His Best Feud: Randy Savage

[The Brain]

Here I am back so soon with another best feud thread. I’ve been looking forward to this one. From what I’ve read on these forums Randy Savage is pretty well respected by most people, and rightfully so. Everyone seems to like him so I’m hoping to get a lot of responses to this one. There’s no doubt he was the biggest name in the WWF besides Hulk Hogan. What I like about Savage is he always put his all into everything he did. Savage had a lot of great feuds and he made me believe that he legitimately hated his opponents. He had a lot of intensity in all his feuds. It didn’t matter if he was feuding with Hacksaw Jim Duggan for the title of king or with Hulk Hogan over the WWF title and Elizabeth. Savage brought his A game all the time. A lot of his feuds got very personal too. I’d like to remind everyone that I’m a WWF guy. My list is going to be from his WWF career. Feel free to include anyone from WCW on your list. I’m sure DDP would be a popular choice. Here is my top ten list for The Macho Man:

10. Ted Dibiase & Andre The Giant
9. Dusty Rhodes
8. The Ultimate Warrior
7. Crush
6. Ricky Steamboat
5. George Steele
4. Jake Roberts
3. Ric Flair
2. The Honky Tonk Man
1. Hulk Hogan

I have a few things to mention before I get to my number one. I decided to count Dibiase and Andre as one feud. From WrestleMania IV through SummerSlam 88 Savage was pretty much feuding with the two of them as a team. Ricky Steamboat may seem a little low for some. Savage and Steamboat gave us one of the most memorable matches of all time at WrestleMania III. This is about best feuds, not best matches. I just felt he had better feuds with others. Mainly because my top five were so much more personal. Honky Tonk Man may seem too high on the list to some. I love this feud. This was the first main feud I remember from when I first started watching wrestling. I had already been watching for about a year at this point, but this is the first feud that really got my attention. It changed the way I viewed wrestling. I began to really get into storylines instead of just watching guys fight. It seemed like a really big deal whenever these two hooked up.

I hate to take the easy way out so to speak, but how could I not choose Hogan as number one? These two feuded on and off throughout the late 80’s. It was such a great rivalry. The set up for WrestleMania V was perfect. Sometimes the most simple and obvious stories are the best stories. I love the interview at WrestleMania V where Mean Gene is recapping the feud and he states “what a difference a year makes.” At WrestleMania IV Hogan helped Savage win the vacant title in the tournament final. Hogan handed Savage the belt proclaiming him as the new top guy. Hogan took a short hiatus before returning for the big tag match at SummerSlam 88. As the months went by tension started to mount between the Mega powers. At least on Savage’s end. Hogan seemed oblivious to it at first like all good babyfaces would be. Despite being champion, and despite having a relationship with Elizabeth, Savage was becoming jealous of Hogan. It really began to take shape when Hogan was celebrating a little too closely with Elizabeth at Survivor Series. If I was a little older at the time I would have seen the mania main event coming a mile away. But alas I was still a youngster and just assumed these good friends would work things out. They had a much more physical problem at the Royal Rumble when Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage. Liz managed to calm the two down and get them to shake hands, but now it was becoming obvious where this was going. Savage reached his boiling point during the Main Event special in February. During a tag match against the Twin Towers Elizabeth was knocked unconscious at ringside. Hogan, being concerned for his manager, carried Liz to the back to receive medical attention leaving Savage alone in the ring. This was the last straw for Savage. When Hogan returned to the ring Savage slapped him and left him to finish the match alone. After the match Hogan and Savage got into a shouting match face to face backstage. This ended with Savage hitting Hogan with the belt and leaving him lying. The main event was set for WrestleMania. Over the next couple months Elizabeth would continue to be in the middle of this feud. She declared she would be in a neutral corner at mania and support both men. Finally in the same building Hogan helped Savage win the title in at WrestleMania IV, the Mega Powers would explode at WrestleMania V. Hogan won the title in a great mania main event. The two would continue their feud throughout 1989 involving Brutus Beefcake and Zeus. The Mega Powers forming, teaming, and eventually exploding was the main story going on in WWF for two years. This is why I’ve chosen Hulk Hogan as Randy Savage’s greatest feud.

You’ve seen my list. Let’s see yours.

