| 1 | [[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/savage1_7104.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:333: ''[[https://youtu.be/gX8TVGY3sCU Long live the heart, long live the soul, it never lets go.]]'']] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''Art thou '''BORED?'''\ |
| 5 | ''Need a little'' '''EXCITEMEN-T!?'''\ |
| 6 | ''Snap into a ''Slim Jim''! '''''OOOOH YEEEEAH... DIG IT!!''''' |
| 7 | |
| 8 | From the late '80s to the early '90s, if Wrestling/HulkHogan was the face, and Wrestling/MeanGeneOkerlund was the voice, Randy Savage was TheHeart of {{Wrestling/WWE}}. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), best known as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was one of the most notable names of ProfessionalWrestling during TheEighties and a good portion of TheNineties, with a career spanning 25 years. Managed for much of his career by his late wife Wrestling/MissElizabeth, Savage (whether a face or heel) was the perfect complement to Wrestling/HulkHogan; while Hogan did well with the kiddies, Savage's intense and more adult character (particularly his romance with Elizabeth) appealed to their parents, and his mix of power wrestling, high flying maneuvers, and blatant shoot-you-in-the-back cheating drew in the more 'traditional' wrestling fans who didn't pop for FiveMovesOfDoom and bodybuilder posedowns. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | A 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] and 4x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW Champion]], Savage would go on to [[Film/SpiderMan1 wrestle Spider-Man]], [[NowBuyTheMerchandise hawk beef jerky]] and [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy make a rap CD]] (Hey... they can't all be winners, folks!). |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Snippets of some of his quotes have been used to open up each installment of Maffew's ''{{Website/Botchamania}}'' blooper series, usually his more bizarre ones. ("I don't even know what that words means! Is that a bird!?") |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Savage passed away on May 20th, 2011 at the age of 58: after suffering a sudden, massive heart attack while driving, he lost control of his Jeep Wrangler and crashed into a tree. Initial reports of his death indicated that he had been killed in the collision, when in fact the crash was at such a low speed that the airbags didn't deploy, and he and his wife had been wearing seatbelts and suffered only minor physical injuries in the crash. Rather coincidentally, on the same day, Slim Jim's factory in North Carolina closed down ''and'' this was just one day before the [[TheEndIsNigh May 21st, 2011 Doomsday prediction by Harold Camping]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | For more on Savage, go to Website/ThatOtherWiki for a detailed article on his career and life. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' fandom has honoured his legacy in the most baffling of ways, with [[http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/5518// a mod]] that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bifmj1O3D24 turns all dragons into Macho Man]]. ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omT0PaXYpIE similar mod that does the same with Deathclaws]]. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | On January 12, 2015, after years of hoping from the fans, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX8TVGY3sCU it was announced that Savage would finally go in to the WWE Hall of Fame]]. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ----- |
| 25 | !!'''"Snap into it, 'cause these here are... the cream, yeah... THE CREAM OF THE TROPES... OOOOOH YEAH!!!":''' |
| 26 | |
| 27 | * AffectionateParody: |
| 28 | ** With Savage's approval, Wrestling/JayLethal had the honor of impersonating the Macho Man as "Black Machismo" in Wrestling/{{TNA}}, "The Machismo King" in Wrestling/RingOfHonor, and in [=RingSide=] Collectibles promotional skits for Randy Savage action figures. Lethal even got to do the "Megapowers handshake" with a bemused Hulk Hogan when he arrived in TNA. |
| 29 | ** As well in WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment (which, awkwardly, killed him in his cameo a day or so before he died), and in WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory. |
| 30 | ** "Manly Man Ricky Ravage" on the ''WesternAnimation/CodeMonkeys'' episode "Rassle Mania," along with "[[Wrestling/HulkHogan Bulk Togan]]", [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant "Sergey the Giant"]] and [[Wrestling/SgtSlaughter "Sgt. Murder"]]. |
| 31 | ** A one shot in WWE's [=ECW=] show, Macho Libre. |
| 32 | ** The developers of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' have called Mr. Torgue their version of Savage. |
| 33 | ** [[http://www.oafe.net/blog/?p=3720 Motormaster]] from the comics-only continuation of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is written with the personality of the Macho Man. |
| 34 | ** Wrestling/DamienSandow was Randy Savage to Wrestling/CurtisAxel's Hulk Hogan in a 2015 WWE parody of the Mega Powers which was aborted when Hogan got fired. |
| 35 | ** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' featured Heather Swanson, a Macho Man parody who claimed to identify as a woman in order to compete in a women's athletic competition. |
| 36 | ** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ACEFJ3dTD4 many interviewees]] impersonating his voice on his own episode at ''Series/DarkSideOfTheRing'' include Wrestling/BrucePrichard, Wrestling/JakeRoberts, Linda Bollea, Wrestling/EricBischoff, Wrestling/JimmyHart, Wrestling/ScottHall and even his brother, [[Wrestling/LannyPoffo The Genius]]. |
| 37 | ** WebAnimation/DeathBattle pitted him against The Kool Aid Man and pointed him out as ''Boomstick (alleged) dad!'' |
