Randy Savage: Worthy or Not?

[TheOneBigWill]

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 Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). For much of his tenure in the WWF, he was managed by his 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 bandanna, gaudy robes, and/or a cowboy hat); intensity exhibited in and out of the ring; and his signature catch phrase "Oooh, yeah!"

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-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."

Randy Savage was apart of some legendary feuds, against the likes of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, George 'The Animal' Steele, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. Savage's greatest moment in Wrestling history may not have been any bigger than WrestleMania IV in which he defeated 4 opponents in a tournament to crown the W.W.F. Champion. Defeating Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, One Man Gang & Ted DiBiase.

Savage's career went from one of the top faces to becoming one of the top heels, and changing gimmicks from the 'Macho Man' to the 'Macho King'. This transition happened when he turned on Hulk Hogan in a fit of jealousy through some's eyes, and with wild theories that Hogan was making advancements toward Miss Elizabeth. Ironically, his untrusting nature seems to stretched beyond just a storyline, as ultimately it's rumored as to being the main reason for Savage & Elizabeth's divorce as well.

Savage ultimately had a career-ending match with the Ultimate Warrior, at WrestleMania VII, in which not even four top rope elbow drops could defeat the Warrior. Savage's career seemingly ended on this night, but it was the underlining story of Miss Elizabeth coming to his aid after Sherri had turned on him, that set-up the marriage of Savage & Elizabeth. Savage would return to marry Elizabeth at Summerslam 1991, followed by returning to the ring and ultimately winning the W.W.F. Championship one more time. It was short lived, however, and ended up being put on commentary. Feeling that his career wasn't yet over, Savage turned to W.C.W.

While in W.C.W. he won the Heavyweight Championship 4 times, including becoming the World Heavyweight Champion after winning the initial World War 3, 60 man, 3-ring, battle royale. He had a major role in the n.W.o., and ultimately was the man responsible for causing a split in the group. After he left the scene due to knee problems, he resurfaced with Sid Vicious for one more "night" title reign, followed up with a small feud with Dennis Rodman, then completely disappeared from W.C.W.

Following this, he signed a brief deal with T.N.A. in which he competed in an angle along side Jeff Hardy & A.J. Styles, taking on Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall & Kevin Nash.. however Randy Savage never truly played a major role in anything and ultimately left the company on the rumors that he requested to win the Heavyweight title and was denied. His list of accomplishments and Championships (according to Wiki) are as follows:

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
AGPW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Continental Wrestling Association
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Lanny Poffo

International Championship Wrestling
ICW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Comeback of the Year (1995)
PWI Feud of the Year (1997) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
PWI Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1989)
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1988)
PWI Wrestler of the Year (1988)
PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1992.

United States Wrestling Association
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Championship Wrestling
WCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
WCW World War 3 (1995)

World Wrestling Council
WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Federation
WWF Championship (2 times)
WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWF King of the Ring (1987)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III
Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
Worst Worked Match of the Year with Hulk Hogan vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution, WCW Uncensored, Towers of Doom match, Tupelo, MS, March 24

Randy Savage: In my deepest opinion out of everyone listed in this class of gathered Superstars, I believe Randy Savage is the one individual who goes above and beyond what it takes to be considered worthy of being in the Hall of Fame. Randy Savage was a major part of the industry, and helped along side guys such as Hulk Hogan & Ric Flair, to current Hall of Famer's, to pave the way for future Generations.

Randy Savage set standards, and was a high-flyer before the term was over used. He broke a new mold in the Wrestling world with his abilities, and he set standards, making history along the way.

It's unfortunate that rumors have come up regarding an immature and adult-oriented problem between Randy Savage & Vince McMahon, regarding Stephanie McMahon, had to surface. While I stress the fact of this being a pure rumor, the shear fact of the matter is.. it is Mr. McMahon's company, and if any truth to this vicious rumor is true, I fear Randy Savage will never see the inside of the W.W.E. Hall of Fame, ever. What are your thoughts and opinions on Randy Savage being a Hall of Fame inductee? Worthy or Not?

 

[klunderbunker]

Absolutely 100% yes and if nothing else for one very simple reason: he won the world title and got over during Hulkamania. Savage was what Hogan wasn't: excellent in the ring. If you haven't ever seen it or haven't watched it in awhile, go watch Steamboat and Savage. I defy you to find a bad spot in that match. Now after that, go find me a bad Savage match from the 80s. He was almost flawless. Throw in his time in WCW and his career is amazing. He was one of the first guys of average size to be the top guy in a company. He's done it all everywhere he went. If he doesn't belong, then the hall is a joke.

 

[Mr. TM]

OHHHH YEEEAAAAHHHH.

