Remembering ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, celebrate the legacy of “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

Would Randy Savage be over in today’s wrestling scene?

James Klonowski: That one is tough to answer, almost impossible, but I’ll give it my best shot. I’m going to say no. The “Macho Man” character at its core was so over the top to the point of almost laughable that I just don’t think it would wash with today’s fan base. I might be wrong on that, and some will point to the fact that The Undertaker remained over for 30 years despite playing a dead guy. Yes, that’s true, but he rolled with the times and kept changing up his character to remain relevant. Of course, Savage was smart enough to have done the same, but I just don’t think he would’ve. Same thing with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, etc…

Chad Gelfand: Absolutely. Randy Savage had charisma and intensity that would be over in any era. Savage was a “one of one” type of special person.

Steven Jackson: Randy Savage would always be over, regardless of era or geographic region. He was one of those talents who transgressed through everything.

Juan Bautista: Yes, Randy Savage had everything. He was a master in the ring and had great promos. Even though he was out there, he still had a human touch to him.

John Corrigan: Like many legends, he would be wasted in WWE without the ability to improv and cut his own promos. However, he’d be the most popular wrestler anywhere else.

Jack Goodwillie: He absolutely would, and maybe even more so. One of the defining talking points of Savage’s WWE run was how his size (6-2, 240 lbs.) didn’t measure up, but his personality and talent did, hence justifying his place on the show. Nowadays, those “concerns” would be unfounded and, as long as his over-the-top persona hasn’t gone out of style, he’d probably be THE guy as opposed to just one of the top three or four guys. Even if you think Randy Savage would have gone out of style in 2021, Vince McMahon would probably have a different opinion, anyway.

What’s your favorite Randy Savage promo?

Klonowski: He was before my time, but obviously thanks to the WWE Network and various DVD releases, I’ve been able to go back and check out some of his work. Having watched him, I’d say he’s a decent promo, nothing more, nothing less. A little too intense for my liking to the point where it gets difficult to even understand the words he is saying. Some of his catchphrases were cool, and he loved performing, but as a top promo guy? I just don’t see it.

Gelfand: “Cream of the Crop.” Savage cut one of the greatest promos of all time with a never-ending supply of coffee creamers as his jumping-off point. He sold his match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III on top of it, too. A masterclass in mic work.

Jackson: Randy Savage’s pre-match promo for WrestleMania III. Thirty of the greatest seconds ever uttered into a professional wrestling microphone. Mesmerizing.

Bautista: WrestleMania X. This promo was intense and real. Randy was expressing what Vince McMahon was saying that he was too old. He knew that he wouldn’t be champion again.

Corrigan: Tuesday in Texas, after Jake Roberts struck Elizabeth. Randy Savage goes apoplectic in an Oscar-worthy performance. “I didn’t even get a piece of him!”

Goodwillie: Well, the work he did with Slim Jim post-WWF was iconic. Surely, that’s a promo in it of itself, right? (dah-duhn-cha)

This is a tough question because Savage had the ability to make every interview he ever took part in memorable. Part of this was because of how off the wall he could be, part of it was the chemistry he had with “Mean” Gene Okerlund, which is why I have to go with a promo Randy did after beating Tito Santana at the Boston Garden. Randy first compares himself to Larry Bird, then talks about Rod Stewart before bringing Elizabeth in for Gene to ask her a question. Gene tells Randy he said he couldn’t talk to her, to which Randy replies, “I told you that from time to time, yes I have!” Of course, Mene Gene’s chemistry with all the wrestlers at that time was impeccable, which is a tip of the cap to him, but I don’t think there’s a wrong answer in this case.

Who is Randy Savage’s greatest rival?

Klonowski: It’s gotta be Hulk Hogan, surely? Both in the ring and out of it, if we’re honest. However, I’d say his greatest rival was his mind, which is sad. He was so paranoid about losing his woman, his spot on the card, you name it. He never needed to be that way because he was a massive draw. Perhaps in today’s world he would’ve been treated for it and perhaps become a better man for it.

Jackson: Randy Savage had so many great rivals, but without doubt Hulk Hogan. Pre-Mega Powers. Post-Mega Powers. Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan is one of those wrestling rivalries which will live on forever.

Bautista: Hulk Hogan. Randy was never able to get out of his shadow. Even when he had the gold, Hogan was there not letting Savage become the man.

Corrigan: Ric Flair. While he and Hogan had real animosity for over a decade, Hogan never even lost to Savage. That’s not much of a rivalry. By contrast, Flair and Savage traded wins and titles in both WWE and WCW, stealing the show every time.