| 38 | ** One of the protagonists of ''VideoGame/WrestleQuest'' is "Muchacho Man" Randy Santos, basically Savage's non-union Mexican equivalent. ExpyCoexistence is in play here, as Savage himself appears in the game. |
| 39 | * AllAmericanFace: Randy sometimes [[http://36.media.tumblr.com/f7851f160f5cc03b0752a7e7be88bf35/tumblr_nqx0gfMKqC1r7dh6wo1_500.jpg dressed as one]], though he was more accurately a Tweener. |
| 40 | * AlwaysSecondBest: He was the WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck to Hulk Hogan's WesternAnimation/BugsBunny. |
| 41 | * AntiHero: As a face, especially in comparison to the squeaky-clean Hogan. |
| 42 | * JustForFun/ApocalypseDayPlanner: His death and the inevitable apocalypse-that-didn't-happen became a joke that stated "Macho Man died to stop the apocalypse" |
| 43 | * ArchEnemy: While never explicitly acknowledged as thus, EVERY time he lost a World Heavyweight Title, in WWE or WCW, it was ALWAYS to either Hulk Hogan or to Wrestling/RicFlair. |
| 44 | ** '''[[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior]]...[[https://40.media.tumblr.com/3f145462af9cbc5680764815e11a2995/tumblr_nln68hZg3H1r7dh6wo1_500.jpg IS A WIMP!]]''' Shots fired. |
| 45 | ** Wrestling/JerryLawler, and not just in the ring. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Poffos (Angelo, Wrestling/{{Lanny|Poffo}} and Randy) were running [[http://www.freewebs.com/icwpoffouniverse/ International Championship Wrestling in Lexington, KY]], which was an outlaw (runs in the same territorial areas as an established promotion in opposition) promotion against the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, TN run by Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. ICW's TV announcers would give away the real names of CWA wrestlers, issue challenges on the air, and Savage even once attacked CWA wrestler "Superstar" Bill Dundee at the CWA's gym. ICW closed in 1984, leading to the Poffos going to Memphis to actually feud with Lawler and co. Many of these dirty tricks would be recycled during the Wrestling/MondayNightWars, except for the part about attacking guys at the gym. |
| 46 | ** Wrestling/AndreTheGiant had no personal enmity for the Macho Man, but disliked facing him in the ring because Andre's style of wrestling relied heavily of grappling and he found Randy's baby-oil-covered body difficult to hold onto. |
| 47 | ** Other foes included: |
| 48 | *** (in some [[Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance NWA]] territories): Wrestling/ExoticAdrianStreet |
| 49 | *** (in [=WWE=]): [[Wrestling/GeorgeSteele George "The Animal" Steele]], [[Wrestling/RickySteamboat Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat]], [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase "The Million Dollar Man" Ted [=DiBiase=]]], [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]] and [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] |
| 50 | *** (in WCW): Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage and Wrestling/KevinNash. |
| 51 | * AsHimself: This or appearing by any other name as guest-star in ''Series/BayWatch'', ''Series/MadAboutYou'', ''Nikki'', ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' and of course, ''Film/ReadyToRumble'' and that Spidey flick. |
| 52 | * BadassLongcoat: Wore one in {{Wrestling/TNA}} to disguise his grizzly bear frame. |
| 53 | * BadassFamily: His dad, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Poffo Angelo Poffo]], who was not only also a wrestler, but held the world record for most sit-ups in a row. His brother, [[Wrestling/LannyPoffo "Leaping" Lanny Poffo]], aka The Genius, was also a wrestler and manager. |
| 54 | * BadassFingerSnap: Used to punctuate his rants in promos. Often a sign that he was losing patience with his interviewer. |
| 55 | * BadassesWearBandanas: During his heyday in TheEighties, he wore a variety of brightly colored bandanas. Savage would later settle on wearing a hat. |
| 56 | * BerserkButton: |
| 57 | ** In both Kayfabe and RealLife, he was notoriously overprotective of Elizabeth (to the point of locking her away from other wrestlers and threatening strangers who even looked at her) and if you made a pass at her, or he at least thought you did, you were in trouble. |
| 58 | ** In addition to pressing the Liz button, the TakeThat "Nacho Man" skits done by WWF in the mid-'90s also made fun of Randy's age and bald spot; both of which he was very sensitive about according to Lanny Poffo and he believes these skits played a role in the bad blood between Savage and WWE until the former's death. In fact, Lanny recalls Triple H referring to Randy as a "dinosaur" in an interview and that was reportedly the straw that broke the camel's back and led to his comment about Stephanie [=McMahon=] that resulted in the affair rumors floating around the internet. |
| 59 | ** Do not call him "Not So Macho Man," as Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon did many times on commentary (during Savage's original WWF heel run). Gorilla got away with it by virtue of being a RetiredBadass. Also do not refer to him as the "former Intercontinental Champion," as ring announcer Mel Phillips once did; he nearly didn't get away with it. |
| 60 | * BorrowedCatchphrase: On the May 27, 1999 ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Thunder'', he ended a promo with [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson "If you smell what the Mach is cooking!"]] |
| 61 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: The Macho Man might have been one of the most insane people in wrestling (and that's saying a ''lot'') but he also went to great lengths to ensure he had the best matches he could possibly make. |
| 62 | * TheCameo: '''[[Film/SpiderMan1 BONESAW]] IS''' '''''READYYYYYYYYYY''''' |
