Randall Mario Poffo (born November 15, 1952), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage , is a former American professional wrestler and actor who is best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Savage is a six-time world champion. For much of his tenure in the WWF, he was managed by his real life wife, "Miss Elizabeth" Hulette.
Savage was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep and husky voice, his colorful attire (often comprising sunglasses, a bandanna, gaudy robes, and a cowboy hat), intensity exhibited in and out of the ring, his entry to the strains of Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", and his signature catch phrase ("Oh yeah!").
In WWF, he was a two-time WWF Champion, a former Intercontinental Champion and the winner of the 1987 King of the Ring tournament. In WCW, he was a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, his first reign a result of winning the 1995 World War 3 battle royal.
Career
Early career
Savage 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-ups for hours on end. Randy's brother Lanny had a moderately successful career as a wrestler, too, most notably under the names "Leaping Lanny Poffo" and "The Genius." After college, Randy was a minor league baseball outfielder 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. Randy's last season was 1974, when he played for the Tampa Tarpons.
Savage first broke into the wrestling business in 1973 during the fall and winter of the baseball off season. His first wrestling character, "The Spider Friend", was similar to Spider-Man. He later took the ring name Randy Savage at the suggestion of Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) booker Ole Anderson, who said that the name Poffo didn't fit someone who "wrestled like a savage".
Savage eventually decided to end his baseball career and become a full time wrestler, working with his brother and father. He wrestled his first match against Midwest territory wrestler the "Golden Boy" Paul Christy. Savage worked with his father and brother in Michigan, the Carolinas, Georgia, the Maritimes, and the eastern Tennessee territory run by Nick Gulas.
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. Eventually, ICW disbanded and Randy and Lanny entered the Memphis scene, joining Jerry Lawler's Continental Wrestling Association (their former competitors). While there, Savage 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 in the storyline, Savage injured Ricky Morton by piledriving him through the timekeeper's table, leading to the Express winning by disqualification. Later in 1984, Savage turned babyface and allied with Lawler against Jimmy Hart's First Family stable, only to turn heel on Lawler again in early 1985 and resume the feud with him over the title. This ended when Lawler beat Savage in a Loser Leaves Town match on June 8 in Nashville, Tennessee.
World Wrestling Federation (1985–1994)
Early heel push (1985)
In June 1985, Savage signed with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF). One of Savage's first appearances was on Tuesday Night Titans , in which several established WWF managers (including Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, and "Classy" Freddie Blassie) offered their services to Savage. He eventually declined their offers and chose Miss Elizabeth as his new manager. He made his pay-per-view (PPV) debut at The Wrestling Classic on November 7, 1985, participating in a sixteen man tournament. He defeated Ivan Putski, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and the Dynamite Kid before losing by a countout in the finals to Junkyard Dog.
Intercontinental Champion (1986–1987)
In late 1985, Savage started a feud with Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana over that title. On the November 2, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event , he unsuccessfully challenged Santana for the title (Savage won the match by countout but not the title because a title does not change hands by countout). In a rematch on the February 24, 1986 (taped February 8) edition of Prime Time Wrestling , he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship at the Boston Garden by using an illegal steel object stashed in his tights. Early 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 hands due to the countout) as well as engaging in historic feuds with Bruno Sammartino and George "The Animal" Steele.
Savage's feud with Steele began on the January 4, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event , when Steele developed a crush on Miss Elizabeth. At WrestleMania 2, Savage defeated Steele in a match to retain his Intercontinental title. Another major title challenger was Jake "The Snake" Roberts, with whom he battled to a double disqualification on the November 29, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event . He resumed his feud with George Steele in early 1987, culminating in two Intercontinental title matches, both won by Savage.
Savage wrestled in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest matches in North American 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 (which saw Savage kayfabe crush Steamboat's larynx), 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 seen cheering with and hugging other wrestlers after the match.
The Mega Powers (1987–1989)
Main article: The Mega PowersSavage won the King of the Ring tournament later in 1987. As the fans were drawn toward his charisma and in-ring ability, he began to turn face, becoming less hostile toward the fans and Miss Elizabeth. When The Honky Tonk Man declared himself "the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time", Savage began a feud with him to get the title back. On the October 3, 1987, edition of Saturday Night's Main Event , He got his shot at The Honky Tonk Man and the Intercontinental Championship, but was screwed out of the title when The Hart Foundation, who along with Honky were managed by Jimmy Hart, interrupted the match, getting Honky disqualified. In the ensuing beatdown, Miss Elizabeth got Hulk Hogan to save him, solidifying Savage's face turn and leading to the formation of "The Mega Powers."
Savage reached the pinnacle of his career to date at WrestleMania IV, when he participated in the 14 man tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. He had successful matches against Butch Reed, Greg Valentine and One Man Gang, and then went on to the finals, in which he defeated "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, by pinning him with the help of Hulk Hogan. 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. Savage would retain the WWF title for over a year, defending it against the likes of One Man Gang and André the Giant. Savage would set a new trend, as during his face turn he would retain many fans who cheered for him as a heel.
The Mega Powers' main feud was with The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant), whom they defeated in the main event of the first-ever SummerSlam pay-per-view event. Problems between Savage and Hogan developed, however, in early 1989 after Hogan also took Elizabeth as his manager. At Royal Rumble 1989, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match and they started to fight until Elizabeth separated them. On the February 3, 1989 edition of The Main Event , Savage turned heel on Hogan, getting jealous over Miss Elizabeth and his self-perceived third wheel standing in the Mega Powers. He solidified his heel turn after abandoning Hogan during a tag team match against the Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Bossman), though Hogan picked up the win in the end.
At WrestleMania V, Savage dropped the WWF t
The Macho Man Randy Savage Macho Madness Website
WWE WWF Legend Randy Macho Man Savage. The New Macho Madness Web Site. Check Out MachoMadness.com the biggest Randy Savage web site of all time! OH YEAH!
Randy Savage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Randall Mario Poffo (born November 15, 1952), [2] [3] [4] better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, is a former American professional wrestler and actor who is best ...
Inappropriate Macho Man Moments | Tosh.0 Blog
Turns out there are some times when Daniel Tosh should hold off on his dead-on impression of 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. Got your own inappropriate Macho
BARLINK MACHO MAN APHA SIMMELINK RANCH PAINT & QUATER HORSES
Home of the Barlinks Simmelink Ranch #1 Lifetime leading breeders of APHA Halter Horses Standing Barlink Macho Man. Leading Sire APHA Paint Horses.
Macho Man (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Macho Man" is a 1978 disco song performed by the Village People. It extols the virtues of working out and jogging: Every man ought to be a macho macho man / to live a life of ...
YouTube - Macho Man
the cowboy, indian and sailor guy are gay...the contruction worker, biker and cop(lead singer) are not!!! shocking i know!
YouTube - Halloween Havok Macho Man Interview
You can tell neither of these guys gave two shits about what they were doing at the time. Both were just there to collect a paycheck.
CRYiNG MACHO MAN
Welcome to the Saloon…where everybody knows your name! And everybody is glad you came!
Amazon.com: Macho Man: Village People: Music
Find all the CDs, MP3s, and vinyl, plus photos, videos, biographies, discussions, and more. › Visit Amazon's The Village People Store
Amazon.com: Be a Man: "Macho Man" Randy Savage: Music
Find all the CDs, MP3s, and vinyl, plus photos, videos, biographies, discussions, and more. › Visit Amazon's "Macho Man" Randy Savage Store