Post by Sedition: Gladiator on May 20, 2011 15:25:29 GMT -6
R.I.P. Macho Man Randy Savage
I was saddened to hear of the death of Randy Savage. One of the all time greatest in the ring and on the stick. It was his match with The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7 that got me hooked on wrestling. From that moment on until the end of his run in WCW in 1999, he was always one of my very favorites. There is no wrestler who has stood the test of time for me like he has. I sometimes look back at some of my old favorites and can think of times where they were lagging, but not Savage. He was always entertaining. There was no one who sold a beating, and made near falls more believable than Randy Savage. So I will use this rant to run down the most memorable moments of his career (in my unhumble opinion).
1 - Getting bit by the Snake
To me this was one of the greatest moments in wrestling history. It was scary, it was dramatic, and nobody sells better than the Macho Man. Everytime I watch this moment it takes me back to being 8 years old and watching Superstars in my living room. My heart was racing with a mixture of excitement and fear. I had a fear of snakes from that moment on, and to this day I still get creeped out by King Cobra snakes, all because of this moment.
2 - Winning the WWF Title (Wrestlemania 4)
After 4 years of Hulk Hogan being champ, and headlining every Wrestlemania, finally they gave someone else a shot. Macho Man was not your typical wrestling star. He was shorter and skinnier than most of the big stars of the day, but he had so much charisma that he could not be denied a run at the top. Though this match, and his title reign constantly had Hulk Hogan lurking around every corner trying to steal the spotlight, it was still a great moment.
3 - Rivalry with Ric Flair
It had a corny soap opera storyline, with Ric Flair claiming to have once dated Liz, and Macho Man being jealous. In the hands of less capable performers it would have been pathetic, but with Savage and Flair at the helm this was one of the all time great rivalries. Seeing what Savage and Flair put together in the run up to Wrestlemania 8 makes me happy that they never went with the Hogan/Flair dream match, as that would have lacked the drama of this great feud. It also gave Savage the moment he deserved to have at Wrestlemania 4. A championship celebration without Hulk Hogan stealing his spotlight.
4 - Retirement Match with Ultimate Warrior
This was the match that got me hooked on wrestling. At the time as a 7 year old boy, I gave the credit to the walking, talking, tasseled, steroid freak Ultimate Warrior. Now looking back I realize that only Savage could have carried Warrior to such an amazing match. Savage managed to carry the roided up freak on his back, put on a good show, come in with the fans hating him, and leave with the fans loving him. What a moment!
(Sorry, no video for this one. You Tube has blocked everything to do with this match... jerks!)
5 - Macho Man Invades Nitro (Jan. 20/97)
This is an obscure moment that few would remember. After taking abuse from the NWO throughout the latter half of 1996, Macho Man had disappeared for a while. He returned on this Nitro and hijacked the show with a sit down protest. It was Macho Man at his best. The guy could just sit down in the middle of the ring and have you glued to the TV. Just an awesome moment.
6 - Rivalry with Diamond Dallas Paige
1997 was a successful, but dry year for WCW. The NWO gimmick was hot, but getting overdone. This rivalry provided the intensity that the NWO vs. WCW war needed. It was a launching pad for DDP's career. Had Savage been one of the egomaniacs who refused to put people over, DDP's future would have been much different. Savage played the heel role perfectly, and gave DDP the boost he needed to succeed.
7 - Tuesday In Texas
Strange moment to choose I know, but seriously, I was never more excited about a match than I was about this one. Macho Man had been on the sideline since his retirement match at Wrestlemania 7. After the snake bite, people were desperate to see Macho Man get his hands on Jake The Snake. It was probably the most unmemorable PPV in WWF's history, and it was idiotic to try a PPV on a Tuesday, but the anticipation for this match alone made it a classic.
8 - Match Made In Heaven
Ok, it was cheesy, corny, and sappy, but it was great television. Macho Man's in ring proposal to Elizabeth was hilarious, as you hear him repeat over and over again Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. It was sappy, but clasdsic.
9 - Forming The Wolfpac with Kevin Nash
The Wolfpac with Savage was short lived, and unmemorable, but the moment it was formed still lives on for me. The NWO was in desperate need of a shake up. It was too confusing when the crowd would cheer Kevin Nash, Macho Man, and Scott Hall, but boo the other guys. They needed to shake it up, and they pulled it off in a great moment at Spring Stampede, where after Nash turned on Hogan, he helped Savage win the WCW Title from Sting. Like every Macho Man title reign, this one was overshadowed by Hogan, who won the title the very next night on Nitro (The first of 2 times this happened to Macho Man in WCW). So the aftermath of this moment was lame, but it was a great unexpected moment when Nash joined forces with Savage, and Savage won the title.