| 63 | * CantUnhearIt: Oh incidentally, he also "ghosted" as [[WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast Space Ghost's]] grandpa, guest-starred an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' (No, he does not get to elbow-drop Dee-Dee) in a "Dial M for Monkey" segment where he played an intergalactic wrestler named [[PunnyName Rasslor]], "went ape" on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheXs'', "sarged in" at ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' and [[OverlyLongGag "thugged out"]] in ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'' and ''Super Rhino''. |
| 64 | * CaptainErsatz: The WWF may have neglected him, WCW may have gone out of business, ''Legends Of Wrestling'' might not have existed yet, but you could still play Randy Savage ([[ClosestThingWeGot or something close enough]]) in the ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' series as ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer no kidding!]]) '''"Mr. Man" Slim Jim'''. |
| 65 | * CareerEndingInjury: Oh, man... he got his own nasty collection of pretty serious ones this side of UsefulNotes/EvelKnievel! |
| 66 | ** The [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball St. Louis Cardinals]] signed him as a [[UsefulNotes/BaseBall catcher]] out of high school and he was sent to the minor leagues to help him develop. He would play for the Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Chicago White Sox's farm league teams but injuries caused his game to take a sharp downturn, forcing him to retire at age 21 having never made it to the majors. |
| 67 | ** After a series of knee injuries ending about 1998, Savage couldn't work at his former level, and had to be protected with a series of valets doing interference spots; this was far from the worst thing about WCW in 1999. |
| 68 | ** Due to a neck injury he suffered while filming ''Spider-Man'', he could no longer even turn his head towards the end of his life. |
| 69 | ** There were also unsubstantiated reports of a health scare involving steroids, after which Savage shrank from about 260 to less than 200 pounds; his heart attack was determined to be the result of a steroid-enlarged heart.[[note]]Just like his close friends Curt Hennig and [[Wrestling/BrianAdams Brian "Crush" Adams]], as well as Wrestling/BrianPillman, Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/BigBossMan, and [[Wrestling/RoadWarriors Hawk]].[[/note]] |
| 70 | * CatchPhrase: |
| 71 | ** OOOH-YEAH/HEEE-YEAH (crossing with BigYes) |
| 72 | ** DIG IT! |
| 73 | ** THE CREAM OF THE CROP! |
| 74 | ** MERCY, MERCY, MERCY! |
| 75 | * CelebrityEndorsement: |
| 76 | ** [[NowBuyTheMerchandise "SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!"]] (Whereupon he does so, and [[AwesomenessIsVolatile something awesome happens]].) |
| 77 | ** "A [[NowBuyTheMerchandise "VideoScope"]] is the equipment you need to record in glorious `[=GrappleVision™=]´ and air it on the [=MediaWaves=]". |
| 78 | * CharacterTics: Look for him to wag his finger during promos. He ''always'' did it. |
| 79 | ** He is very expressive with his fingers in particular: adjusting his shades, [[FingerWag wagging]], [[FingerGun pointing guns]] and snapping. |
| 80 | * {{Cincinnatus}}: Odd subversion; towards the end of his life, he was much more comfortable with being Randy Poffo, minor league baseball washout, than he was with being wrestling legend Randy Savage. |
| 81 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Many of his promos didn't make any sense. This did not stop them from being awesome, however. |
| 82 | ** LORD ALFRED HAYES, YOU ARE EVERYTHING THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE, BUT YOU ARE A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION. ''*finger snap*'' ''OUTTA'' HERE! WE'RE A MEMORY! ''*leaves*'' |
| 83 | ** [[AC:the cream will]] RIIIIISE [[AC:to the top, ooh yeah. the cream will]] RIIIIISE [[AC:to the top.]] |
| 84 | --->'''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBITkwVl8n8#t=4500s Noah Antwiler]]:''' He's got a little cup of a coffee creamer, and outta that, he delivers a ''classic'' promo about how he's the best, 'cause he's the champion ([[{{Metaphorgotten}} I think]]). |
| 85 | ** "I'VE BEEN IN THE DANGER ZONE, EAST OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, WEST OF LONDON ENGLAND, SOUTH OF MARS, AND NORTH OF HELL!" (Which just means that [[GlobalIgnorance he's in America.]]) |
| 86 | ** [[http://www.wrestlecrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/macho-man-kid-games.mp3 I AM THE LORD AND MASTER OF KID GAMES!]] |
| 87 | * CoDragons: [[Wrestling/SherriMartel Sensational Sherri]] and Tiny Lister a.k.a. Zeus from ''Film/NoHoldsBarred''. |
| 88 | * CombatPragmatist: Knew all sorts of shortcuts. Like driving people's throats into the ropes to stun them or hogtying them so they couldn't make it back to the ring. |
| 89 | ** He won his ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} X'' match against [[Wrestling/BrianAdams Crush]] by stringing him up after the out-of-the-ring pinfall to prevent him from getting back to the ring before the count of 60.[[note]]It was a Falls-Count-Anywhere match in pre-hardcore WWE, so that was the rule.[[/note]] Notable in that Wrestling/JohnCena would practically homage this by using a [[DuctTapeForEverything similar method]] [[LoopholeAbuse to beat]] Wrestling/{{Batista}} in their Last Man Standing match in 2010. |
| 90 | * CoolShades: Often gaudy colored shades with strips of plastic or odd designs over the lenses. |
| 91 | * CrazyPrepared: Savage used to put tons of prep work into his matches and would meticulously rehearse and plan each and every detail of his matches. |
| 92 | * CuckoolanderCommentator: His time as a commentator saw him lean more toward "crazy" than "CrazyIsCool", but through all his rambling diatribes, he was as Macho Man as he'd ever been. |