 

[ckyd862]

Savage vs DDP in WCW. They had 3 one on one matches over 1997

 

[CKDaimen]

I love the list, but maybe I'm forgetting something but I don't see Honky Tonk Man being #2. The only thing I remember is Honky Tonk and Randy Savage feuding over who the best IC champion of all time is or something like that. I dont know, I dont see that or remember that as being much better than the Crush feud, which in my opinion was one of the most underrated feuds ever. Each of the top 10 were huge feuds so there is no filler, and the #2 feud should have had a lot of emotion and I just dont remember Honky Tonk Man and Savage having a lot of emotion. Plus, Honky Tonk Man is pretty overrated in general so I dont know.

Another thing I want to point out is I remember when you did this for Warrior, Savage was #2 if I remember correctly. I dont see how Warrior is so low for Savage. If anything, for Savage, Warrior should be ranked higher since Savage never beat him, plus Warrior sent Savage into retirement.

If you ask me, if you were to SWAP Warrior to #2 and Honky to #8, the list would be perfect. The #1 being Hogan is a no brainer but I just think you should give the Warrior feud/rivalry more respect and take away Honky being #2. Like I said, maybe I'm forgetting something so if I am please remind me on how that feud is above all those other great feuds, and while you're at it, please tell me how Warrior is all the way down at #8 when Savage obsessed over beating him, it was a very rare face vs. face main event feud, they had two amazing classics, and Warrior retired the man.

P.S. Savage got me into pro wrestling. And when Warrior 'retired' Savage at Wrestlemania I went on strike, so I remember firsthand how major that feud was and how epic that match was.

 

[CKDaimen]

Also, someone above me made a good point. This is only WWE, which is understandable except for one person - DDP. I can see DDP being the only WCW guy to make this list. Ric Flair is WCW but Im pretty sure the Flair/Savage feud you are talking about is mostly from WWE. I think DDP should have been the only WCW guy to crack the list. My main thing, though is still Warrior at #8 and Honky at #2. That should be swapped. Here is my list.

10. Honky Tonk Man
9. Ted Dibiase & Andre The Giant
8. DDP
7. Crush
6. Ricky Steamboat
5. George Steele
4. Jake Roberts
3. Ric Flair
2. The Ultimate Warrior
1. Hulk Hogan

 

[NOD_FAN]

This is a tough one. I would have to say Ricky Steamboat but the Hulk Hogan and Ted D. Also are right behind that feud. Ricky and Randy put on one of the greatest matches in wrestling history..Not to mention this was during a time when the IC belt actullay meant something..

 

[fb481777]

Wow...talk about a toughie...

1). Macho vs Hulk Hogan, probably had the most Intense Long Lasting Story Line with plenty of emotion (with the love triangle deal & friendship)
2). Macho vs Warrior, I'm a huge fan of the Warrior, so I'd say that this would be my 2nd since the wrestling aspect was fantastic, and those 5 Elbow Drops onto the Warrior was just a classic!!! Never done before! Great wrestling, perfect ending, beautiful story line, intense, etc. etc. etc...

Macho was intense indeed, and one of the best as I have yet to see a wrestler as intense long lasting since...

 

[The Brain]

I knew some people would question The Honky Tonk Man being so high on my list so I’ll explain myself a little further. This feud started off simple enough. Honky claimed he was the greatest IC champion of all time which Savage took exception to. Keep in mind Savage was still heel at this time. Tweener at best. The feud with Honky turned him into a full babyface. As time went by the feud became much more personal. Honky would make advances toward Elizabeth and always claim deep down she would rather be with him than Savage. Honky didn’t really care about Liz, but was using her just to piss off Savage. We all know Savage has a temper, especially when it comes to Liz. Honky would continually taunt Savage over this, but whenever Savage would confront him he would run like a coward. The two finally had a showdown on Saturday Night’s Main Event. The big fight atmosphere was in the air that night. During the match Savage knocked Jimmy Hart unconscious so the Hart Foundation took his place at ringside. Just as Savage was about to pin Honky, the Harts interfered causing the dq. A three on one beatdown ensued. The Harts held Savage as Honky prepared to give him a guitar shot. Suddenly Elizabeth jumped in front of Savage begging Honky not to hit him. In a shocking move for 1987 Honky violently shoved Elizabeth to the ground. No one had ever done anything like that before. Liz ran to the back and Honky blasted Savage with the guitar (not an exploding prop guitar al la Jeff Jarrett). Elizabeth finally retuned with Hulk Hogan to save Savage and the Mega Powers were formed (planting the seeds for feud #1.) Instead of this match ending the feud as expected, it escalated it. Savage would loose his mind every time he saw Honky, and Honky would always run scared. Honky was becoming the most hated guy in WWF while Savage was becoming the most popular. They wrestled again on the Main Event special in February 1988 (the same event where Andre controversially took the title from Hogan). Savage won by count out this time but there was some after match activity again. After Jimmy knocked Savage down with the megaphone Honky had Savage sitting in the corner. Again he was about to hit him with the guitar. Again Liz jumped in and sat in front of Savage. Honky threatened to hit Liz with the guitar if she didn’t move. Judging by his past actions the fans were terrified he would actually do it. As Honky was coming down with the guitar Savage popped up and blocked the shot saving Elizabeth. After this match Savage finally started showing Elizabeth respect and began treating her like a lady. The days of Savage treating Elizabeth like property were over (for now). After this Savage would go on to win the tournament at WrestleMania IV and become world champion. In my opinion it was the feud with Honky that got the fans behind Savage enough that Vince was comfortable with him becoming the top guy.

