Goodbye, Randy

As I close Macho Week, I'm still floored by the fact that Randy Savage is gone, especially floored that we never got the closure that other WWF/E legends got, some several times over to diminishing impact each time. I guess that's why this video is so a propos. It showed so much hope and promise that hey, maybe Macho was only going to be gone from the WWF for a couple of years and then come back. It was the nature of the business, right? Here we are 17 years later, and we'll never get that. Is it selfish of us to feel bad about it? Probably, given that a mother lost her son, a wife her husband and a brother his own brother. Still, it's natural.

Vince McMahon is an enigmatic figure that the best of psychologists and psychiatrists might have trouble cracking. For all his neuroses and quirks (and that's putting it mildly), at one time, he let his human side come through and let the world know, though his heartfelt-sounding words, that maybe the tyrant was a man after all. By all accounts, he considered Randy Savage a son at one time. Whatever happened to make that feeling go away may be something we'll never know, but there are at least vestiges there, as noted by his obituary for Savage in TIME Magazine. Here is the goodbye that McMahon gave to Savage the week after his final on-air appearance. Little did we know it'd be his final goodbye from WWF/E forever.



Rest in peace, Macho Man. You were, and forever will be, unforgettable. DIG IT.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Don't Mess with Elizabeth

This one was from the aftermath of Macho Man and Liz's wedding reception, where Jake Roberts showed up with a king cobra in a box as retribution for being snubbed from the bachelor party (yes, that was really an angle... I know, I know). All I gotta say is you don't mess with Liz.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

"Will You Marry Me?" ..."Ooooh Yeah!"

Let's forget the fact that Macho and Liz had been married for something like 8 years now in real life. No one knew that and for good reason; kayfabe was still alive for the most part. Following the events of WrestleMania VII, this was the next step in their storybook relationship, tumultuous as it was. Of course Mean Gene was involved, how could he not? I think what really makes this is the commentary between Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper though. Given what we know about the relationship between Macho and Vince at this point, it's not that hard to believe that the exuberance in Vince's voice is real and genuine, and Piper just unbelievably questioning whether Liz would say yes or not. If it were 1998 and Vince Russo were booking, then she'd say no and reveal she had a cadre of brother-husbands, including Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Honky Tonk Man and Gillberg, but thankfully, this was still in a time when a feel-good payoff was better than a swerve.

Plus, Liz responding with "Oooh yeah!" and Macho's classic bewildered reaction are just the best things ever.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

History Beckons the Macho Man

Right before his WrestleMania III match, Macho Man cut a short but impactful promo. Here it is. I've been posting a lot of stuff with him and Mean Gene, but there's other stuff out there where he's on his own too. Just one of the great promos ever. Such a command of the flow and pitch, along with being one hell of a wordsmith.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Macho Man Is on a Roll, He Can't Be Stopped

He hit a fork in the road, and he took the road to the right and went straight to the top. Seriously, Savage and Mean Gene have had some of the greatest moments ever together.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Follow Friday: Jay Lethal

Black Machismo

This week's Follow Friday is in the vein of Macho Week by urging you to follow "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal on Twitter. Lethal, whom you can find @TheLethalJay, may be the world's pre-eminent Macho Man mark, and really, when you're able to get popular playing a tribute gimmick to your favorite wrestler, you know you've done something right. Even if he doesn't have the Macho gimmick to fall back upon, he's still one of the most gifted wrestlers in the world today. Why TNA couldn't find something to do with him, ESPECIALLY after he verbally sparred with Ric Flair the way he did, is beyond me.

Anyway, you can find Lethal going forward in JAPW (where he'd been competing concurrently with TNA anyway) as well as ROH. While you'll have to dig deeper to find him, well, when you do, it'll be in an environment where he'll be given the platform to shine rather than be stuffed away in mothballs. Until then, follow him on Twitter, he's really great to his fans and has some interesting stuff to post now and again.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Friday Five: "Macho Man" Randy Savage

OOOOH YEAH, DIG IT

1. What was your first memory of the Macho Man?

2. Buy or sell: Randy Savage would be just as over in 2011 if he were in his prime as he was in 1988.

3. Which iteration of Macho Man was your favorite? (ICW, Mid-South, WWF or WCW)

4. What did you think about Macho as the color commentator for Monday Night RAW?

5. Favorite Macho Man match ever, aside from the usual Savage/Steamboat WM III and Savage/Warrior WM VII answers?

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Macho Uses Coffee as a Prop

Warrior claimed in his tribute that Randy Savage was never without a cup of coffee, which would explain his high-strung nature, or at least part of it (more on that later). Here he is actually working it into his career, describing his opinion on Ricky Steamboat's career in this pre-WrestleMania III promo. Again, the constant here is Mean Gene Okerlund. Y'know, Mean Gene and Macho are about as quintessential a duo as Macho and Liz if you think about it.