| 93 | * DeathSong: "My Perfect Friend," about Wrestling/CurtHennig, from his rap album ''Be A Man''. |
| 94 | * DentedIron: His match with Flair at ''Starccade''. Savage is basically wrestling with one arm tied behind his back (due to a torn muscle that he was working through) for what seems to be a giant middle finger to the dirtsheets. Hogan famously burned the copy of ''Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter'' reporting Savage’s injury and said that Dave Meltzer had been '''[[ImplausibleDeniability WORKED, BROTHER.]]''' Savage was then seen with his useless arm heavily wrapped and dangling limp at his side. Unfortunately this would be a common sight at ''Nitro'', with various appendages shrinking and getting bandaged (he must have needed some serious bracing to even keep him standing) until even Macho's marks stopped being fazed by it. |
| 95 | * DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "My curiosity is killing me just like the cat would be killed by the curiosity!" |
| 96 | * DidYouJustScamCthulhu: When the Ultimate Warrior left shortly before the 1992 Survivor Series, Savage had to get a new partner. He then lured [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] from Team Flair, which culminated in Perfect beating Flair in a Loser Leaves the WWF match on Monday Night Raw. |
| 97 | * DivorceAssetsConflict: In 1996, WCW seized on his "recent" split with Liz Hueltte, though they had been divorced for 4 years by then. Macho resurfaced in full mid-life crisis mode, upping the ante with three -- count 'em, three -- stacked blondes who were draping themselves over him. Flair managed to snag Elizabeth on the rebound, and of course he wouldn't shut up about how he was plowing Liz Huelette, so Randy began to feud with him. Then Liz started accompanying Flair during his entrances, peeling off her alimony money (Wrestling/TedDiBiase-style) and throwing it to the crowd. |
| 98 | * DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Sure, let's have a 230 lb guy divebomb onto a 145 lb guy. What could go wrong! (Macho Man, even in his gimpy state, was able to puncture Charles Robinson's lung.) |
| 99 | ** Savage's condition was really deteriorating over time, which was the reason Vince didn't want him anywhere near a WWF ring. Late in his career, Savage couldn't absorb the impact on his side like he used to delivering when those elbows from the top rope, so he favored his other side heavily. DDP has talked about a match with Savage where he explicitly tells him to go easy with it in the match, and Savage ended up railing him and cracking his ribs. This seems to have become a common thing with the late-era Randy Savage. |
| 100 | * DreadfulMusician: Let's just say Savage's rap album didn't sell well. |
| 101 | ** One Amazon review described the vocals as sounding like "Nick Nolte on a whiskey and sandpaper binge." |
| 102 | ** I mean how can you argue with this: |
| 103 | --->"People wanna know if Macho's still in the ring\ |
| 104 | People wanna know if Randy's doin' his thing\ |
| 105 | Everybody's talkin' wanna know this and that\ |
| 106 | So I'm a tell ya right now Randy Savage is back!" |
| 107 | ** In one interview, Savage confided that the reason he chose to do a rap album is that his singing is even worse than his rapping. |
| 108 | * DroppedABridgeOnHim: Macho Man’s WCW career came to an abrupt end when Dennis Rodman tossed him in a port-a-potty. This was kinda par for the course with Macho Man’s final few months in WCW... |
| 109 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Spent the last decade of his life taking care of his aging parents. |
| 110 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Although he had turned "face" at ''[=WrestleMania=] VII'' after the conclusion of his "retirement" match (upon his reunion with Wrestling/MissElizabeth), Savage still had strong heel leanings in his commentary during the first few months after [=WrestleMania=] and harbored bitterness toward the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior. At first, he cheered Wrestling/TheUndertaker as he infamously locked Warrior in a casket on the "Funeral Parlor" set, but as time passed and they left the set, Savage said, in essence, "OK, you've made your point, fun's over, let's open the casket lid and let him out." But then time passed, and it was clear that Undertaker and his manager, Paul Bearer, weren't coming back ... and they had the key! Savage went from "you got what you had coming to" to showing genuine concern and worry about the welfare of his old enemy, and revulsion about Undertaker's actions in a matter of a few minutes. This continued Savage's slow coming around as a full-on face. |
| 111 | * EvilCostumeSwitch: In 1990, during his "Macho King" run, Savage switched from trunks to long tights and started wearing shirts during matches, debuting the signature cowboy hat. He kept this look after turning face in 1991. The reason for the costume switch was because Randy had gotten a bit flabby after quitting steroids and was trying to hide his loss of definition. When he went to WCW in December of 1994, he began wrestling shirtless again, but still kept the tights. |
| 112 | * FinishingMove: ''The Savage Elbow (Top-rope Elbow Drop).'' |
| 113 | * FireForgedFriends: Both his on-screen friendships and tag team partnerships with Hulk Hogan (The Mega Powers in the WWF, and the Monster Maniacs in WCW), and The Ultimate Warrior (The Ultimate Maniacs) were based on this. |
| 114 | * GenreSavvy: The infamous "[[HealingShiv reviving elbow]]" incident.[[note]]He and Wrestling/HulkHogan were in a tag match against Wrestling/RicFlair and Wrestling/ArnAnderson. Hogan was getting mercilessly beat down and didn't seem to be able to catch any break to make the tag. When the heels were busy celebrating, Savage delivered his [[FinishingMove flying elbow]] to ''Hogan'', his own partner. The reason was getting hit by his opponent's finisher always caused Hogan to [[HeroicSecondWind Hulk up]].[[/note]] |