I stand by Honky as my number two choice. If you were watching WWF in 1987 (not you personally CK, I don’t know if you were) you would understand the intensity of this feud. Maybe if I was a little older or more experienced with wrestling it would not be so high on the list. It’s certainly possible I’m not looking at it objectively and instead trough my childhood eyes. I said in my original post that this feud changed the way a viewed wrestling. Instead of simply liking good guys and not liking bad guys I was being drawn into storylines. Maybe this feud wouldn’t be as special to me if I was already at that point. This will always be a personal favorite of mine.

As far as Warrior, it is not a knock on him that he is #8. You’re absolutely right. Savage was #2 on Warrior’s list. This is not like the Warrior list where I am struggling just to come up with ten guys. Savage had great feuds with everyone he worked with. Being #8 on Savage’s list is the equivalent of being #2 on Warrior’s. Just because Savage is Warrior’s #2 feud doesn’t mean Warrior has to be as high on Savage’s list. Either way it was a great feud.

Regarding DDP, I completely understand if he is high on anyone’s list. I know they had a great feud in WCW. As I stated in my original post I am a WWF guy. I don’t have anywhere near the knowledge of WCW that I do of WWF. I do remember this won PWI feud of the year in 1997. I am just not familiar enough with the feud to rank it properly.

 

[CKDaimen]

I'm not saying that because Savage was #2 for Warrior that Warrior should be #2 for Savage. I also understand that Savage had many more great feuds than Warrior. My point is.....from Warrior's perspective, Savage was not as hated as Warrior was hated from Savage's perspective. In other words, Savage hated Warrior more than Warrior hated Savage. If that's the case, you have to wonder how much weight that feud must have carried in Savage's career. I certainly think it's better than #8. I personally think it's #2. The facts still remain it was a rare face vs. face feud, they had one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time, wrestled in Wrembly stadium, and most importantly, Warrior retired Savage. But, the chances of two people having the exact top 10 is next to impossible, so at least we can agree on #1 once again. I think Hogan is pretty obvious. Those who say Ricky Steamboat are once again getting best match confused with best feud.

You make a good argument for Honky, and I give you full credit for that. I thought that you were getting too subjective in what is supposed to be an objective series of lists. But you did an excellent job of making your case. I still think Warrior should be higher than Honky, but I can see Honky being in the top 5. I do in fact remember most of what you recounted.

 

[The Brain]

I'm not saying that because Savage was #2 for Warrior that Warrior should be #2 for Savage. I also understand that Savage had many more great feuds than Warrior. My point is.....from Warrior's perspective, Savage was not as hated as Warrior was hated from Savage's perspective. In other words, Savage hated Warrior more than Warrior hated Savage. If that's the case, you have to wonder how much weight that feud must have carried in Savage's career. I certainly think it's better than #8. I personally think it's #2. The facts still remain it was a rare face vs. face feud, they had one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time, wrestled in Wrembly stadium, and most importantly, Warrior retired Savage. But, the chances of two people having the exact top 10 is next to impossible, so at least we can agree on #1 once again. I think Hogan is pretty obvious. Those who say Ricky Steamboat are once again getting best match confused with best feud.

You make a good argument for Honky, and I give you full credit for that. I thought that you were getting too subjective in what is supposed to be an objective series of lists. But you did an excellent job of making your case. I still think Warrior should be higher than Honky, but I can see Honky being in the top 5. I do in fact remember most of what you recounted.