Goodwillie: I’ll start by saying it’s an absolute crime we never got another Savage-Steamboat match after the WrestleMania III classic. When wrestlers make magic like Randy and Ricky did that night, there’s definitely a fear of a rematch becoming a parody of the original, but these guys were in the absolute prime of their careers and perhaps could have even exceeded that match if given the chance. Had they done that, Ricky Steamboat is the answer to this question. But it has to be Hulk Hogan. To casual fans, Hulk Hogan was the Hulk Hogan of the WWF. To wrestling fans, Randy Savage was the Hulk Hogan of the WWF. There was definitely a professional and later personal rivalry between the two that saw art sort of imitate life, and that’s fascinating to me.

What’s Randy Savage’s greatest match?

Klonowski: Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III is the obvious choice, and while it was very good – nowhere near a classic as many claim, but it has stood the test of time – I’m going to go with his bout with Ric Flair, which had the greater story going in and just added to the overall picture. He drops arguably the best elbow in the business, but as a top worker? Not up there. I’m not trying to be controversial for the hell of it, I’m just stating an opinion. Compare him to most and he doesn’t match up.

Gelfand: vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III. That match was the standard for a long time of great wrestling matches in WWE. It doesn’t matter if Randy meticulously planned out the match spot for spot or not because it was executed to perfection.

Jackson: The matches Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat had are legendary. While WrestleMania III is the obvious choice, they had a sensational match in Toronto a few weeks prior. That match is a masterclass and one of the finest examples of professional wrestling you will ever see!

Bautista: vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III. According to Jim Cornette, there are matches from ICW that could rival it, but they aren’t on tape.

Corrigan: vs. Ricky Steamboat in one of the top 10 WrestleMania matches ever.

Goodwillie: Savage vs. Steamboat. Obviously, this is a match any aspiring wrestler should be taking a detailed look at, as it’s a textbook example of how a fully laid-out match, if done well, can be just as entertaining as one that is “called in the ring.” However, what made it really stand out at the time was the stage it took place on. The WWF at that point in time was not known for great matches, and it wouldn’t really gain any kind of reputation for being that until Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels became main eventers. For that match to have taken place in the WWF in front of the company’s largest crowd to date added to the mystique, and many to this day will tell you that is the greatest match they’ve ever seen.

What’s Randy Savage’s greatest angle/moment?

Klonowski: The whole build-up with Flair was incredible, as was his story with Hulk Hogan. His legacy will live on forever in the minds of wrestling fans all over the world. There’s no taking away from what he brought to sports-entertainment, and he’s one of the main reasons many of today’s performers got into the business at all. For me? I just never saw it.

Gelfand: “You’ve got lust in your eyes for Elizabeth!” Hulk Hogan deserved that ass-kicking he got from “Macho Man.”

Jackson: Being bitten by Lucifer, Jake Roberts’ snake. Even now that whole angle is so out there you can’t believe what you’re seeing. It also led into one of Randy’s most personal and heated feuds with Roberts.

Bautista: The backstage attack on Hulk Hogan on The Main Event. It was a significant point because that was Randy saying I’m sick of Hogan.

Corrigan: Snapping on the Hulkster. We all know there was lust!

Goodwillie: It’s the reconciliation with Elizabeth following the Ultimate Warrior match at WrestleMania VII. Randy Savage obviously had an incredible career, one certainly worthy of one of our humble little roundtables, but the true feather in his cap might actually be his giving Ultimate Warrior the match of his life at WrestleMania VII, and then turning babyface at the end of the match. That moment probably overshadowed Hogan vs. Slaughter and speaks volumes about the kind of talent Randy was. Whether you laughed, cried, cheered or booed, you came away entertained.

Is Randy Savage the greatest second-generation wrestler of all time?

Klonowski: Absolutely not. Again, many will disagree, but for me, he just wasn’t an elite level performer.

Gelfand: It’s Savage and Bret Hart neck and neck as far as second-generation wrestlers go, and depending on whether you value mic skills and charisma over in-ring prowess, it could go either way, but I have to give the slight edge to Randy Savage here.

Jackson: I previously listed Randy Savage as one of the greatest second-generation wrestlers ever. After seeing even more of his work since that roundtable, I do feel he is the greatest ever.

Bautista: Yes.

Corrigan: Terry Funk is, followed by Bret Hart and then the “Macho Man.”

Goodwillie: This is a three-horse race between Savage, Bret Hart and Eddie Guerrero with Owen Hart just on the bubble. My bias says it’s Guerrero, and it might be, but Bret has an argument as the greatest in-ring wrestler of all-time, and Savage combined a high standard of ring work with the pomp and circumstance of a Hulk Hogan to create one of the definitive wrestlers of the ‘80s. Eddie had Bret’s perfectionist mindset to go with Randy’s all-round ability, but this is a Savage roundtable, dammit! I’m ultimately going to abstain, but yes, if you think Savage is the greatest second-generation wrestler, I can’t hate that pick.