 1987 - vs. [[Ricky Steamboat]]
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| − | :*[[PWI Wrestler of the Year]] award in 1988
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| − | :*[[PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year]] award in 1988
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| − | :*[[PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year]] award in 1989
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| − | :*PWI ranked him # '''4''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the [[Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500|PWI 500]] in 1991.
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| − | :*PWI ranked him #'''2''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1992.
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| − | :*[[PWI Comeback of the Year]] award in 1995
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| − | :*[[PWI Feud of the Year]] award in 1997 - vs. [[Dallas Page|Diamond Dallas Page]]
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| − | :*PWI ranked him # '''9''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
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| − | :*PWI ranked him # '''57''' of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with [[Hulk Hogan]] in 2003.
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| − | | |
| − | *'''[[Dave Meltzer#Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''
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| − | :*[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worked match of the year|Worked Match of the Year]] award in 1987 - vs. Ricky Steamboat
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| − | :*[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame|Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame]] ([[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#1996 inductees|Class of 1996]])
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| − | | |
| − | ==References==
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | *[http://www.machoman.com Machoman.com] - Official Website.
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| − | *[http://www.zubazpants.com/articles/archive/jbyrne00.html Speaking From the Heart ... Randy Savage Style] - A review of ''WWF Superstars: The Music Videos'', hosted by the Macho Man himself
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| − | * [http://www.arthurshall.com/x_2006_wrestling_04_macho.shtml Macho Man Randy Savage: Brief Career Overview]
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| − | * [http://img196.exs.cx/img196/4374/superslam6dd.swf Super Slam] - Famous internet meme featuring Randy Savage
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| − | [[da:Randy Savage]]
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| − | [[de:Randall Mario Poffo]]
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| − | [[fr:Randy Savage]]
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| − | [[it:Randy Savage]]
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| − | [[ja:ランディ・サベージ]]
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| − | [[pl:Randy Savage]]
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| − | [[ro:Randy Savage]]
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| − | [[ru:Рэнди Сэведж]]
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| − | {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Randy}}
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| − | [[Category:1952 births]]
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