Just as an aside, it seems an inordinate amount of videos implying that Macho was on coke. That would explain the heart attack at 58 unless he had a high-cholesterol diet that we didn't know about or if he had a disposition towards heart disease. I could buy it, andI have my doubts at the same time, but was this ever confirmed? I mean, does anyone have an admission or a firsthand story of him doing coke? OR is this assumed because of his high-strung style and the fact that, as Bill Simmons noted in his tribute, Savage was '80s incarnate? I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

From the Archives, Macho Week: Mega Powers vs. Mega Bucks, SummerSlam '88

I watched this match today in preparation for my upcoming appearance on Wrestlespective Radio (PLUG PLUG), and it was a nice tag team main event. If you're looking for dazzling moves or something landmark, well, you'll find the latter although not in the way you'd think. Hint, it involves Elizabeth.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

The Wrestling Podcast, Episode 4: The Macho Man Tribute Episode (f/ Seth Zillmann)

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Episode 4: The Macho Man Who Sold the World

A somber, reflective edition of TWP comes at you, courtesy of myself and other Macho Man superfan Seth Zillmann, who also edits and panels on the A1 Podcast as well as is my co-moderator at A1's wrestling forum. We talk about the life and times of one Randy Savage, including his career, best matches, how he didn't hang on too long and where he belongs in the wrestling firmament.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Early Macho Man Promo

...and we're talkin' ICW early. That means PRE-MEMPHIS early.



This is surreal, mainly because it's got elements of Macho Man in it, but it's like he's crying or at least has laryngitis. Or both. Either way, it's definitely a treat to watch.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Want to See a Promo Where Randy Savage Was Maybe the THIRD Most Insane Participant?

I don't know whether this was a wrestling promo or whether the mid-Aughts cast of Saturday Night Live went back in time to do a parody of one. It would have been a funny parody, but when Macho is the relative straight man in this? Well, you know you're in for a surreal time here. Between Zeus' inhumanly loud grunting drowning out what Savage was trying to say and Sherri climbing up the cage and moaning "YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GONNA BE AT HOGAN" over and over like she was high on Ecstasy, Savage almost looked restrained. An awesome spectacle.

And just in case you were wondering, yes, this is the part of Macho Week where I post Youtube promos. If you're cool, you'll enjoy them. If you don't enjoy them, we probably can't be friends.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

...One Person Here Likes Hulk Hogan

Randy Savage had a bunch of appearances on the Arsenio Hall Show, and this one was actually right before WrestleMania V. Strange to see a heel yak it up on TV in the age of kayfabe, but seriously, heel or face, Macho Man was a guy you wanted to see and like. Hall actually played the interview exceptionally well, but then again, he always had a bunch of wrestlers on his show, and he knew how to tread with the kayfabe issues. Hosts today have it way easier with wrestlers to tell you the truth.

I cracked up in the beginning when Hall asked what made Macho Madness better than Hulkamania and Savage made the veiled dick reference with his title belt. Morgan Fairchild's reaction here was priceless too.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

YOUR MUSTACHE IS CROOKED

"And your beard is a little sideways!"

Seriously, how could anyone not love the Macho Man?

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Diamond Dallas Page's Tribute to Macho Man and Feud Retrospective

DDP was one of the many guys Savage had epic feuds with
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Randy Savage touched a lot of guys in his time in the business. Yesterday, I posted the Warrior tribute, which was jarring for several reasons. Today, it's Diamond Dallas Page's tribute. Again, it's really unusual to see a grown man come to tears, which Page has to fight back, but it's still very touching and very heartfelt. Page really is grateful for what Macho did for him, and really, that whole feud, which really was one of Savage's last big ones, did so much to make DDP. Here's the tribute:



After the jump, there'll be more videos taking a look at the feud from 1997 between the two, including the infamous DDP-disguised-as-La-Parka match.

