Should WWE Go Ahead & Induct Randy Savage Into The HOF?

Should Macho Man Go In Without His Family?

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Jack-Hammer

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On the main page, there's a little piece reporting on a statement that Lanny Poffo, brother of the late great Macho Man Randy Savage, that was conducted at PWTorch.com. One of Poffo's comments reads so:

"I gave them [WWE] permission to do it without my permission. Just don’t invite me and don’t pay me. I don’t need their 30 pieces of silver to defy my brother’s wishes. Kayfabe Commentaries had my best interview regarding the reasons Randy had for this position."

So, in a nutshell, Poffo has given WWE "permission" to induct Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame if they so desire. However, Poffo himself will have nothing to do with it because, allegedly, Savage wanted his family to be inducted as well.

So the question is pretty simple. Should WWE put Savage into the HOF even if it goes against the late wrestling legend's personal wishes?

As much as Savage belongs in any pro wrestling hall of fame and as much as I'd personally like to see him in, I don't believe WWE should do it this way. Even though the WWE HOF each year is as much about business as it is about honoring, for the most part, legends of the business, this is an example when business needs to be set aside for higher ends. Angelo & Lanny Poffo aren't exactly household names as it pertains to pro wrestling, nor were either of them major stars. However, as far as actual wrestling personalities go, they were bigger than Johnny Rodz and he's been in the HOF since '96. And, of course, you have the "celebrity wing" of the HOF. Some credible arguments can be made for some and for others, not so much. I guess my point is that there are HOF inductees that aren't exactly thought of as "all time greats", yet are in the WWE HOF due to a significant impact they've had.

If WWE was to induct Savage without a close loved one there to be part of it then, in my opinion, it would be a supreme act of disrespect. If anything, to me, it'd be a major blow to the overall credibility of the HOF and would enforce the image of the HOF mostly being something used by Vince to stroke his own ego and to stuff his pockets all the more. Sometimes, what's "best for business" isn't the right thing to do. Hell, WWE could induct Savage twice if it wanted to I suppose. Induct Savage as part of the Poffo family and induct him all by himself like WWE did with Ric Flair. Just make sure to give the Poffo family induction attention and proper hype as well.
 
Absolutely. They never needed Lanny Poffo's permission in the first place. Not having Randy Savage in it is a major blow to the credibility of the WWE Hall of Fame. Where's Randy's widow in all of this, anyway? I'd like to hear what she has to say. There is no one to corroborate Lanny's story, so there's no reason for WWE to induct him and their dad. There are plenty of wrestlers who knew Randy well enough to take the stage and tell some stories. Just induct Macho Man, which is the right thing to do, and be done with it once and for all.
 
Yeah, they could always induct Savage twice, as they did with Flair, and I think that's what should happen.

I know some people will have a "who the fuck is Lanny Poffo to strong-arm WWE?" mentality, but going against Savage's wishes could create a real negative backlash against WWE. We're living in an age of social media, internet, and VERY vocal smarks, who attended WWE shows. The knowledge of the icy history between Savage and WWE is no secret, and if word gets out WWE inducted Savage without his family, going against his wishes, there's no telling the amount of venom that people will spew towards WWE.
 
Yes, they should absolutely induct Randy minus the rest of the poffo's.

Lanny & Angelo have done literally nothing to deserve a HoF nod. It would be like Ric Flair refusing to go in unless David Flair was inducted. Or like Hulk Hogan refusing unless Brooke was. Denying Randy his place in history because you're not being undeservedly handed something is messed up, regardless of his wishes.
 
I am with the people that say induct him twice. He needs to be in the HOF, but going against someone's wishes isn't such a great thing to do. My wife and I have discussed this and we both want our last wishes followed to the letter. If it is true then that Randy Savage only wanted to go in with his family then that is what the WWE should do. If it is the truth. Honestly though he needs to be in either way. He has just meant too much to the business to not be in.
 
Why wouldnt WWE induct Lanny Poffo anyway... He was a mainstay enhancement talent with a poetry gimmick on frisbees in the 80s and then transitioned to The Genious and managed Mr. Perfect. Randy should be there on his own merits.. As far as Angelo, why not induct him, he could be considered a legend. Not on the same scale as Bruno, but, Why not induct them as the Poffo family. Randy was the standout in the family. Kerry Von Erich got inducted as part of the Von Erichs, and he was probably the best known Von Erich.. Let Lanny accept on behalf of his family especially Randy...
 