But will he? Well if the rumours are true, than no.

As has been said, Macho Man Randy Savage was the man who changed Wrestling during the time of Hulkamania during the Golden years.

A time of poor wrestling overall, Randy Savage was an artist in comparison. If Warrior could only hit a shoulder check, Hogan a leg drop, and Andre... well Andre was giant, can't blame him too much. Randy Savage created fast paced high powered offense. He helped open the doors for smaller wrestlers, and proved that you did not have to be the biggest to be the best. The man also reeked in charisma, he was good on the mic, and you saw hundreds of Macho Man t-shirts in the crowd. He also was part of the greatest relationship in Wrestling, with Liz.

The man has one titles, one big matches, was one of the best during the Golden Era, great during his time in WCW. He is part of one of the best matches of all time. He definitely deserves to be in. Hopefully one day he will be.

 

[NSL]

If Vince doesn't eventually let Savage in, he can snap into a piece of my ass.

Savage IS a Hall of Famer, so being inducted wouldn't change anything. It's about the principle though. Alongside a few others, he is the Hall of Fame.

It's been said here, and in the Steamboat thread...Their match at Wrestlemania 3 is possibly the greatest match ever. His matches with Hogan and Warrior are epic in their own right, and winning the tournament to be named Champion is just icing on the cake. He never had a bad feud in the WWE, and he was the top man besides Hogan at the time of Hulkamania.

Without repeating everything that's been said word-for-word; He got over during Hulkamania. He was the original "high-flyer". He was a commercial success. His wedding with Elizabeth brought tears to the eyes of even the manliest of men.

 

[The Big Gunnzbowski]

Yeah...It seems Vince has always had trouble separating business from personal... The fact that Savage is being denied entrance into the HoF AND inclusion in the upcoming "WWE LEGENDS" video game is utter bullshit. But hey... Vince is THE man in the WWE so as long as there's "Bad Blood" so to speak, between the 2, it's almost a guarantee that it won't happen. I honestly think we're hoping for an impossibility at this point.

 

[Tastycles]

I was aboput to make the world's most obvious statement and say "ohhhhhhh yeahhhhh", but someone beat me to it. For whatever reason, Savage is never going to be put in the Hall, but he should be.

It has already been said that he was an early high flyer, but he was also one of the first that gave distinguishable promos. At a time when all anyone did was shout about how much they were going to win, his had character.

He was hugely over, and for a period in the late 80s, he was as over as Hogan. Seriously watch the crowd reactions to both of them at the 89 Royal Rumble, and if anything, Savage's is louder.

From that he went to being hugely over as a heel, and was the top heel in the very early 90s, costing Warrior the championship to an Iraqi sympathiser.

As NWA and WCW history is increasingly being used in Hall of Fame additions, Savage went to WCW and won 4 championships. He is instantly recognisable to fairweather fans, and was perennially popular. So Savage has to be in, as far as I'm concerned, but he never will be.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Without a doubt he deserves to get in. In the late 80s early 90s he very well could have been the 2nd biggest name in all of wrestling throughout the United States. He was one of the first multiple WWF heavyweight championship winners, he main evented 3 Wrestlemanias(well technically he wasnt the last match at 8 but he was part of the double main event), he had arguably the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time if not the greatest match of all time and this is just what he did in the WWF. I would say out of everybody in the Hall of Fame currently there may only be a handful or so of guys that deserve it more than him.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Savage is beyond worthy, and will go down in history as the greatest professional wrestler not to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. And it's a damn shame, but that's what happens when you have the decision ultimately down to one person, as opposed to baseball where a panel of sports writers make the call.

Some of the greatest matches in the history of Wrestlemania occured with Savage's signature - some he worked as a face, and some as a heel. Steamboat, Hogan, Warrior, and Flair all put on MOTY worthy matches with Savage.

I've also said on MANY OCCASSIONS that Randy Savage is the greatest "feud participant" in wrestling history. More than even Hogan or Austin, Savage has created interesting and riviting feuds in the ring. He even made the feud with Crush interesting for a month or two.

Savage is like the Deion Sanders of profeessional wrestling - he's one of the best guys in the field on BOTH sides of the ball, only instead of offense and defense, it's face and heel.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Maybe being the best wrestler not to be in the Hall of Fame is something to be proud of. Vince might be a cunt - and be a bit pissed that you screwed his, I dunno, twelve year old daughter - but the fans still like to recognise you as one of the greatest of all time. Of course, he'll only get that title unarguably if Sting and Foley don't get it, which currently seems questionable.

But of course Savage deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. What kind of question is that? It's like asking if Shawn Michaels should be in the Hall of Fame, or if the sky is blue. The greatest all-rounder this business has ever seen in my eyes (unless you ask Wes, then it's The Rock).