CK I definitely respect your opinion and appreciate that you've contributed in all my threads. I fully admit I may not be looking at the Honky Tonk feud objectively because of the impact it had on me at a young age as a wrestling fan. I just want to stress that I'm not knocking the Warrior feud. It was a great feud and they had one of my favorite WrestleMania matches of all time. You certainly make a good case for him at number two. The reason I put the others ahead of him is because Savage seemed to have so much more personal hatred toward all of those guys. Mostly because of Elizabeth I suppose. Maybe I put too much stock in that. I really felt the hatred between Savage and Honky. There's no doubt the Warrior feud is more well known. They got to wrestle at both Mania and SummerSlam. I think you understand my point about Savage having so many great feuds. Being #8 on Savage's list is like being #1 or 2 on most other guys's lists. After reading your posts I would probably reconsider moving Warrior into the top five, but I'm not sure I would put him above Honky. You make a good point about Warrior retiring Savage. But in my opinion Honky made Savage as a face. Sure he was already a big star, but it was the feud with Honky that brought the fans to his side and pushed him to a new level. I just thought of this as I was typing that last sentence. Ironically Honky kind of did that for Warrior too. Anyway, you're right. It's near impossible for two people to have the exact same lists so for now we will have to respectfully agree to disagree.

 

[wrestling fan 666]

I've always respected Savage and no one really gave the guy the credit he deserves. He brought an intensity to his matches like was said prior, that he made you feel that he truly hated his opponents. Your list is interesting, but in just my opinion, I'd switch #3 Ric Flair with #6 Ricky Steamboat. I remember Savage hanging the Dragon from the top rope, nearly breaking his neck. Not to forget their epic battle in Wrestlemania 3; which almost stole the show from the main event.

 

[666_The_Game_666]

Hulk Hogan even when Hulk wasnt champ he was more popular than Savage and well the jealousy got the better of Savage and ended the Mega Powers. And watching the events that ocurred at SNME in 1989 during the Match with The Twin Towers will go down as one of the best promos in WWE history. And lastly the match they were in at WM5 will be Hogans best WM performance and one of the best Savage had IMO

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I've often proclaimed that Randy Savage is "The Greatest Feud Participant in Pro Wrestling History." Better than Hogan. Better than Flair. Better than anyone.

The list above is proof as to why. Savage really never had a failed feud. His issues with the newly heel Bryan "Crush" Adams leading up to Wrestlemania 10 was respectable if only because of Savage. He sold feuds like no other man, both as a face and as a heel.

But his greatest feud of all time was the one he had with Ric Flair.

Feuds get personal all the time. Savage's feud with Steamboat was because of an attack and an injury. Savage's feud with Hogan was kicked up a bit because of the issue with Miss Elizabeth and the idea that Savage, despite being WWF Champ, was still in Hogan's shadow. But Flair?

To be honest, the feud with Flair was largely unplanned. WWF originally wanted to go with Flair vs Hogan at Wrestlemania 8, but it didn't happen. Since the Royal Rumble winner that year - Flair - won the WWF Title itself, the annoucement of Hulk Hogan as #1 contender was a big deal. 5 men - Hogan, Justice, Savage, Piper, and Undertaker - sat at the press conference as Jack Tunney made the announcement. The Hogan / Justice issue was set into motion, and Savage was awarded the shot.

What happened next was short term brilliance. Flair doctored photos of he and Elizabeth, sitting poolside, and he claimed to have nude centerfold pics of Elizabeth which he'd show on the big screen during their main event match at Wrestlemania. The personal attacks and mental / emotional games persisted until the night in the Hoosier Dome. Flair and Perfect walked down the isle, WWF Title in tow, with Bobby Heenan singing his praises.

And then, Pomp and Circumstance began.

Did Savage pose and take in the atmosphere of Wrestlemania 8? Sure, for all of two seconds, before he rushed to the ring to attack Flair. The start of the match was nothing but Savage intent on destroying The Nature Boy, with Flair trying to run and Heenan calling for the DQ. You could FEEL the anger in Savage.

When Savage, bum knee and all, was in the Figure Four leg lock, Elizabeth runs down to the ring crying. Nobody - not even a young Shane McMahon - could stop her. It was tremendous. Flair then starts playing to Liz, winking and making comments as he toys with a prone Savage.