| 115 | * GlassesPull: Later in his career, the wraparound glasses rarely left his face. And when they did it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfbLN_L-98 spelled doom]] for someone. |
| 116 | * GorgeousGeorge: Had elements of it, like the flamboyant outfits, his CombatPragmatist tendencies, and was a heel during his early run. Given that his dad was a good friend of the original himself and Randy considered him his idol, it’s not too surprising. |
| 117 | * HamToHamCombat: Macho ''and'' Sherri [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2iKGWt65ak shouting]] over each other? That's one hard promo to understand. |
| 118 | ** Here is a transcript of Zeus' promos: '''''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhZfvqBbto4 "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" "BRAAAWRRAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" "HOOOOGAAAAAN YAHHHHHHHHH DAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!"]]''''' |
| 119 | * HarmlessVillain: Crowned himself the "Macho King" after his victory over Duggan at ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing''. [=Ted DiBiase=] was on hand to perform the coronation of Randy and Sherri ...The joke being that their supposedly terrifying alliance is really just a co-dependent train wreck, with Savage and Sherri feeding each other's delusions. Most of their feuds just seem to revolve around the fact people don't take them seriously as "King" and "Queen" of the WWF. They ran amok for months until Randy was finally dethroned by the Ultimate Warrior. |
| 120 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: More akin to a rollercoaster in his time with WWF. |
| 121 | ** Legendary with his HeelFaceTurn at the end of the summer of 1987; officially, it was when Savage became fed up with disparaging comments the Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan began making about former Intercontinental Champions (namely Savage) and how he was -- less than three months into his reign -- the "greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time!" But it began ever so subtly: Always having a fan base even during his worst heel days, sometime during the summer of '87, he began acting less hostile toward fans and started treating Wrestling/MissElizabeth with respect. To help gain fan approval of Savage, the WWF's bookers began matching him against heels, including [[Wrestling/HerculesHernandez Hercules]], Wrestling/KingKongBundy, [[Wrestling/BobOrtonJr "Cowboy" Bob Orton]], and Wrestling/KillerKhan, with the matches having the desired effect and allowing the planned storyline -- Honky's ego growing so wild that he didn't know when to shut up, and Savage vowing to humble him once and for all -- to take place. It was locked in when, at an October 1987 ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', [[Wrestling/BretHart The Hart Foundation]] interfered to keep Honky from losing the title to Savage. In the aftermath, Honky shoved Miss Elizabeth, which led her to flee--and return with Wrestling/HulkHogan. That led to the formation of the Mega Powers, and the peak of face!Macho's power and popularity with his WWF Championship win at ''Wrestling/{{Wrestlemania}} IV.'' |
| 122 | ** FaceHeelTurn: Also very subtle and slow-building. In late 1988, hints began to be dropped starting at that year's ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'', where Savage was visibly angry that Mega Powers' partner Wrestling/HulkHogan was celebrating (in his view, inappropriately) with Miss Elizabeth. Tensions simmered for a while but were often referred to in subsequent matches, to the point where Hogan would run in every time Savage was in trouble but Savage often allowed Hogan to fend for himself when double-teamed (only coming in when Miss Elizabeth was targeted). After things nearly boiled over at the 1989 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', Savage made his (in hindsight, at least) expected heel turn by abandoning Hogan during a tag team match. The reason: Savage's insane jealousy, bitterness that as WWE World Heavyweight Champion he was not at the top of the Mega Powers' pecking order, and Hogan's "lust" over Elizabeth. |
| 123 | ** Switched back again during the spring and summer of 1991. Although Savage had gained fan approval after his [=WrestleMania=] VII loss to the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior and his subsequent reunion with Wrestling/MissElizabeth, it wasn't until the storyline involving Savage proposing to Elizabeth and their "Match Made in Heaven" event at the 1991 Wrestling/SummerSlam, and Wrestling/JakeRoberts' subsequent heel turn and targeting Savage, that the face turn was 100-percent complete. (Savage, who had joined the commentary team, had retained strong heel leanings during his early months in the broadcast booth). |
| 124 | * HealingShiv: The Elbow Drop Of Life. While tagging with Hogan in WCW, with Hogan down, Savage hit him with his flying elbow drop to cause Hogan to Hulk up, which was standard when Hogan got hit with a FinishingMove. |
| 125 | * HeroicSelfDeprecation: It was ''THE "Macho Man" Randy Savage'' who agreed to put the former {{Jobber}}, now upcoming SMW [[BigBad top heel]] Bruiser Bedlam (A.k.a. Johnny K-9) over. |
| 126 | * HiddenDepths: Despite his boisterous, spontaneous personality, he was well known as a perfectionist when it came to his matches, meticulously mapping out every detail with his opponent before the match. Wrestling/RickySteamboat picked up on this and, with months of planning down to the last detail, was able to perfectly execute their legendary [=WrestleMania=] III match. |
