The Noble Savage: Catching Up With Macho Madness
By Brian Solomon
With his manic demeanor and flashy sequined capes, "Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of WWE's most recognizable Superstars of the 1980s and early '90s. Flanked by the lovely Elizabeth as he strode to the ring to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance", Savage enjoyed popularity equal to that of Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Andre The Giant. A simple "Ohhh, yeeeaaahh" or "Dig it!" in his unmistakable raspy voice was enough to light up any crowd.
Now, Savage is putting that voice of his to a different use, one that no one could have predicted: Rapping. In October, the Macho Man released his first hip-hop CD, Be a Man, and has thrown himself into this new career path.
His previous career gained him world renown and seemed predestined. The son of 1950s and '60s wrestler, Angelo Poffo, Randy grew up in the business.
"It was really fun", recalls the Macho Man. "A lot of the wrestlers would come over to meet my dad for a ride, so I got to meet a lot of those that were on television. I'd say about 95 percent of them were real nice to me, shook my hand and all that. Being a kid, I was starstruck."
In high school, Randy Poffo played football, basketball, and baseball. At first, it looked like it would be baseball where he would make his mark. After graduation, he went straight into the minor leagues, playing in the farm systems of the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox.
But the lure of the ring was in his blood, and he eventually entered the family business, in which his father was already an established star, which helped. He made his pro debut in the mid-1970s, and soon thereafter got his famous ring name when wrestler / promoter Ole Anderson commented that "the kid wrestles like a savage."
Savage competed throughout the old territorial system, in places like Detroit, Amarillo, Texas, and later his dad's Kentucky-based company, International Championship Wrestling (ICW). Ending a long-running feud with Jerry Jarrett's Memphis territory, Savage, along with his dad and brother, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, buried the hatchet and went to work the promotion. It was while working there that Randy got a fateful call.
"Vince McMahon came to and said, "I'll guarantee you an opportunity.", he remembers. I said , "That's good enough for me." That was the break I was waiting for. That was what made me."
The flashy and flamboyant Savage was a perfect fit for the expanding organization, then in the midst of becoming the world's premier provider of sports-entertainment. On June 17, 1985, "Macho Man" Randy Savage made his first appearance at a WWE TV taping in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Almost immediately, the brash young competitor caught the fans' attention with his kinetic interview style and a level of aerial technique rarely seen in competitors his size. At the start of 1986, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Tito Santana in Boston Garden to begin a reign that would last over a year.
"That was my first break after coming to the company," he says. "I wanted to prove I could take the ball and run with it. That's what started things rolling. It gave me instant credibility."
Ironically, it was the match in which Savage lost the I-C title that is best remembered. At Wrestlemania III in the Pontiac Silverdome, Savage and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat engaged in a classic that literally stole the show.
"That's the biggest rush I ever had in my life, " Savage says. "To go down the aisle in front of 93,000-plus was unbelievable. Nothing in my life compared to it. Knowing the place was sold out, knowing it was the world record, and then participating in that match, being able to compete with someone with the athletic ability of Ricky Steamboat. It made my own abilities known to the world. It was a phenominal opportunity. I compare everything to that rush right there."
Although he lost the title, the publicity from the match made Savage an even bigger star. Before 1987 was out, his popularity ran second only to the WWE Champion, Hulk Hogan. It was only fitting that the Hulkster and the Macho Man form an alliance: The Mega Powers.
After Hogan's first title reign ended at the start of 1988, a golden opportunity presented itself. Savage seized it, as he won four tournament matches in a single night to snare the vacant WWE crown at Wrestlemania IV. He would stand atop the wrestling world for a full year.
"It was fun, but I also knew from growing up with my dad, it was a responsibility to be a leader to the other wrestlers, " he explains. "It's a responsibility for a lead dog to make the dressing room productive, and get everyone feeling good about themselves."
Savage was the next major champion to follow the Hulkster, but it was Hogan who brought that title reign to an end after The Mega Powers exploded at Wrestlemania V. The Macho Man continued to be a major player in WWE for the next few years, morphing for a while into the villainous "Macho King" before once again embracing fans in an emotional reunion with Elizabeth at Wrestlemania VII.
By the beginning of the 1990s, the era of the "New Generation" had arrived, and Savage began playing less of an in-ring role. He spent some time as an announcer, and was part of Monday Night Raw's original broadcast team. A brief return to action in 1992 saw Savagee enjoy a second WWE Championship reign at the expense of Ric Flair. But at the end of 1994, Savage walked away from WWE and headed south to the old WCW.
Although the Macho Man got a chance to return to full-time competition, and wore the WCW World title on several occasions, he does not look back fondly on his years spent in that organization.
"I wrestled for Vince for 10 years and found the right way to run a wrestling company, " he says. "Then I went to work for WCW for 5 years, and found out the wrong way to run a wrestling company. It was completely different under Vince McMahon. Vince is the leader, the one calling the shots. In WCW, they had all chiefs and no Indians. Just a real mess."
In recent years, Savage has been in semi-retirement, choosing not to compete on the independent circuit. Satisfied with the legacy he's left behind, he's chosen instead to pursue different ventures. For instance, he played the role of Bonesaw McGraw in the 2002 blockbuster motion picture, Spider-Man, duking it out with, Peter Parker in a steel cage.
"Sam Raimi was really fun to work for," he says. It was kind of like we were working with him instead of for him."
Earlier this year, Savage was deeply saddened by the passing of his ex-wife Elizabeth Hulette. Although the two had been divorced for ten years, they will always be associated in the hearts of fans that watched their unique relationship unfold on TV.
"That was real sad," Savage says. "A friend of mine told me about it. That's what a friend does; he's a bearer of bad news. I felt very bad for her and her family. We weren't in constant contact with each other; we'd agreed to go on with our lives."
After mourning Elizabeth's death, the Macho Man entered a new phase of his life. After doing a promotion involving boxers represented by Big 3 Records chairman Bill Edwards, Savage was offered a chance to join Edwards' label as a rap artist. He jumped at the chance, and the result is Be a Man, the Macho Man's debut album released October 7.
"I've been a fan of music my whole life," he says. "A lot of people can be touched by music. When I got the opportunity to do this, it was like the opportunity Vince McMahon gave me to come up to New York and express myself with my talent. Now, I've gotten the chance to express myself in the music world. I'm not one that's gonna write a book, like everybody's doing now. This is my book, my first CD. I plan on coming up with more CDs, if the public embraces it."
Featuring a cameo by hip-hop performance DJ Kool (responsible for the late '90s hit "Let Me Clear My Throat"), the album also included a tribute to the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig entitled, "My Perfect Friend." As Savage embarks on a nationwide media tour in support of the new release, the obvious question remains in the mind of surprised fans: Why rap?
"Because I can't sing!" laughs Macho. "Basically, if I tried to sing, it would just be a joke. I don't take myself real seriously on this rapping, but because of my voice, it seems to work. I'm not saying I'm the world's greatest rapper. I'm just trying to entertain my wrestling fans, and possibly bring some of my wrestling fans over to the hip-hop world."
Unorthodox? Yes. Unexpected? Very. But it's all par for the course for one of sports-entertainment's most unorthodox and unpredictable Superstars. Randy Savage had made a career of shocking and thrilling fans, and hopes to continue doing so in his new chosen field. Clearly, Macho Madness is still running wild.
