Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 - May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player. He was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively flamboyant ring attire and raspy voice, intensity exhibited in and out of the ring. Savage was described by sportswriter Bill Simmons as "one of the greatest pro wrestlers who ever lived" - a statement echoed by multiple industry performers.
Randy Savage, known for his flamboyant style, poses for a photo.
Early Career and "The Spider"
Savage first broke into the wrestling business in 1973 during the fall and winter of the baseball off-season. His first wrestling character, The Spider, was similar to Spider-Man. He later took the ring name Randy Savage at the suggestion of his longtime friend and trainer Terry "The Goose" Stephens and Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) booker Ole Anderson, who said that the name Poffo did not fit someone who "wrestled like a savage".
Savage eventually decided to end his stalled baseball career and join his father and brother to wrestle full time. He wrestled his first match against Midwest Territory wrestler "Golden Boy" Paul Christy. After a while, his father felt that his sons were not getting the pushes they deserved so he started the "outlaw" International Championship Wrestling (ICW) promotion in the mid-American states.
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
In June 1985, Savage signed with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He made his WWF debut on the July 6 episode of Championship Wrestling, defeating local competitor Aldo Marino. Billed as "the top free agent in pro wrestling", Savage's first appearances on Tuesday Night Titans featured several established managers.
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In late 1985, Savage started a feud with then-Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion Tito Santana over that title. His next feud was with Ricky Steamboat, where in October, Savage crushed Steamboat's throat against a guardrail.
On March 29, 1987, Savage wrestled Steamboat at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome. After 19 two-counts, Steamboat pinned Savage (with help from George Steele, who pushed Savage from the top rope seconds before he was pinned) to end his near 14-month reign as Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. The match was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer and is regarded as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. Savage won the King of the Ring tournament later in 1987.
His popularity was rising to the point that he was being cheered by a majority of the fans despite being a heel, so he became less hostile towards the fans and Miss Elizabeth. When The Honky Tonk Man declared himself "the greatest Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion of all time", Savage began a feud with him to get the title back, becoming a fan favorite in the process.
On the October 3 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event XII, he got his shot at The Honky Tonk Man and the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, but lost out on the title when The Hart Foundation (Bret "Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart), who along with Honky were managed by "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, interrupted the match, getting Honky disqualified. In the ensuing beatdown, Miss Elizabeth ran back to the locker room and brought Hulk Hogan out to the ring to save Savage, leading to the formation of "The Mega Powers".
At WrestleMania IV on March 27, 1988, he participated in the 14-man tournament for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship. On April 2 at WrestleMania V, Savage dropped the WWF World Heavyweight Championship to Hogan after a reign of 371 days.
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After this, Savage started a feud with The Ultimate Warrior, who had defeated Hogan to win the WWF Championship at WrestleMania VI. Warrior repeatedly refused to give Savage a title shot, instead choosing to defend the championship against Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble in January 1991.
Despite his retirement from active wrestling, Savage stayed in the WWF in a non-wrestling capacity while The Ultimate Warrior was fired by Vince McMahon after SummerSlam later that year. Savage wrestled a number of times following WrestleMania VII and the WWF's official story was that out of respect, Warrior generously allowed him to see out the final months of his contract before he was forced to retire.
The storyline with Miss Elizabeth continued, culminating with Savage proposing to her in the ring leading to an on-air wedding on August 26 at SummerSlam dubbed The Match Made in Heaven. It was at this time that Savage was targeted by the now-villain Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Savage then began an on-screen feud with WWF Champion Ric Flair, who claimed that he had been in a prior relationship with Savage's wife Miss Elizabeth, going as far as presenting pictures of Elizabeth and Flair together. This culminated in a title match between the two on April 5 at WrestleMania VIII; Savage won the match and his second WWF Championship. For the better part of 1992, Savage and his old nemesis The Ultimate Warrior (who returned to the WWF at WrestleMania VIII) peacefully co-existed.
On August 29 (transmitted on pay-per-view TV August 31), Savage defended the title against The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam. Instead, Savage lost the match by countout, after having his knee injured by Flair and Mr. Perfect, but retained the championship. He then formed a tag team with Warrior known as the "Ultimate Maniacs", and after his title loss shortly after, an injured Savage backed Warrior to dethrone Flair.
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Savage and Warrior were to face Flair and Ramon at Survivor Series on November 25. Warrior was fired from the WWF weeks before the event, so Savage chose Mr. Perfect, executive consultant to Flair, as his partner to replace Warrior. When Monday Night Raw began in January 1993, Savage served primarily as a color commentator.
Savage returned to pay-per-view on November 24 at Survivor Series as a substitute for Mr.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
Savage made his first appearance for WCW on the December 3, 1994 episode of Saturday Night, referencing the love/hate relationship he had with Hulk Hogan and stated his desire to be the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. At the event on June 18, Savage lost to Flair after Flair stole Angelo's cane and hit Savage with it.
In a rematch on July 16, Savage defeated Flair in a lifeguard lumberjack match at Bash at the Beach. Later that year, during part of the storyline in which Arn Anderson and Ric Flair turned on each other, Flair (looking for a partner to take on Anderson and Brian Pillman in a tag match) tried to recruit Savage to be his partner. Remembering the rivalry (and how Flair had attacked Savage's father), Savage refused.
At World War 3 on November 26, Savage won his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship by winning the first-ever 60-man three-ring battle royal. On December 27, he lost the title to Flair at Starrcade; earlier that night, he defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Savage won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship back from Flair on the January 22, 1996 episode of Nitro. During this time, Savage brought Elizabeth with him into WCW as his manager once again.
At Uncensored on March 24, Savage and Hogan won a Doomsday Cage match against Flair, Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Luger, The Taskmaster, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution. On May 19 at Slamboree, Savage and Flair were paired in the Lord of the Ring tournament, where they defeated Anderson and Eddie Guerrero, but lost to Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) by forfeit after Savage attacked Flair during his entrance as a retribution for Flair's attack on Savage in their earlier match.
At Bash at the Beach on July 7, the New World Order (nWo) was formed when Hulk Hogan turned on Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger and joined "The Outsiders", a tag team of former WWF wrestlers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. After their ...
Randy Savage's career was marked by his flamboyant style, including his wrestling shoes. While specific details about the evolution and styles of his shoes are not readily available, it's clear that they were an integral part of his persona. His attire, including the shoes, contributed to his iconic status in professional wrestling.