Uncensored: The feud begins with the reveal that DDP and Kimberly are married, posed for Playboy and a final attack


Spring Stampede: The first match (3 parts)






I loved the story in the tribute video where DDP was telling the story about how they came up with the finish to the match.

Road to Great American Bash - Savage goes apeshit


Great American Bash: (3 parts)






The Nitro match vs. "La Parka":


Thanks to Matt "Lucius" Jones for finding all these Youtubes and sending me the links.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Your Midweek Links: The Best of Randy Savage Tributes

It's Hump Day, so if you're having a little trouble getting through the midpoint, here are some links to get you through:

Self-Shilling

- If you haven't read either of my pieces here on TWB about Randy Savage, either the obituary or the personal tribute, check 'em out. [RIP Randy Savage] [What Macho Meant to Me]

- My Fair to Flair piece, praising Macho Man for his resistance towards coming back and diminishing his legacy. [The Macho Man and Letting Go]

- My Camel Clutch Blog column, which argues the merits of Randy Savage as the best of all-time. [Macho Man Randy Savage, The Best Ever?]

Wrestling Links - Macho Man Tribute Compendium

- Bill Simmons may not be your cup of tea, but if you're a wrestling fan, you need to read this. I think this is the best tribute to Savage I read all week thus far. [Sports Guy's World]

- The second best tribute I've read all week, different than Simmons', but still amazing and trenchant. [Deadspin]

- Fair to Flair Podcast Vol. 4, discussing the life and times of Randy Savage. [Fair to Flair]

- Speaking of FtF-related podcasts, K. Sawyer Paul talks to Bill "Baconhill" Bicknell about Macho Man. [Aggressive Art]

- Jim Ross' thoughts about Macho. [JR's BBQ Sauce Blog]

- Justin Henry recounts the fifteen greatest matches of Macho Man's career. [Camel Clutch Blog]

- Scott Bowden's tribute to Randy Savage. [Kentucky Fried 'Rasslin']

- A simple picture tribute. Just as a note, I had most of those old-school rubber WWF figures. [Unreality Mag]

- B Stroud's Savage memorial. [With Leather]

- A great read about Savage's early years working for his father and in an "outlaw" promotion that rivaled Memphis. [Cageside Seats]

- Macho's WCW debut. [South Atlanta Wrestling]

- The Trentonian gave Macho's death an above-the-fold headline. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]

- A slideshow tribute to Macho from Bleacher Report Uproxx and The Cajun Boy. [Uproxx]

As Always...

- You've gotta follow Where's Randy Savage on Tumblr or in your Google Reader. [Where's Randy Savage]

That's all. It's all Macho Man this week.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

The Best Moves Ever, Macho Week: Flying Elbow Drop

I know, I did this move before. But you know what? I don't care. It's Macho Week, and there isn't any move that's associated with "Macho Man" Randy Savage more than the flying elbow drop from the top rope. Seriously, the flippy flips look good and all, but is there anything better than watching a guy drive his elbow through his opponent's chest from an elevated height? I DON'T THINK SO, OOOH YEAH DIG IT.



Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Wrestling Six Packs, Macho Week: Macho Man's Greatest Rivals

Two natural rivals going at it.
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Randy Savage had an epic career. I think that's pretty much academic. However, in wrestling, you don't have a great career solo. You need to have guys to play your foil, or guys you play foil to. Savage had some great feuds, and here are six of his best rivals.

1. Jerry "The King" Lawler

When Savage left his father's ICW and went to work in Memphis, you could argue he really came of age. It's natural, as Lawler's run in Memphis may have been the most important singular draw to one region, and working with him would be seasoning enough for anyone. It was here that Macho got prepared for the big time. This list really isn't in any order, but you could make the argument that Lawler may have been Savage's most important rival.

2. Ric Flair

...then again, when you feud with perhaps the most decorated and important wrestler of all-time over the WWF World Championship at WrestleMania, that counts for a lot more than going at it in a regional promotion. The first clash between Macho and Naitch was so heated, so edgy for the time. Flair claimed to have racy pictures of Elizabeth, something actually right out of the Memphis playbook actually. The interplay between the two felt so natural, so right. It was an iron they'd strike several more times in WCW, and even though they really didn't go up against each other at all until the '90s, it felt like they were rivals throughout eternity.

