The Golden Era of WWE featured a ton of future legends like Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper. Two other big names were "Macho Man" Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. From the separation of the Mega Powers to Ultimate Warrior's WrestleMania VI victory over Hulk Hogan, the two of them etched a place in the history of wrestling that will never be forgotten.
It seemed inevitable to fans of this era that the two would clash in the ring and their feud finally happened officially in 1991. This list will examine 10 things that every fan should know about the rivalry between Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior.
10 Their Feud Kicked Off After Savage Caused Warrior To Lose A (Rare) PPV Match
The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most protected wrestlers of all time. He never even suffered a single clean loss on an episode of weekly WWE television. One of the few televised losses he did suffer happened because of Randy Savage.
In the storyline, Savage had been asking for a WWE Championship match, but The Ultimate Warrior constantly refused. During Warrior's match against Sgt. Slaughter at the 1991 Royal Rumble, Savage hit Warrior with a scepter causing him to lose his WWE Championship, setting up the feud with Savage.
9 The Two Had Their First Televised Match In 1989
Although they started officially feuding in 1991, the two competed in many matches before that in WWE. Their first official match happened in 1989. Savage ended up winning that bout via count-out, which basically existed to add fuel to the rivalry between Rick Rude and Warrior.
The pair also competed numerous times at house shows in matches where both Savage's WWE Championship and Warrior's Intercontinental Championship were both on the line. Savage often walked out the victor via count-out or disqualification, shortly before dropping the gold to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V.
8 They Had Two Major Rivalries
Although many fans only remember the feud that led to their match at WrestleMania, Savage and Warrior actually had two feuds in WWE. After Ultimate Warrior defeated Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII, the two diverged.
Savage and Warrior would begin feuding again in the lead-up to SummerSlam 1992. In their second feud, Warrior asked Savage for a title shot, which the Macho Man granted. The two competed as babyfaces in their 1992 bout, that ended in a count-out victory for Ultimate Warrior.
7 Randy Savage Wanted To Have A Better Match With Warrior Than Hogan Did
Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan had one of the greatest rivalries in WWE history. It's no surprise they were both very competitive professionals. Since Randy Savage often lived in the shadow of Hulk Hogan, who was portrayed as a much bigger star and therefore yielded much more power, Randy always wanted to put on better matches.
Savage knew Hogan had a great match with Warrior at WrestleMania VI and his goal, during their bout at WrestleMania VII, was to give fans an even better match. Savage's efforts paid off since most regard his match against Warrior as superior to the Hogan/Warrior match.
6 The Pair Competed In The First Ever "Career Vs. Career" Match At WrestleMania
Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior's match at WrestleMania VII is the very first "career versus career" match ever in WrestleMania history. The stipulation for the match was given to add stakes and was a suggestion by Randy Savage, who was looking forward to having time away from the ring after taking the loss.
The Ultimate Warrior was ultimately victorious in the bout and Randy Savage temporarily retired from the squared circle. It was the beginning of the warped WWE version of the word "retirement".
5 Savage Was A Big Time Heel During Their First Major Feud
During his first feud with Warrior, Randy Savage was one of the most hated wrestlers in WWE. He turned heel and he (with Sensational Sherri) was putting on a master class on how to rub people the wrong way.
It's a big reason why his feud with The Ultimate Warrior was so successful. Most of their matches came in an era where fans loved the "good versus evil" storyline. No one played the evil role better than Savage in the early '90s and it helped sell their compelling story.
4 The Pair Didn't Main Event WrestleMania
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Although many fans remember WrestleMania VII as the night that Savage and Warrior clashed in the ring, the two were not the main event of the show. Their match was similar to that of Hulk Hogan and The Rock at WrestleMania X8. It was a match that overshadowed the main event. The WWE Championship match between Sgt. Slaughter and Hogan are one of the forgotten WrestleMania main events.
3 The Ending That Followed Their Match At WrestleMania 7 Is More Famous Than The Match Itself
Randy Savage had one of the great wrestling arcs through his storyline with Elizabeth. Although he was a heel wrestler alongside Sensational Queen Sherri, he reunited with Elizabeth after losing to The Warrior.
Fans were so invested in that storyline, which eventually led to Randy Savage turning babyface, that many forget there was a match that took place before the moment they reunited. Since Savage was forced to "retire," he and Miss Elizabeth rode off into the sunset together, and that moment is, oftentimes, the only part of the wrestling match that some fans remember.
2 They Competed In Warrior's Two Best Matches Ever, According To Dave Meltzer
The Ultimate Warrior was a very limited in-ring performer. He had great intensity and could put fans on his side by working the crowd but he was by no means a "great wrestler". Randy Savage, on the other hand, was a terrific in-ring wrestler.
He was able to make many wrestlers look good (like Hulk Hogan). Two of the best matches of Warrior's career were against Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII and SummerSlam 1992. They are also the two highest-rated Warrior matches by Dave Meltzer, both receiving four stars or more.
1 The Two Eventually Became Tag Team Partners
After their match at SummerSlam 1992, Warrior and Randy Savage became allies feuding with Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. They had a short-lived tag team known as The Ultimate Maniacs, and were supposed to compete against Flair and Razor at Survivor Series 1992. Unfortunately, Warrior left WWE before the match and the tag team lasted for a little over two months.