| 127 | * HotBlooded: Big time. |
| 128 | * IconicOutfit: More like iconic set of outfits. The gaudy cowboy hats, sunglasses, and fringe-covered jackets are certainly more well-known than the sparkly ponchos and headbands that he wore in the '80s, which were his prime years. |
| 129 | * IdiotBall: That goofy angle in the buildup to 'Mania VIII, where Flair photoshopped himself (in 1991!) into photos of Randy and his wife, Miss Elizabeth, to suggest some kind of tryst from the past. Not only did Randy forget taking the pictures, he failed to notice Liz is the exact same age in the photos. They don't call him "Mensa Man" Randy Savage. |
| 130 | ** The 1993 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble''. As soon as Savage managed to take Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}} down, he went for the elbow drop but instinctively went for a pinfall. One, pinfalls do not count in the Royal Rumble. Two, he was too close to the ropes. Yoko powered out of that pin, propelling the Macho Man over the top. Yokozuna went on to ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' to challenge Wrestling/BretHart while Savage did commentary with [[Wrestling/JimRoss JR]] and Wrestling/BobbyHeenan. Justifiable, because a wrestler's first instinct is to go for the pinfall since those are the standard rules. |
| 131 | ** Subverted in the previous year's Rumble. Savage threw Wrestling/JakeRoberts out but made what looked like a big mistake by following up with a pescado on to Roberts, going over the top and to the floor himself. However, the official ruling was that Savage was not eliminated after all; someone else had to throw him over the top for it to count. (Someone did--Ric Flair.) |
| 132 | * {{Irony}}: Savage's kayfabe marriage to Miss Elizabeth in 1991 came at a time when their real-life marriage was falling apart. Both would come to an end the next year, with just a brief announcement in ''WWF Magazine'' acknowledging it to the fans. |
| 133 | * KavorkaMan: When playing a heel, he won the affections of the lovely Wrestling/MissElizabeth, Wrestling/SherriMartel, and the trio of [[Wrestling/MollyHolly Miss Madness]], Wrestling/{{Madusa}} and Gorgeous George (Stephanie Bellars), despite looking like a well-groomed caveman, wearing outfits that looked ridiculous even in the world of pro wrestling, and being an insane, egomaniacal bully who mistreated women. His immeasurable charisma no doubt helped. |
| 134 | * ItsAllAboutMe: During his first run with Elizabeth as valet, Savage would often bring her out in front of the camera during a Mean Gene interview. He would then implore her to say something to the "videoscope" or Mean Gene would begin a conversation with her, only Macho Man to quickly [[StayInTheKitchen shoo her away]] before she could get a few words in. |
| 135 | * LargeHam: Even by WWF standards, his promos were insanely, pants-wettingly over the top. |
| 136 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Music/EdwardElgar's "''Pomp and Circumstance''". |
| 137 | * LightIsNotGood: Still wore his bright attires as a heel (and was the most colorfully-dressed member of the [=nWo=]). |
| 138 | * LightningBruiser: At his best, since he could fly with Steamboat but was big enough to be believable against Hulk Hogan. |
| 139 | * LineOfSightName: |
| 140 | ** While wrestling under his real name, Ole [=Anderson=] said that Randy wrestled "like a ''savage.''" |
| 141 | ** "Macho Man" was a nickname he received during his baseball career, due to his short fuse and willingness to fight the opposing team. |
| 142 | * LostInCharacter: One may say it made a sort of sense in Randy's case dealing on how he restrained Liz's freedom of motion while working together, to the point he locked her backstage so no other man could have any kind of interaction with her. |
| 143 | * LoveRedeems: After his loss to Warrior, Sherri rushed over to Randy as he lay dejected in the ring. Unlike Elizabeth, she was in no mood for coddling and proceeded to [[YouHaveFailedMe beat him up instead]]. This was the final straw for the First Lady, who clambered into the ring and (in a rare display of violence) sent Sherri into space with one punch. Randy was so touched that Elizabeth would embrace him after a crushing loss, even after he dumped her, that he immediately turned face and subsequently married her on TV. |
| 144 | -->'''[[https://franticplanet.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/always-believe-warrior-1959-2014/ Stuart Millard]]''': At the time, in a sexist way, it was considered a moment “for the gals,” as Miss Elizabeth ran from the crowd to reunite with Randy after saving him from a Sensational Sherri beating, and though it’s {{soap|erizing}}y, the embrace of wrestling’s golden couple remains one of the genre’s most memorable tableaux. Twenty-three years on, all of its players are now dead. Apart maybe from the kid with the big glasses and enormous floppy orange hat, who was seen weeping with joy. |
| 145 | ** Even The Brain [[CareBearStare momentarily turned face]] while witnessing this Homeric tale of love and redemption. |
| 146 | --->'''Heenan:''' He lost the match, but he certainly got something much more valuable: his woman.\ |
| 147 | [later]\ |
| 148 | '''Heenan:''' ([[IgnoredEpiphany I'd rather have some money than a skirt.]]) |
| 149 | * MachoCamp: "Warrior loses the WWF title after receiving a scepter between the eyes" is a line that can only originate from a certain era of wrestling. |
| 150 | -->'''{{Website/WrestleCrap}}:''' Look at him and tell me he doesn’t look like a clown from the world’s most effeminate rodeo. |
| 151 | * ManlyFacialHair: Known as "Macho Man", and always had a beard and/or moustache (usually both) on. This said; he was a pretty hirsute fella. |
| 152 | * MilkingTheGiantCow: Italian pizza chefs talk with the hands less than Randy does. |
