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Who Was Macho Man Randy Savage?

Few Superstars were as dynamic as "Macho Man" Randy Savage. His style — perfectly punctuated by his entrance music, "Pomp and Circumstance" — was only outshined by his performances in the ring, which led him to two WWE Championships, four WCW World Championships and a 14-month reign as Intercontinental Champion.

Born Randy Poffo, son of wrestling Legend Angelo Poffo, Macho Man almost chose Major League Baseball over World Wrestling Entertainment. Poffo was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a catcher after graduating high school. After years developing in the minor leagues, a collision at home plate caused an injury to his throwing arm, ending his baseball career.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Randy Poffo debuted as a wrestler in 1973 as a character named “The Spider” who looked like Spider-Man. This was prophetic, as Randy Savage later scored a role as wrestler “Bone Saw” McGraw in the 2002 motion picture, Spider-Man. It wasn’t until Georgia Championship Wrestling matchmaker Ole Anderson told Poffo that his name didn’t resemble his savage wrestling style that the name Randy Savage became known to fans.

Joining WWE in June 1985, Macho Man made such an impact that his services were in demand by the various managers in WWE at that time. But Savage introduced a young woman named Elizabeth to accompany him to the ring and manage him. With the First Lady of Wrestling as his manager, the Superstar’s first major achievement was reaching the finals of a one-night tournament, as part of the Wrestling Classic pay-per-view event in November 1985. The following February, after a lengthy rivalry with then-Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana, Macho Man defeated the WWE Hall of Famer to earn his first WWE title.

Savage became a WrestleMania staple early on, making his debut on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania 2 where he defended the Intercontinental Championship against the intimidating and unpredictable George "The Animal" Steele. From there, he defended the title all the way until WrestleMania III when he fell short against Ricky Steamboat in what is considered by many to be one of the greatest matches of all time.

Success continued to coincide with Macho Man in 1988 when he won a huge tournament at WrestleMania IV to earn his first WWE Championship. During his reign as champion, he and Hulk Hogan formed one of the most formidable tandems to ever step foot in a ring. The Mega Powers were virtually unstoppable by anyone — except for themselves. A misunderstanding and a touch of jealousy sent Savage into a rage at NBC's The Main Event, leading him to attack his tag team partner. The two took their differences to the ring at WrestleMania V, and Hogan won back the WWE Championship.

Savage went on to dub himself "Macho King" after defeating "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan for the King of the Ring title in 1989. Carrying a scepter and crown, he called on Sensational Sherri to replace Elizabeth as his manager. Savage targeted then-WWE Champion Ultimate Warrior with a series of attacks in response to being denied a title opportunity, which led to a Career-Ending Match at WrestleMania VII. When Savage was pinned, Sherri attacked him as he lay helpless. Fortunately, Elizabeth was in the audience and rushed to his aid, sparking arguably the most romantic moment the WWE Universe had ever witnessed. The sight of Miss Elizabeth and Macho Man embracing in the center of the ring after all those years was one of the fans would not soon forget.

WrestleMania VII's romance may have been topped at SummerSlam 1991. That was when WWE’s favorite couple got married in a special ceremony dubbed the "Match Made in Heaven.”

Macho Man returned to the ring shortly after and eventually earned an opportunity for a second reign as WWE Champion at WrestleMania VIII against Ric Flair. Savage was successful in earning the perfect accessory to match his golden attire, and he also put to rest Flair’s false claims that he and Elizabeth were having an affair. After his run as champion, Macho Man sat next to Mr. McMahon and served as color commentator for the premiere season of Monday Night Raw in 1993.

After defecting to WCW during the infamous Monday Night War, Savage claimed his first WCW World Championship by winning WCW's first-ever 60-Man Three-Ring Battle Royal in 1995. He would lose the title a month later to his rival, Flair, only to win it back from him for a second reign in early 1996.

Four years later, after a ring career that spanned back to 1973, Savage left the squared circle and left a style, a staggering list of accomplishments and a legacy, which can only be described in two words: "Oooh, yeah!"

Following his untimely passing in 2011, Time Magazine named Macho Man one of their People of the Year. Savage finally took his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

"I'm the tower of power, too sweet to be sour. I'm funky like a monkey. Sky's the limit and space is the place!"

Championships & Accomplishments

NWA Mid-America/Continental Wrestling Association

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

Grand Prix Wrestling

GPW International Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling

NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time)

International Championship Wrestling

ICW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

Ilio DiPaolo Legends of the Aud

Hall of Fame (2016)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Comeback of the Year (1995)
Feud of the Year (1997) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III
Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1989)
Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1988)
Stanley Weston Award (2011)
Wrestler of the Year (1988)
Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992
Ranked No. 9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
Ranked No. 57 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Hulk Hogan in 2003

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

Class of 2009

United States Wrestling Association

USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Championship Wrestling

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

World Wrestling Council

WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Federation/WWE

WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
King of the Ring (1987)
WWF World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1988)
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Acting & Filmography

Savage appeared in many television shows in the mid-to-late '90s. He appeared on a wrestling-themed episode of Baywatch that aired in 1996 with fellow WCW wrestlers Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Big Van Vader, and Kevin Sullivan. In 1999, he appeared on popular television shows Walker, Texas Ranger and Mad About You.

Savage appeared in his first theatrical film in 2000 making an appearance as his Macho Man character in the movie Ready to Rumble where David Arquette daydreams a sequence fighting Savage at a gas station. Savage's most famous film role was in the 2002 film Spider-Man as the wrestler Bonesaw McGraw (based on the comics character Crusher Hogan).

Savage's memorable voice gave him voice acting roles for various television and film projects. He voiced the rogue alien wrestler "Rasslor" in the Dexter's Laboratory shorts Dial M for Monkey. He also provided his voice in many other shows including the voice for "Gorilla" in an episode of King of the Hill and the voice of Space Ghost's grandfather in an episode of Space Ghost Coast To Coast. Savage served as the voice of "The Thug", in Disney's Academy Award-nominated 2008 animated film Bolt, which was his last theatrical film appearance. Savage reprised the role in Super Rhino in 2009 for the short film featuring the cast of Bolt.

Film

Ready to Rumble (2000)
Spider-Man (2002)
Glago's Guest (2008)
Bolt (2008)
Super Rhino (2009)

Television

Baywatch (1996)
Dexter's Laboratory (1996)
Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1997)
The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1997)
The Weird Al Show (1997)
Walker, Texas Ranger (1999)
Mad About You (1999)
Arliss (1999)
Nikki (2001)
College University (2003)
Duck Dodgers (2003)
Whatever Happened to Robot Jones (2003)
The X's (2005)
King of the Hill (2007)

Video Games

Cars Race-O-Rama (2009)

Business Inquiries

As the exclusive licensing agent for Macho Man Randy Savage, CMG Worldwide is dedicated to maintaining and developing a positive brand image for our client. CMG is a leader and pioneer in its field, with over 41 years of experience arranging licensing agreements for hundreds of personalities and brands in various industries, including sports, entertainment, music, and more. We actively seek out commercial opportunities that are consistent with our brand positioning goals, and we are committed to pursuing strategies that meet the goals of our clients, as well as our licensing partners.

Please contact us today if you are interested in licensing opportunities with Macho Man Randy Savage. For a full list of CMG Clients, please visit our website here.

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