I refuse to be drafted to the NFL unless a team is willing to use it's 2nd and third round picks on my two year old and my Boston Terrier. Yeah Lanny, are you sure Savage wasn't just being nice when he said that? Also, even if Savage was serious wouldn't it be more important to Lanny to see his dead brother honored for what he earned and not try and ride on his coat tails? The WWE should just ignore this clown and put Savage in.
 
I just feel like, if his brother said he (Randy) didnt want to be in the HOF, don't put him in the HOF. Randy died under such horrible circumstances and I feel like if his brother said that Randy didn't want to be inducted... then he shouldn't be. Obviously nobody knows if Lanny was lying or not, but it's what he said Macho Man wanted. If Randy didnt want to go in, why let Vince profit off of it? I say keep Randy Savage out of the WWE Hall of Fame, like his brother said he wanted.
 
I say Randy should go in with or without his family. Only the Poffo family really knows if it was his decision to only go in with his family. I think most people wouldn't have a problem if it took putting Randy's dad and brother in the get Randy in the Hall. It will be sad though since Randy has passed away and can't be there to give what would be a great speech at the ceremony.
 
A baseball player doesn't have to give the hof permission to induct them. If his family doesn't like it then too bad, don't go. Randy savage is the quintessential wrestling hofer and he should be in, period.
 
In retrospect i have a question. Is there proof,that Randy savage said he didnt want to be inducted unless his family went in? I dont recall any said proof out there,but it might be out there.

Yes induct him ASAP this years WM. It should have been done years ago at WM20! Lenny Poffo never needed to give permission,its up to the WWE whether or not,they want to induct Randy Savage. Its a crying shame,that he still hasnt gone in,but jokers like Drew Carrey,and KOKO B Ware are in??
 
I think Randy Savage should be in the Hall of Fame. But I don't think it would kill Vince to put the rest of the Poffos in too. It isn't going to kill the Hall of Fame. I mean hell, Mike Tyson is in it. Whatever it takes to get The Macho Man in. Hard to believe Edge is in before The Macho Man.
 
This is kind of like the Owen Hart thing. (Even though Randy is a much bigger name than Owen.) You have a family member trying to dictate what to do with the legacy of a dead wrestler. Should the family's wishes come first or the fans? I feel like it's a touchy subject because I would say any wrestling fan who knows about the Macho Man would say he should definitely be in. Why do something to upset his family though? I honestly feel like it's a no win situation. If they don't induct Randy then the Hall of Fame is going to be missing a key wrestler to the company and the fans are going to continue to say he should be in. If they do induct him then it's going to upset his family and people are going to say it's wrong to induct him against what his brother said was his wish. There should be a third option in the poll for people who are unsure one way or the other.
 
I'm strongly against inducting Randy without the Poffo wrestling family.

Randy Savage will stand out no matter how he's inducted, it will be a meaningful tribute to one of the greatest of all time either way. I think it would be more meaningful if Lanny is paying tribute to his late brother and father.

The HOF is starting to come full circle with plans for an actual facility to pay tribute to its members. For me, it's a history lesson for those who might wonder where history's greatest pro-wrestlers found their inspiration to become pro-wrestlers. People with short attention spans are being granted a higher understanding of the business by observing relatively unknown greats like Antonio Inoki and Ernie Ladd that they would otherwise never be inspired to read up on. Angelo and Lanny never really had top of the card prestige in the wwf/wwe, they're still pieces of the bigger picture that is what made pro-wrestling a pop-culture phenomenon back in the mid to late eighties.

If the only thing preventing Lanny and Angelo from being recognized is their lack of star power, then the HOF is nothing but a cheap publicity stunt for the sake of pretending to be a legitimate sport.
 
I think Randy Savage should go in without the family because the family don't deserve to be in there. However, if they just feel the need to induct them in there then I hope they wait till after I'm dead or they do it with a class that's absolutely loaded like last year's that way you don't even notice they're going in there.
 
Angelo Poofo is in the WCW Hall of Fame, with WWE owning all of their video library and licencing etc, WWE could easily transition Angelo as though he is already in, just add him with other WCW alumni who were in the WCW HOF. This way Savage is joining with his father already in their. As for Lanny Poffo, hes no more a person to go in than Bobo Brazil and KoKo B Ware, hell Vinces Snr chauffer James Dudley is in their. The Genius was a solid character, and most fans will realise he is only in due to the ability to get Savage in. They dont even have to acknowledge that they are brothers. This to me is a way PSavages wishes are respected, and WWE fans get Randy Savage in the HOF as thoroughly deserved.
 