3. Hulk Hogan

Yes, the feud was one-sided for the most part. Yes, Savage was always portrayed as Hogan's bitch. However, Hogan and Savage were both inexorably linked if only for the Mega Powers angle and the watershed WrestleMania V match. It was a feud that lasted both in and out of character for a long time, eliciting the infamous Be a Man rap album from Macho that was somewhat of a nadir for him, but hey, no one's perfect.

4. George "The Animal" Steele

ON the total opposite end of the "importance" scale is Steele, who was more of an ancillary feud, an annoyance than a legitimate feud. I mean, he was a big doddering, slobbery beast, and he basically lusted after Liz like King Kong did after Fay Wray. But in a way, he was the perfect foil for Savage and Liz as a couple. What better way to accentuate the fact that Macho really didn't deserve Liz than having this slovenly old man, a slovenly old man who was a super fan favorite, creeping after her?

5. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

This is a no-brainer. I think Bill Simmons hit the nail on the head in his excellent Savage tribute column today. Wrestling's peak kinda began with Savage crushing Steamboat across the larynx, and their match at WrestleMania III was THE first ever WM marquee match. Seriously, Shawn Michaels as Mr. WrestleMania? Austin and Hart? Taker and Trips this past year? Hart vs. Hart? It was a tradition begotten with this match. It arguably made the Intercontinental Championship, and thus it's a rivalry that belongs on this list.

6. Diamond Dallas Page

This was his signature WCW-only feud, but man, what an intense and critically acclaimed one it was. These two went at it, and it really did a lot to make DDP, much in the way that feuds with Steamer and Hogan made Savage in the '80s. You really got the feeling that both guys were looking to kill each other. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were both probably somewhat legitimately crazy, but hey, that always adds to a great feud.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Warrior's Tribute to Randy Savage

As much as Randy Savage was a part of the good ol' days in wrestling, so too was the Ultimate Warrior. The two had an in-ring history with each other, and Warrior had a lot to say about his friend's passing. I know that he's had a history of being wacky and downright hateful, delusional or despicable over the last decade or so, but this tribute really hit hard for me because I've never seen him so humble or wistful. Like many others, Randy Savage had a profound effect on his life. He shares some stories mixed in with some commentary on how the business changed as well. He recounts the coffee-drinking matches he and Savage would have, and remarks on Savage's handshake. It's pretty weird to see a guy like Warrior on the verge of tears, but hey, if the Macho Man could have that much of an effect on us, the fans, Randy Poffo the person probably had a hundredfold greater impact on his peers and friends.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

George Steele on Why Savage and McMahon Had Heat

George "The Animal" Steele
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Via WrestleChat.Net

It wasn't a bar slap. It wasn't having relations with jailbait Stephanie. It was a feeling of betrayal that kept Randy Savage out of the WWE according to George "The Animal" Steele. On a radio interview with Busted Open on Sirius, Steele recounted Savage's jump to WCW and how McMahon felt about the whole ordeal:

That’s been said a lot of different ways, and there’s been a lot of different things said that are not true necessarily.

I think that what happened with Randy, when his career was winding down with the WWF, Vince McMahon just loved Randy. After all everything Randy had done and he took him under his wing, and he wantedRandy after the ring was over with for him, he wanted him to be our spokesperson. He was traveling with Vince all the time. Randy was almost like a son, they were really tight. And then one day, we were at a TV meeting, and we got word that Randy, without calling Vince, had left and jumped to the WCW. I had never seen Vince McMahon broken before, he was crushed. It hurt him big time and I don’t think he ever got over that. I think that’s the real problem to be honest with you. I heard all this other stuff that I think is garbage when it comes to Randy and relationships with daughters and all that stuff… I don’t think that’s anywhere’s close to the truth.

So yeah, just another case of wrestling rumors gone wild, because I think that if I were going to believe anyone, it'd be Steele. He seems like the honest type, and really, what would he have to gain about his candor?

Honestly, I think it's a shame that the two never fully reconciled if McMahon had that close a relationship with Savage at one time, but then again, it's not like McMahon never betrayed anyone. What could have been...

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!