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RIP Randy Savage Dead: Things You Didn’t Know About Macho Man

Randy Macho Man Savage died today after having a heart attack while driving and crashing into a tree. He was 58. If you are a casual wrestling fan, you may remember Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo) in the 1980′s, with his manager Elizabeth in the WWF. If you are a young wrestling fan, you may remember him on WCW Nitro and the nWo, or him making brief appearance with TNA. If you are a hardcore wrestling fan, such as myself, you know that Randy Savage was an icon for decades. If you are not a wrestling fan, you may have seen his Slim Jim commercials or some brief appearances on TV and movies, such as Spider-Man or Bolt.

rip randy savage

Randy Savage and Elizabeth are both gone now.

As a true fan of Randy Savage, I cannot truly express condolences in a blog post or write a tribute to his career. Instead I will list some things you probably didn’t know about Macho Man Randy Savage:

- He liked to script out his matches and was a control freak to give the fans a high quality, exciting match night after night.
- Randy Savage was an Enneagram Personality Type 4.
- Randy Savage was a private man in all aspects of his life. In recent times, most of what we know about Savage came from his brother.
- Randy Savage saved a lot of money and was frugal.
- When he was hired by Vince McMahon in 1985, he insisted his brother Lanny Poffo be hired as well.
- Savage also brought his real-life wife Elizabeth into the WWF to be his valet manager.
- Savage was a natural athlete and had one of the strongest grips.
- Savage was overly protective of Elizabeth and would lock her in their dressing room; Randy was criticized for this, but based on Elizabeth’s life choices, he turned out to be correct to be concerned about her wandering off.
- Savage made his debut in 1973 and wrestled in regional promotions in the South. He also wrestled for his dad Angelo Poffo in ICW, which was an outlaw organization (they were not sanctioned by the NWA).
- Savage’s character in ICW and Memphis was very cutting edge and way before his time: it was like 1990′s ECW.
- Early in his career, scouts knew he had the look, ability, and microphone skill: he just didn’t have the height, which is why he began to take steroids.
- Before his WWF run, Savage had exceptional matches with Jerry The King Lawler and the Rock and Roll Express.
- Savage was an icon in the WWF from 1985 to his departure in 1994. Whether he was a face or heel, his charisma and intensity made him such a popular and beloved superstar.
-Randy Savage’s finishing maneuver- the flying elbow smash- actual hurt wrestlers! Savage had to take 50% of the weight on his hip (which damaged it), but the other 50% landed on their chests!
- Although Savage was old and battled injuries in his WCW run from 1994 to 1999, his work was much better than other grizzled veterans in WCW at the time, such as Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Ultimate Warrior, and Kevin Nash.
- Savage had a very brief stay at TNA in 2004/2005 before dropping out of the wrestling world.
- Savage was pretty much blacklisted by Vince McMahon and the WWE after he left. Since Savage never spoke about his private life and his brother Lanny would never say anything, many fans speculated on why Savage was never mentioned on WWE TV anymore. Some say it was over money, others say it was about Vince’s daughter Stephanie McMahon.
- When he was in his prime, Randy Savage was able to utilize his popularity to leverage his power behind the scenes. He and Hulk Hogan would work Vince McMahon to mutually benefit themselves. However, Savage and Hogan would have a relationship that also included friction and envy.
- Ever the businessman, Savage still made money recently with the WWE with video games and DVDs.
- The main rumor about Hogan and Savage was that Hogan and his wife Linda got into Elizabeth’s head, and Liz eventually divorced Randy. Randy allegedly never truly forgave Hogan and Linda for that, although he did work with him professionally after that.
- Savage didn’t make any public statements after Elizabeth died, but it must have hurt him.
- Savage was one of the most wealthiest wrestlers, and achieved a lot in his life, more so than 99% of most Americans.
- He had remarried recently to a “civilian” in Florida.
- Although Vince McMahon did not induct Randy Savage to the WWE Hall of Fame, Savage was inducted into the Wrestling Observer HOF and the Professional Wrestling HOF.
- Randy Savage’s wrestling career is actually underrated by some fans and “experts” due to four reasons: 1) He hasn’t been on WWE in decades; 2) He wasn’t part of the wrestling fraternity due to his privacy and financial security; 3) Influential wrestling writers such as Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller didn’t think Savage’s “workrate” was as good as Ric Flair, Rick Steamboat, Ted DiBiase, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and other similar “technical” wrestlers; and 4) Savage didn’t care about critics and never had “shoot” interviews to talk about his career- he took great pride in his work and preparation, and believed his achievements speak for themselves. Savage was one of the most entertaining and creative minds in the business.
- What these writers fail to understand is how entertaining Savage was and how awesome he was in and out the ring. Savage was able to tell a story in the ring with horrible technical wrestlers such as the Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, and Ultimate Warrior.

Just wanted to say that the death of Randy Savage also kills a part of my childhood. Savage was on my list  of “my favorite performers”. I liked Savage just as much as other of my favorite athletes and celebrities when I was growing up, and I continued to follow Savage’s career even when I outgrew wrestling on a daily basis. He was a man of mystery, but was very smart when it came to saving money and keeping his status in the industry. Vince McMahon should be ashamed of himself for refusing to knowledge Savage’s legacy on air. Even though Hogan was the main man in the 1980′s, Savage was #2, and was 100% more exciting in the ring.

He lived a full life and it is a shame he died due to a heart attack and car accident.

As much as I enjoy and respect the work of the greatest wrestler of all time- Ric Flair- Randy Savage’s storylines were better, and he was able to tug on your emotions and heart strings. It was and is hard not to tear up when watching his “retirement” match with The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania, and the post-match when Savage and Elizabeth reunited. Another emotional scene was when he got down on one knee and proposed to Elizabeth on WWF TV.

Savage has many memorable moments in his career, and his performances were exceptional and unique.

From his pre-match interview, to his theme song Pomp and Circumstance, to his cape, sunglasses, and beard, to his flying elbow smash, Macho Madness will live forever. “OOOHHHH YEEEEEEAHHHHH! CAN YOU DIG IT?”

randy savage dies

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  5 comments for “RIP Randy Savage Dead: Things You Didn’t Know About Macho Man”

  1. Robelllio
    September 26, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    class=” ” shit ill dead wait on dem hot wings…lol

  2. Randy Fan
    September 8, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Spot on commentary. Randy was brilliant and he did pull on one’s heart strings better than anyone. His death has most certainly broken a tiny piece of my heart.

  3. DailySkew
    May 27, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    More info about Randy Savage death:

    He was cremated and his ashes were spread over his dog’s grave near a tree.

    His last wish was to have Pomp and Circumstance play at his funeral.

    Lanny Poffo is handling all media contacts. Lanny said that Macho Man felt guilty about making Pomp and Circumstance popular in the wrestling world because he borrowed it from Gorgeous George. Savage was working on a tribute project for GG.

  4. Tony Vahl
    May 27, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    Great tribute to Savage. As a kid, if you were to ask me who would I root for between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, I would root for the Macho Man. He was my favorite WWF superstar, back in the day. I’m sad that he died under such tragic circumstances, and I hope he is much happier now in that great ring in the sky.

  5. isaacduke
    May 26, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    I think Wade Keller shows once again how out of touch/possibly insane he is.

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