| 153 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The elbow off the top rope is hard on the knee, and after several surgeries, Savage's knee was no longer able to absorb the impact, leading to the move becoming "stiffer". One time, he ''severely'' injured another wrestler doing the move (broke several ribs), and visited his opponent in the hospital daily until he was released. |
| 154 | * PassingTheTorch: Him being retired by Ultimate Warrior was supposed to be such a moment but in the long run, it was Warrior who ended up leaving. Also, he had a promotion set up for the purpose of putting over new talent, one [[Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter Antonio Banks]] was to go over Randy Savage before it fell through. |
| 155 | * PerkyFemaleMinion: |
| 156 | ** Sensational Sherri Martel managed Randy Savage until he lost his retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior. Then she [[TheStarscream tried to attack him]], leading Miss Elizabeth to come to his aid and the two of them getting married. |
| 157 | ** Macho's got some [[EasilyForgiven iffy reasons]] to be high-fiving Sherri and hyping up her fight with {{Wrestling/Luna|Vachon}} years later. |
| 158 | ** Team Madness in WCW was composed of three, [[NonIndicativeName Gorgeous George]] ([[GorgeousGeorge not]] [[Wrestling/GeorgeWagner that]]), [[Wrestling/MollyHolly Miss Madness]] and Wrestling/{{Madusa}}. |
| 159 | ** He got The Disciplinarian Kristen Davidson and Jungle Grrl Erica Porter, wrestlers of WOW fame, when he showed up in the Spider-Man movie as Bonesaw. |
| 160 | * PowerStable: |
| 161 | ** (in Memphis): The First Family, led by Jimmy Hart |
| 162 | ** (in WWF): |
| 163 | *** ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries '87'' with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, [[Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake]]. Managed by Miss Elizabeth. |
| 164 | *** ''Survivor Series '88'' with The Hulkster, Hercules, Wrestling/KokoBWare and Wrestling/HillbillyJim. Managed again by Liz. |
| 165 | *** ''Survivor Series '89'': "The King's Court" with [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Canadian Earthquake]], [[Wrestling/GregValentine Greg "The Hammer" Valentine]] and Dino Bravo. Managed by Hart and Sherri. |
| 166 | *** ''Survivor Series '93'': "Team Razor" with [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]], Wrestling/MartyJannetty and [[Wrestling/SeanWaltman The 1-2-3 Kid]]. Managed and led by himself. |
| 167 | ** (in WCW): |
| 168 | *** The [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]], of course. Both itinerations as a matter of fact. |
| 169 | *** "Team Madness" with [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid Vicious]], including Madusa, Miss Madness and Gorgeous George, though they were more of an entourage. |
| 170 | * RealMenWearPink: Or whatever weird color he'll be wearing, as well as sequined robes, all the time, besides the black and white in his Wrestling/NewWorldOrder days, which he changed to black and red during his time in the NWO Wolfpac. |
| 171 | * RedBaron: "Macho Man", briefly "Macho King" before returning to the original moniker. |
| 172 | * SanitySlippage: Back in TheEighties, he would get violently upset if he thought someone was making moves on Elizabeth. It went downhill from there: By the end of his career, he was so suspicious of everyone and everything that he carried a gun at all times. ''[[http://deadspin.com/5804679/dead-wrestler-of-the-week-macho-man-randy-savage Deadspin]]'' eulogized him as "[=McCarthy=] on steroids." |
| 173 | -->"He was engaging even at his most reprehensible, which had everything to do with the unexpected note of pathos in his character, an [[ParanoiaFuel oddly relatable paranoid streak]]: We the viewers were suspicious, too. Just like Savage, we looked slit-eyed at all the activity in and around the ring, wondering what the angle was." |
| 174 | ** Savage lost it after his marital breakup. By the time Liz left him, he took it out on Hulk Hogan for whatever the reason, even to the point where he went to Hogan's home and demanded Linda (Hogan's then-wife) to tell him where they were hiding her. |
| 175 | * SiblingRivalry: Inverted. While he was often programmed against his brother, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, many times in his pre-WWE career, the two shared an extremely close relationship from their boyhood until the end of Randy's life. |
| 176 | * SignatureMove: ''Diving Double Axe-handle'', ''Takedown Lariat'', an elevated ''Body Slam'' with theatrics, or a ''Double Knee Drop'' upon the head of a downed opponent. |
| 177 | * SimpleYetAwesome: ''The Savage Elbow.'' One of the more-basic moves out there, yet still exciting and impactful. |
| 178 | ** Hell, his favoured [[GroinAttack "cheap shot"]] was a ''Mule Kick!'' |
| 179 | * SuddenlyShouting: Savage's promos typically would go back and forth between an ''intense whisper'' and suddenly '''''GROWLING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS.''''' |
| 180 | * TagTeam: |
| 181 | ** He was part of a PowerTrio with his dad Angelo and his brother Lanny in their own promotion, ''International Championship Wrestling'' back in Kentucky and in CWA, Tennessee. |
| 182 | ** Wrestling/TheMegaPowers, with The Hulkster in WWE (temporarily renamed "Los Dos Amigos" to settle down as "The Monster Maniacs" later in WCW.) |
| 183 | ** The Ultimate Maniacs, with the Ultimate Warrior in 1992. |
| 184 | ** The Perfect Team, with Mr. Perfect at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1992''. |
| 185 | * TakeThat: The song "Be A Man Hogan!" off of his rap album, which is pretty much all about his RealLife feud with Hulk Hogan and his refusal to face Savage in a real wrestling match to settle their beef and raise money for charity. |
