May 20th, 2011
It’s a sad, sad day–Randy Savage has died of (surprise!) a heart attack. He was 58.
The Macho Man probably belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of wrestling–at least of the modern, post-regional era. He was a force of such wild charisma (and physical talent) that he was the only guy in the Hogan-era of the WWF who was capable of pulling the promotion’s center of gravity away from the Hulkster who was, for nearly a decade, the entire WWF franchise.
You could see the foundation of Macho’s act early in his ICW days (check out this fantastic promo) and he made for a great heel when he arrived in the WWF in the mid-’80s. But in 1985 he crushed Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat’s larynx, creating what is, for my money, the gold standard of wrestling feuds. (Go to the 2:50 mark here and watch (1) Savage “crush Ricky Steamboat’s throatal region”; Steamboat sell the move as well as anyone has ever sold; and (3) the crowd go absolutely nuts.) The feud put Savage over as the dominant heel; created a year-long, slow-play drama; told a story with a beginning, middle, and end; and climaxed in such a way as to both give proper moral resolution and continue to elevate Macho. It was epic work from Macho, Steamboat, and the writers and maybe the high-water mark of the ’80s WWF.
By 1987, the Macho Man had so much heat that the WWF simply had to turn him face and it was only once he was side-by-side with Hogan in the “Mega Powers” that Hogan really started to look small. For all the camp about Hulkamania, Hogan knew what he was selling and how to do it well. But when Savage was next to him, suddenly it became clear who the real icon was.
I’ll leave you with a couple of Savage promo montages. Watching him pirouette and pause and point with his pinky should help dull the pain. For my money, there’s only one other wrestler I’ve seen that I would class with Macho as the best there is, the best was, the best there ever will be.
History beckons the Macho Man.
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Only one response necessary to JVL’s Macho Man tribute: Ohhh Yeahhh.
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Elizabeth died of a drug overdose almost 10 years ago.
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Yes yes, I know. Poor Elizabeth.
Galley Wife May 20, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Oh. : ( Poor Elizabeth.