If I were Lanny and Randy had told me that wish, I wouldn't have given WWE any sort of permission until either they fulfilled the wish, or they gave a significant portion of the event's proceeds to a charity or other important cause in the Poffos' name.
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WWE already looks bad for not inducting Savage yet, and either way WWE will continue to be looked down on for not inducting Savage while he was alive. Inducting him without the family's full permission should definitely be out of the question. They're regularly accused of taking advantage of former employees who did a lot for them, and ignoring the last wishes of one of their most famous superstars and his family would just add to those accusations. [If someone close to Savage (like his widow or a close friend) publicly denied what Lanny was saying, that'd be a different story, but so far no one has, so I'll take him at his word.]

However, if they did two inductions (one for the family, and one for Savage alone) with the full cooperation of the Poffo family, they'd be able to wring a ton of good out of them:
  • WWE will look good for making nice with the Poffos.
  • Lanny will stop coming off as a bitter mid-carder.
  • The family will get the recognition they feel they deserve.
  • Savage will get the individual honors befitting his own great legacy.
  • Fans can hear a story or two about Randy as a family man.
  • Fans can see the inspiration for Damien Sandow's character. ;)
And it's not like the inclusion of the rest of the Poffo family wouldn't hurt the credibility of the Hall of Fame. It's basically a public relations entity and WWE staff morale booster.
 
Yes, they should absolutely induct Randy minus the rest of the poffo's.

Lanny & Angelo have done literally nothing to deserve a HoF nod. It would be like Ric Flair refusing to go in unless David Flair was inducted. Or like Hulk Hogan refusing unless Brooke was. Denying Randy his place in history because you're not being undeservedly handed something is messed up, regardless of his wishes.

Oh boy...

Wrestling history 101 or Did the Poffo's do nothing?

You probably don't remember the territories, you probably got spoonfed your wrestling view and are probably under the impression Lanny is being a dick.

The Poffo's ran ICW which was one of the few serious territories that refused to and indeed ran in competiton to the NWA for nearly 7 years - refusing to work with them even for talent trades. Angelo was one of the "old timers" who made guys like Lou Thesz look good - nothing flashy but someone who could be on a card and make you believe.

Then there were his sons - Lanny despite popular belief was a pretty good wrestler, not a superstar by any stretch but when he was given an opportunity with the WWF to go on camera, he was able to parlay it into something unique - The Genius. Sure on the scheme of things The Genius was not an A-Lister, but he did beat Hulk Hogan by DQ... very few ever did... and he played a massive part in getting Curt Hennig over from being himself into "Mr. Perfect". Most associate Heenan with Perfect's glory days but the reality is it was The Genius who managed him in the feud with Hogan and Brutus, the ones that got him into IC title contention.

Then you have Randy - not even gonna justify it cos we all know exactly why he should be in there, be it solo or not. but Randy was very respectful of his father and the hard work he had put into ICW and teaching he and Lanny the right way to be in the business. When Vince didn't show him the right respect, that as much as anything contributed to their breakdown in relationship. Randy was a principled guy cos his father raised him to be, same as Lanny.

What Lanny has said is not "you can do it" but rather, "you are gonna do it anyway so just do it without me and let me and the rest of the world move on... but I won't sell out my brother's honor by taking a dime."

Of course this does paint him into a corner... if he did indeed show up, then he would be a hypocrite, but the reality is Randy is going in the HOF with or without the rest of the Poffo's but the reality is many other promoters have gone in, so why not Angelo? Other jobbers and managers have so why not The Genius. The simple solution is not to induct the family per se, but each individual on their merits with a shorter speech- Lanny wouldn't care if his was televised or not but Randy's wishes would have been fulfilled, Lanny gets to honor his family and Vince get's to be the "good guy" and end all the rubbish about he and Randy once and for all.
 
Oh boy...

Wrestling history 101 or Did the Poffo's do nothing?

You probably don't remember the territories, you probably got spoonfed your wrestling view and are probably under the impression Lanny is being a dick.

The Poffo's ran ICW which was one of the few serious territories that refused to and indeed ran in competiton to the NWA for nearly 7 years - refusing to work with them even for talent trades. Angelo was one of the "old timers" who made guys like Lou Thesz look good - nothing flashy but someone who could be on a card and make you believe.

Then there were his sons - Lanny despite popular belief was a pretty good wrestler, not a superstar by any stretch but when he was given an opportunity with the WWF to go on camera, he was able to parlay it into something unique - The Genius. Sure on the scheme of things The Genius was not an A-Lister, but he did beat Hulk Hogan by DQ... very few ever did... and he played a massive part in getting Curt Hennig over from being himself into "Mr. Perfect". Most associate Heenan with Perfect's glory days but the reality is it was The Genius who managed him in the feud with Hogan and Brutus, the ones that got him into IC title contention.