| 186 | * TeamDad: Mellowed a bit by the early 1990s and became this to the up and coming stars of the "New Generation era". Many wrestlers of that era fondly recall Savage looking out for them and going to bat for them to Vince. Apparently Savage bawled out Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Razor Ramon after their epic ''[=WrestleMania=] X'' match because it went on too long and as a result a 10 man tag team match on the undercard was scrapped, which cost all those guys their biggest payday of the year. At the same time, he also recognized what a great job the two had put on and congratulated them on top of chewing them out. Or as Hall recalled, "It was a great match but yer both verrrry verrrry selfish". |
| 187 | * TooImportantToWalk: The Macho King was carried to every match in a sedan throne on the backs of {{jobber}}s like a Roman Emperor. This happened. |
| 188 | * UnderwearOfPower: Until 1990, when he swapped to long tights, but sometimes he would wrestle in said elaborate attires, like during his match against Ric Flair at [=WrestleMania=] VIII. In what must have been a complete and total coincidence, WWE was testing heavily for steroids at the same time. |
| 189 | * {{Unperson}}: |
| 190 | ** For years, Savage ''was'' treated like this by [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vince [=McMahon=]]] and WWE, for personal reasons known only to Savage and [=McMahon=]. Savage got one of the best sendoffs in the company in 1994 and remained on good terms with [=McMahon=] quite a while afterwards, entering contract talks with him in 1996 and 2000. (Also easily overlooked, Savage was interviewed in the inaugural 2003 issue of ''WWE Smackdown Magazine'' a.k.a. ''WWE Magazine''.) Apart from that, [=McMahon=] ''buried'' Savage every chance he got and would turn down any angles even mentioning him. This while bringing back many ex-WWF wrestlers who had been much ''less'' acrimonious towards him, and even in some cases sued him. A RiddleForTheAges... |
| 191 | ** Thankfully, WWE has decided to recognize Savage's contributions to wrestling history as of late, with matches of his showing up on various DVD compilations as well as his own three-disc set, ''Macho Madness''. The story goes, one of Vince's shareholders stood up and demanded to know why such a big star as Randy was not being capitalized upon. Vince knew the game was up, as he could not (or would not) reveal his motivations for blackballing Randy, and so audibly sighed and went ahead with the [=DVDs=]. Business is business. Fortunately for Savage, it was not an attempt at character assassination like ''The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior''. |
| 192 | ** According to his brother "Leapin' Lanny" Poffo, the Slim Jim endorsement was a huge payday, and the contract stipulated that a percentage should have gone to the WWF. Furthermore, other reports from agents (and written about in Bret's book) claimed that Savage drunkenly called Vince ''while he was sleeping'' to announce that he was jumping ship to WCW. |
| 193 | ** A principal rumor involves Savage having some sort of intimacy with Wrestling/StephanieMcmahon (who was 18 when Savage left WWE) and Vince finding out after the fact; the common opinion was that after Randy's divorce, Stephanie comforted him and things went from there. This would explain [=McMahon=]'s initial embrace of Savage turning [[PapaWolf very, very cold]], and rings consistent with backstage accounts of Savage following his divorce from Liz Hulette. Even Randy's brother has indicated to interviewers that he doesn't know one way or the other. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LunZpNPFr-o Explained in this video.]] |
| 194 | ** Relations seemed to have massively improved in 2011 as the Macho Man not only appears in the ''VideoGame/WWEAllStars'' video game but he appeared in one of the commercials as well (this deal was brokered by THQ with WWE's permission but no contact between the two sides). Yeeeeah. |
| 195 | ** Finally averted in early 2015 with Savage's induction in WWE's Hall Of Fame. |
| 196 | * VerbalTic: |
| 197 | ** Besides his catchphrases, the word "Yeah" was a major verbal tic of his, yeah. |
| 198 | ** A good recent example would be his commercial for ''WWE All-Stars''. He managed to include it at least once in every sentence along with between every sentence. |
| 199 | * VillainsOutShopping: Robin Leach (of ''Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'') challenges the Macho Man to croquet, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0qZ77KYFkY predictable results.]] |
| 200 | * VitriolicBestBuds: Hulk Hogan (in the ring and in RealLife). According to Hogan, they were in the process of mending their friendship when he died. |
| 201 | * WildHair: He had a thick, bushy mane of hair in the early part of his career. Unfortunately, his hair started thinning and he began balding over time, most notably by the mid-'90s. |
| 202 | * WouldntHurtAChild: Given his name and influence over the younger fans, Randy always tried his best to never let a single kid down, making them promise to always give their best in school and at home with their parents. |
| 203 | * WrestlingFamily: His brother is "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, the wrestling poet (aka The Genius) and his father Angelo Poffo was a famous wrestler in the 1950s and '60s. He and Elizabeth were married in RealLife from December 1984 to 1992. |
| 204 | * XanatosSpeedChess: In response to Ric Flair's scam and Warrior's departure from the WWF, he convinced Mr. Perfect to leave Team Flair and fill in for the Ultimate Warrior. Perfect accepted. |
| 205 | ------ |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext Wrestling / RandySavage
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load