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I don't think anyone can give a reason why this man should not be in the Hall of Fame. However, I think he should be in the Hall of Fame for a reason different from those already stated (although they are just as good).

Simply put, Macho Man revolutionized the way wrestlers orchestrate their matches. Prior to Macho Man, all significant wrestlers believed that the only way to a good match was through improvisation with, at the most, a very basic sketch of how the match would progress. In contrast to this method, Macho Man worked with his opponents to carve out every little detail before they even went out to the ring. And, as Macho Man's many praises attest to, this way of doing things worked quite well and made Macho Man, arguably, Mr. Wrestlemania for the first decade of this event. Think about it:

*WM II: Has a solid match with George "The Animal" Steele
*WM III: Has the best match of the night with Steamboat
*WM IV: Has the best match of the night with Ted DiBiase
*WM V: Has the best match of the night with Hulk Hogan
*WM VI: Has his worst match in WM history in a tag match with Queen Sherri vs. "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes with Sapphire. Nonetheless, the match is still solid.
*WM VII: Has the best match of the night with the Ultimate Warrior
*WM VIII: Arguably has the best match of the night with Ric Flair (some will say the Piper and Hart had the best match, but I still think the former was better).
*WM X: Has a solid match with Crush

Currently, it seems that wrestlers have made a compromise between Savage's method and the one that preceded his, by fleshing out their matches a little more beforehand and improvising in the ring to a lesser extent. However, with his matches, Savage proved that it is not necessary to base your matches on the inclinations of the fans you are working in front of (through improvisation) in order to win their hearts and respect.

 

[klunderbunker]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say he was Mr. WM for the first ten years as that is easily Hogan, but Savage was definiately #2 on that list unless I'm overlooking someone. His performances in big matches are well documented as he hardly ever had a bad match. The WM 6 match was just bad as they put Sapphire in the ring. What they were thinking I'll never know. Another thign with Savage is look how many times he reinvented himself. He starts off as the ultra cocky IC champion, moves on to become the World Champion as the great wrestler, becomes the heel champion and soon thereafter the King, then turns face again to become the veteran getting one last run, and this is all before he went to WCW. His career is almost unparalleled for most amount of restarts that never really failed.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say he was Mr. WM for the first ten years as that is easily Hogan, but Savage was definiately #2 on that list unless I'm overlooking someone. His performances in big matches are well documented as he hardly ever had a bad match. The WM 6 match was just bad as they put Sapphire in the ring. What they were thinking I'll never know. Another thign with Savage is look how many times he reinvented himself. He starts off as the ultra cocky IC champion, moves on to become the World Champion as the great wrestler, becomes the heel champion and soon thereafter the King, then turns face again to become the veteran getting one last run, and this is all before he went to WCW. His career is almost unparalleled for most amount of restarts that never really failed.

Hogan may have been Mr. WWF (as Cena is currently Mr. WWE), but how could he be considered Mr. Wrestlemania from an historical standpoint?

I can't argue that people paid to see Hogan, but, save for his match with The Ultimate Warrior, he never stole the show (you could argue that the defining moment of Wrestlemania III was when he bodyslammed Andre The Giant, but this match was otherwise not that good).

If I was to look at each of the first ten Wrestlemanias Hogan was involved in before they occurred (let's say, as a spectator about to enter whatever venue Wrestlemania was to be held in), I would be lying if I said that the majority of people there were not there for Hogan (I would probably be lying if I said I wasn't there for Hogan myself). But, as an owner of all of the Wrestlemanias on DVD, I would be lying if I said that one of the reasons I bought them was to see Hogan's matches (save for maybe being amazed at the fanaticism of his fans). Furthermore, I would be lying if I said that I didn't buy these DVDs primarily to view Wrestlemania's agreed upon great matches, in which Macho Man participated many more times than Hogan. And, I wouldn't be surprised if those who bought Wrestlemania DVDs had similar feelings.

 

[klunderbunker]

The thing about the WM matches to me though is that Hogan's matches had the big fight atmosphere to them. Look at Hogan and Andre. The in ring work is absolute garbage, but if you ask a lot of fans what got them into wrestling, it was that right there. You can say the same thing about Hogan/Slaughter or Hogan/Warrior. The in ring work isn't great, but it was undeniably the MAIN EVENT of the evening. Savage had better matches, no doubt, but with the exception of WM 5, it wasn't the main attraction. WM 4 was based on the rematch of Hogan and Andre. Warrior and Savage is much more memorable for what happened after the match with Elizabeth. Savage did great things in the ring, but a lot of it was under the radar, which is where I think Hogan trumps him in those ten years.