Then you have Randy - not even gonna justify it cos we all know exactly why he should be in there, be it solo or not. but Randy was very respectful of his father and the hard work he had put into ICW and teaching he and Lanny the right way to be in the business. When Vince didn't show him the right respect, that as much as anything contributed to their breakdown in relationship. Randy was a principled guy cos his father raised him to be, same as Lanny.

What Lanny has said is not "you can do it" but rather, "you are gonna do it anyway so just do it without me and let me and the rest of the world move on... but I won't sell out my brother's honor by taking a dime."

Of course this does paint him into a corner... if he did indeed show up, then he would be a hypocrite, but the reality is Randy is going in the HOF with or without the rest of the Poffo's but the reality is many other promoters have gone in, so why not Angelo? Other jobbers and managers have so why not The Genius. The simple solution is not to induct the family per se, but each individual on their merits with a shorter speech- Lanny wouldn't care if his was televised or not but Randy's wishes would have been fulfilled, Lanny gets to honor his family and Vince get's to be the "good guy" and end all the rubbish about he and Randy once and for all.



I suppose I really should explain my stances more and elaborate.

I do know the history of The Poffo's and their place in territory wrestling. I don't think Angelo Poffo as a promoter is on the same page as say, Stu Hart or The Von Erich's. If not for Randy, Angelo would never even been mentioned for The Hall of Fame. To say he did nothing to deserve it, I will admit is a little extreme on my part, but was done to make a point. On his own merit, Angelo would not be an option WWE would ever consider.

Lanny, on the other hand, could be. Seperately. Randy Savage is a head of the class type induction, The Genius is not. I wouldn't be opposed to Lanny being inducted seperately as one of the minor inductees ala George The Animal Steel or Junk Yard Dog, I just don't think he's warranted a (for a lack of a better term) main event spot.
 
Oh boy...

Wrestling history 101 or Did the Poffo's do nothing?

You probably don't remember the territories, you probably got spoonfed your wrestling view and are probably under the impression Lanny is being a dick.

The Poffo's ran ICW which was one of the few serious territories that refused to and indeed ran in competiton to the NWA for nearly 7 years - refusing to work with them even for talent trades. Angelo was one of the "old timers" who made guys like Lou Thesz look good - nothing flashy but someone who could be on a card and make you believe.

Then there were his sons - Lanny despite popular belief was a pretty good wrestler, not a superstar by any stretch but when he was given an opportunity with the WWF to go on camera, he was able to parlay it into something unique - The Genius. Sure on the scheme of things The Genius was not an A-Lister, but he did beat Hulk Hogan by DQ... very few ever did... and he played a massive part in getting Curt Hennig over from being himself into "Mr. Perfect". Most associate Heenan with Perfect's glory days but the reality is it was The Genius who managed him in the feud with Hogan and Brutus, the ones that got him into IC title contention.

Then you have Randy - not even gonna justify it cos we all know exactly why he should be in there, be it solo or not. but Randy was very respectful of his father and the hard work he had put into ICW and teaching he and Lanny the right way to be in the business. When Vince didn't show him the right respect, that as much as anything contributed to their breakdown in relationship. Randy was a principled guy cos his father raised him to be, same as Lanny.

What Lanny has said is not "you can do it" but rather, "you are gonna do it anyway so just do it without me and let me and the rest of the world move on... but I won't sell out my brother's honor by taking a dime."

Of course this does paint him into a corner... if he did indeed show up, then he would be a hypocrite, but the reality is Randy is going in the HOF with or without the rest of the Poffo's but the reality is many other promoters have gone in, so why not Angelo? Other jobbers and managers have so why not The Genius. The simple solution is not to induct the family per se, but each individual on their merits with a shorter speech- Lanny wouldn't care if his was televised or not but Randy's wishes would have been fulfilled, Lanny gets to honor his family and Vince get's to be the "good guy" and end all the rubbish about he and Randy once and for all.

Good post and agree fully. Angelo wasn't as big as Verne Gagne and Jim Crockett, but he still ran a successful promotion back when territories were in full force.

Lanny started as a jobber who threw frisbees, but Vince must have seen something in him to not only give him a gimmick, but also latch onto some pretty popular wrestlers. Lanny, as The Genius, got pretty decent heat back then.

It all comes down to whether Lanny is telling the truth or not. From what I have read, Savage was a recluse. But he was absolutely 100% a family man who loved his father and brother more than anything.

What I don't get is how could no one else in Savage's family not know what he really wanted? How is Lanny the "only" one? I'm sure Savage told more than just Lanny what he wanted his intentions to be. His wife? She hasn't said a word since he died.