Finally, when Savage pulls the tights to win the title from Flair and the place went nuts, it STILL wasn't over. Flair confronts Liz, kisses her, and Savage flips out AGAIN. His backstage promo, "This is just a PEICE of what I wanted from you Ric Flair. You can have ALL OF ME next time!" Brilliant. Pure adrenaline.

Savage would go on to face The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam and eventually lose the title to Flair shortly thereafter in Hershey. Flair, of course, lost the belt to Bret Hart, and Savage feuded with Mr. Perfect for a bit before being the last man eliminated by Yokozuna in the Royal Rumble. But for that year, Savage / Flair eclipsed all other feuds, and it was Savage's intensity and believability that made it possible.

 

[cwill18]

IC25 is right

It has to be Ric Flair hands down, don't forget it wasn't just that initial run in 92 but also when Savage came to WCW and all the memorable matches they had over the years.

 

[byrnside]

Brain, I feel like I've responded to enough of your threads to the point where you know I'm going with this one. And probably just about anyone that's seen me post in the Old School forum might know as well.. But before I get there, I'm going to give some of my honorable mentions. Although Ricky the Dragon and Savage had probably the greatest wrestling match of all time, I think their feud succumbs to these top 3:

3.) Crush. I think I chose this as my third best choice because of the nostalgic factor. When I was 9 years old this feud was the end all and be all of the WWF. There wasn't much of a feud going on at the time other than this one IMO. You had Luger/Yokozuna, but that really wasn't doing it for me. The Real American in my eyes would always be Hulk Hogan, not Lex Luger. Savage/Crush's feud would culminate at Wrestlemania X in, what I can remember, the first ever Falls Count Anywhere Match. This match goes overlooked as one of the best matches from Wrestlemania X behind Owen/Bret and Razor/HBK. Maybe because Crush's legs wouldn't stay tied to that thing? But I digress, good feud, with a nice build and a decent finish.

2.) Hulk Hogan. How could this not be top 3 contention for any wrestling fan? Arguably two of the biggest faces in wrestling history [Mega Powers] collide over the love/respect of Miss Elizabeth and the WWF title. Who could forget the buildup to their match at Wrestlemania V? For once, I think people weren't certain Hogan would come out the victor. In what turned out to be an instant classic 'Mania match undoubtedly sealed their fates to be the number 2 feud in Savage's career.

And now, for what you've all been waiting for [or already assumed.]

1.) Jake the Snake Roberts.. And I'll just leave these to tell you why:

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Vince was classic during that last one. "HE MUST BE HALLUCINATING BY NOW!!"

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I couldn't really find any of Savage's promos from around this time, but the hatred felt here seemed so real. Savage being viciously attacked by Jake and his cobra was unreal for the time it happened, so you could forget about a man slapping a woman, which is exactly what Roberts did to Liz. Classic stuff.

 

[NSL]

I had to go with Hogan. Their feud started off so simply, and blew up in a short period of time. Miss Elizabeth was big, and for the Mega Powers to come to blows over her was amazing. It added a lot to Savage's character, and was one of the first huge feuds in what would become the WWE we all know and love today.

They also had a big feud in 1998, igniting the split of the nWo. It all started with dissension in the ranks, and turned into an all out feud. I was also tempted to vote for DDP, because it was one of my favorites to watch, but it's historical significance is non-existent.

 

[darkserenade]

Savage vs The Honky Tonk Man was great story line it was fun to watch.. as far as wreslting goes Savage vs Steamboat hands down the best.. both in their prime they put on great matches..

i also remember hogan and Savage being a huge battle.. it all started when the magapowers had a match and Liz got hurt and hogan took her to the back leaving savage to fight on his own.. this then turned Savage into a heal and he kicked the crap out of hogan in the back.. back then it was the talk of the town "mega powers explode!!" good times good times!..

 

[gully side adidja]

easily ddp they had feuded for a whole year fought in every different match possible, there lights out match at great american bash is one of the most brutal matches in wcw history,kimberly was involved miss elizabth was involved nwm got involved,both men were just pure maniacs which made the feud work.

 

[Terry'sGordy]

2 feuds that don't get mentioned and weren't that long but were still great:

Savage-Lawler

Randy & Lanny Poffo-Rock n Roll Express.

From the list I went with Bad News. Very underrated feud in my opinion.