 

[Shocky]

Come on, Savage is an obvious Hall of Famer, but you can't make ridiculous statements like "He was Mr. Wrestlemania during the first Decade". To be blunt, it's pretty much an ignorant Hogan hating statement. Savage was a great wrestler, but he was no Hulk Hogan, and that's not even something remotely up for debate.

Savage is a Hall of Famer. The Hall of Fame should be closed if this guy never gets in. He had two title reigns while Hogan was still around, he had one helluvan IC title run, and he accomplished multiple world titles while in WCW. Savage in the Hall of Fame isn't even a question.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Come on, Savage is an obvious Hall of Famer, but you can't make ridiculous statements like "He was Mr. Wrestlemania during the first Decade". To be blunt, it's pretty much an ignorant Hogan hating statement. Savage was a great wrestler, but he was no Hulk Hogan, and that's not even something remotely up for debate.

Savage is a Hall of Famer. The Hall of Fame should be closed if this guy never gets in. He had two title reigns while Hogan was still around, he had one helluvan IC title run, and he accomplished multiple world titles while in WCW. Savage in the Hall of Fame isn't even a question.

Explain to me how this is an "ignorant Hogan hating" statement. I am only going to assume that we aren't on the same page and, that between us, we are equivocating on what Mr. Wrestlemania means. For the first decade of Wrestlemania, no one was, in terms of their matches, as remarkable as Savage was. Saying this in no way makes it necessary that I am thus bashing Hogan.

Mr. Wrestlemania, to me, implies a wrestler who brings his A-Game to WWE's big one and manages to steal the show almost every time, hence why Shawn Michaels is partly referred to as Mr. Wrestlemania (he is also referred to as Mr. Wrestlemania because his first Wrestlemania appearance was in 1989).

So, if you want to debate me on whether we should refer to Savage as "Mr. Wrestlemania" in the way that I have defined this term, that is fine by me. But, please don't "straw man" my argument.

 

[crapamaniac]

This is why the HOF is bullshit . Fuck savage and put big jon studd in.LOL.

 

[Sasori]

Ofcourse he does! Savage's career acomplishments alone should speak for himself, he's also a great mic worker, and stole the show at Wrestlemania 3! He had one of the greatest finishers, and was incredible!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH YEAH!!!

 

[Jiggaracci]

Yes he does, I think he was the Greatest Intercontinental Champ, Ever... I think his flying elbow or double axe handle off the top was the best... I could never tell when he was a face or a heel... Him and Hogan were like brothers, to me were like brothers that could not be in the same room, but if u touched one, u can expect the other to come running out to his side... One more note, this guy inspired another wrestler from another generation to not just take his style, moves, gimick, but Jay Lethal pretty made his career off of him...

 

[Doctor Awesome]

Well this one has been beaten to death for sure, we all know Savage is a first ballot HOF'r if there were such a thing, but there isn't. It is about perogative and sometimes who is willing to be there. Now, I could see why there would be a thread concerning Koko B. Ware's induction and the legitimacy of that, but this one is a no brainer. When both parties agree to it, this is going to happen. And we will all get to "Freak out freak out freak out......oooooooooohhhh yyyyeeeaaaaahhhhhh!"

 

[twiztid_lestat]

100% Agreed, Randy deserves this more than alot of the people that are in already in my honest opinion.

He was always a much more solid wrestler than Hogan as well as a much better in ring story teller.

His after the match promo about Flair STILL gives me chills from WM 8.

He may have left over some backstage crap, but honestly, Thats NOT our place to judge, we're fans, not insiders, so That has nothing to do with what I feel about most wrestlers.

Randy and a few others should have already been in, so its about time this happens

 

[Spaceman Spif]

Savage was an amazing performer and entertainer and a pretty damn good wrestler too. The man had 'IT'. Awesome mic skills, awesome marketability, really damn good in ring ability, he was the all around package. He also keep up with Hogan damn near in popularity which is astounding. Add his accomplishments into the mix and those alone make him HOF worthy, put it all together and there is no reason this man should not be in the HOF, it would be a travesty if he isn't inducted.

 

[JBK2008]

WORTHY WORTHY WORTHY!!! OOOOH YEEEAAAAAH!!!! The "Macho Man" Randy Savage is one of the best wrestler in the history of wrestling and deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't care what problem Vince has with Randy Savage, he needs to induct this guy. Sad really. I mean this may not happen until Randy or Vince have long since passed.

 

[The Gribbler]

No doubt about it, the man is synonymous with wrestling. I mention his name to my non wrestling watching friends and they know who he is. He was brilliant in the ring and on the mic. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever on this one.