Do I think Savage wanted it to be all 3? Yes because he loved his brother and father that much. But in the end, the WWE will be in a no win situation whether they induct him or not.

They'll piss on fans who don't think he should be in per his wishes, or they'll piss on fans for keeping him out like he, supposedly, wanted.
 
I wouldn't induct Macho Man in the Hall of Fame. Randy Savage is one of the greatest of all time and should have went in a long time ago but inducting the whole family just to get Randy in the hall of fame will kill the hall of fame's credibility. To get in the hall of fame, I believe you must truly deserve it and the only person in that family that deserves it is Randy Savage. You must honor the family's wishes and not induct Randy. This sucks for the fans but Vince needs to stay in control of his company and show that he is the boss by telling Lanny that it is either Macho alone or nobody and let Lanny decide.

Hell if this is allowed what stops everyone else from demanding family members be inducted into the hall of fame. I feel sorry for Macho if he is never inducted but Vince has do what what is right and only induct deserving individuals
 
Ok, I was going to stay out of this thread, but one thing is driving me nuts. People who think Lanny is the only one who knows what Randy wanted. You really think Randy didn't anybody else of his wishes? You really think the WWE never asked Randy if he would go into the HOF alone??? Seriously! Come on, people. Just because somebody doesn't say something publically, that does NOT mean they don't know! I'm sure that all of Randy's family and friends know exactly how he felt, and I can GUARANTEE you the WWE knew exactly how he felt.
 
Ok, I was going to stay out of this thread, but one thing is driving me nuts. People who think Lanny is the only one who knows what Randy wanted. You really think Randy didn't anybody else of his wishes? You really think the WWE never asked Randy if he would go into the HOF alone??? Seriously! Come on, people. Just because somebody doesn't say something publically, that does NOT mean they don't know! I'm sure that all of Randy's family and friends know exactly how he felt, and I can GUARANTEE you the WWE knew exactly how he felt.

I don't necessarily think that Lanny is the only one who is aware of Randy's wishes. Randy and Lanny's mother, Judy, did go on record as saying that "Randy said we have to go in as a family or we just don't go in." So, if she's still alive, she'd be the obvious one. As I said, though, I'd like to hear what Randy's widow has to say about all of this. I wouldn't mind getting Lanny's daughter's input as well, for that matter.

Anyway, in a fairly recent Kayfabe Commentaries shoot interview with Lanny, he insinuated that there was no communication between the WWF/E and Randy after his departure, and he plainly said that Randy first made his family induction wish known in 2010 at dinner at Olive Garden with Lanny and Angelo. So, it is possible that not "all" of his friends knew, and it is more likely than not that WWE was not aware of Macho Man's wish. You should have stuck with your first instinct and stayed out of this thread, because now you look like an idiot for making an uninformed statement.

To go back to my first post, I was wrong to say that Lanny had no one to corroborate his story, as his mother clearly did. That said, though, I still wholeheartedly believe that WWE has an obligation to the business and to the fans. This was not Randy's dying wish. It was an indication of strong love for his family and a display of obstinance due to a 20+ year grudge due to WWE snubbing Angelo in 1987. I believe that Randy deserves a solo induction.

I have to say, however, that if he goes in as a member of the Poffo Family or if Randy just never goes in, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
 
Ultimately the HOF is the WWE's honor to give. A person can decide whether or not they want to participate in the acceptance ceremony but beyond that the WWE has the right to put anyone they want into their HOF as it's just a way to pay tribute to those who contributed to the WWE's success. If the Poffo family doesn't want to be a part of this they don't have to. And honestly, it's no big loss if they don't. Savage was an important part of the WWF/WWE's history and the HOF will be more legitimate for having him in it. Allowing the family to strong arm them into putting two jobbers into the HOF would change the way posthumous inductions are negotiated. Suddenly you'll have families making all kinds of crazy demands and ruin the whole thing.
 
WWE should go ahead and do it. Its looking more and more likely the upcoming Hall of Fame will be WWE finally recognising those who they fell out with or had a troubled past that prevent it. We already have the sense Owen and Warrior will be going in, so it would like totally out of place not to place Savage in.

As for the moral decision about Savage's wishes, I don't agree for a second that Savage never spoke to WWE officials. At a time when they have spoke to both Warrior and Bruno, it is more than likely discussions took place with Savage too. WWE would more than likely think that Bruno finally allowed it, Warrior looks set to happen that had Savage lived he would change his stance so there is not really a moral issue. Plus the fact they have now been given permission now.
 

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