Early Wrestling Career
Randy Poffo was born on November 15, 1952, in Columbus, Ohio. Before he became a professional wrestler, Poffo was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and competed in the minor leagues. During the baseball off-season, Randy began working in the professional wrestling business. He was suggested the ring name “Randy Savage” by a longtime friend, Terry Stephens.
Thanks to encouragement from his father, Savage began to branch out and perform in new wrestling territories, including the CWA in Memphis. It didn’t take long for Savage to catch the eye of some very important higher-ups in the wrestling business.
WWE Debut
Randy Savage made his WWE debut on July 6, 1985. He was touted as the top free agent in the wrestling business and consequently became a desired client for all of WWE’s managers. Savage, however, declined their offers and chose Miss Elizabeth (his real-life spouse) to be his manager.
On February 8, 1986, Savage defeated Tito Santana to become the WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for 14 months before dropping it to Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III in a bout regarded to be one of the greatest pro wrestling matches in history.
Soon after his title loss, The Macho Man gained immense popularity and turned babyface as a result. He then became an ally of Hulk Hogan and the two of them formed The Mega Powers.
World Heavyweight Championship Reign
At WrestleMania IV, Savage defeated “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase to claim the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, with the help of Hulk Hogan. After being all but unstoppable for months, the Mega Powers had a dramatic and emotional falling out. Their ensuing feud culminated at WrestleMania V, where Hogan defeated Savage and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Randy Savage then went on to win the 1989 King of the Ring tournament and dub himself “The Macho King.” He replaced Miss Elizabeth with Sensational Sherri and set his eyes on Ultimate Warrior’s WWE Championship. At WrestleMania VII, Savage lost the title match but had an emotional reunion with Miss Elizabeth, who jumped from the crowd and came to his rescue. The two then got married at SummerSlam 1991.
WCW Tenure & NWO Membership
On December 3, 1994, Savage made his debut for World Championship Wrestling. He reunited with his friend and rival Hulk Hogan shortly after. At World War 3 on November 26, 1995, Savage captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the first-ever 60-man three-ring battle royal. He lost the championship to Ric Flair after a betrayal by Miss Elizabeth.
At Bash at the Beach on July 7, 1996, Hulk Hogan betrayed Savage and turned heel by forming the New World Order alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Savage feuded with his former tag team partner for the next several months.
At SuperBrawl VII on February 23, 1997, Savage joined the nWo himself and reunited with Hogan. Later on in his WCW career, Savage also formed his own faction called Team Madness alongside Gorgeous George, Medusa, Miss Madness, and Sid Vicious.
Death & Legacy
Randy Savage passed on the morning of May 20, 2011, after becoming unresponsive while driving his car. The cause of his death was officially ruled as atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition that Savage had been unaware he had.
Today, Macho Man is celebrated as one of the greatest performers in the history of professional wrestling. Wrestlers today continue to draw inspiration from him, whether it be from his iconic sense of style or incredible repertoire of wrestling maneuvers. Randy Savage was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.