10 - The Mega Powers Explode
This moment would have been higher for me, but I just hated the fact that this moment was more about Hogan. Whether in a tag team or in a feud Savage always outshined Hogan, but Hogan always got the glory. This was the case with Savage's awesome heel turn in the lead up to Wrestlemania 5. It was the first time you saw a World Champion turn mid reign. It was another one of those moments that only a talent like Savage could have pulled off. Ultimately this moment served to re-elevate Hogan, and demote Savage, but it still was an entertaining rivalry.
....and of course the moment that needs no introduction...
I was saddened to hear of the death of Randy Savage. One of the all time greatest in the ring and on the stick. It was his match with The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7 that got me hooked on wrestling. From that moment on until the end of his run in WCW in 1999, he was always one of my very favorites. There is no wrestler who has stood the test of time for me like he has. I sometimes look back at some of my old favorites and can think of times where they were lagging, but not Savage. He was always entertaining. There was no one who sold a beating, and made near falls more believable than Randy Savage. So I will use this rant to run down the most memorable moments of his career (in my unhumble opinion).
1 - Getting bit by the Snake
To me this was one of the greatest moments in wrestling history. It was scary, it was dramatic, and nobody sells better than the Macho Man. Everytime I watch this moment it takes me back to being 8 years old and watching Superstars in my living room. My heart was racing with a mixture of excitement and fear. I had a fear of snakes from that moment on, and to this day I still get creeped out by King Cobra snakes, all because of this moment.
2 - Winning the WWF Title (Wrestlemania 4)
After 4 years of Hulk Hogan being champ, and headlining every Wrestlemania, finally they gave someone else a shot. Macho Man was not your typical wrestling star. He was shorter and skinnier than most of the big stars of the day, but he had so much charisma that he could not be denied a run at the top. Though this match, and his title reign constantly had Hulk Hogan lurking around every corner trying to steal the spotlight, it was still a great moment.
3 - Rivalry with Ric Flair
It had a corny soap opera storyline, with Ric Flair claiming to have once dated Liz, and Macho Man being jealous. In the hands of less capable performers it would have been pathetic, but with Savage and Flair at the helm this was one of the all time great rivalries. Seeing what Savage and Flair put together in the run up to Wrestlemania 8 makes me happy that they never went with the Hogan/Flair dream match, as that would have lacked the drama of this great feud. It also gave Savage the moment he deserved to have at Wrestlemania 4. A championship celebration without Hulk Hogan stealing his spotlight.
4 - Retirement Match with Ultimate Warrior
This was the match that got me hooked on wrestling. At the time as a 7 year old boy, I gave the credit to the walking, talking, tasseled, steroid freak Ultimate Warrior. Now looking back I realize that only Savage could have carried Warrior to such an amazing match. Savage managed to carry the roided up freak on his back, put on a good show, come in with the fans hating him, and leave with the fans loving him. What a moment!
(Sorry, no video for this one. You Tube has blocked everything to do with this match... jerks!)
5 - Macho Man Invades Nitro (Jan. 20/97)
This is an obscure moment that few would remember. After taking abuse from the NWO throughout the latter half of 1996, Macho Man had disappeared for a while. He returned on this Nitro and hijacked the show with a sit down protest. It was Macho Man at his best. The guy could just sit down in the middle of the ring and have you glued to the TV. Just an awesome moment.
6 - Rivalry with Diamond Dallas Paige
1997 was a successful, but dry year for WCW. The NWO gimmick was hot, but getting overdone. This rivalry provided the intensity that the NWO vs. WCW war needed. It was a launching pad for DDP's career. Had Savage been one of the egomaniacs who refused to put people over, DDP's future would have been much different. Savage played the heel role perfectly, and gave DDP the boost he needed to succeed.
7 - Tuesday In Texas
Strange moment to choose I know, but seriously, I was never more excited about a match than I was about this one. Macho Man had been on the sideline since his retirement match at Wrestlemania 7. After the snake bite, people were desperate to see Macho Man get his hands on Jake The Snake. It was probably the most unmemorable PPV in WWF's history, and it was idiotic to try a PPV on a Tuesday, but the anticipation for this match alone made it a classic.
8 - Match Made In Heaven
Ok, it was cheesy, corny, and sappy, but it was great television. Macho Man's in ring proposal to Elizabeth was hilarious, as you hear him repeat over and over again Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. It was sappy, but clasdsic.
9 - Forming The Wolfpac with Kevin Nash
The Wolfpac with Savage was short lived, and unmemorable, but the moment it was formed still lives on for me. The NWO was in desperate need of a shake up. It was too confusing when the crowd would cheer Kevin Nash, Macho Man, and Scott Hall, but boo the other guys. They needed to shake it up, and they pulled it off in a great moment at Spring Stampede, where after Nash turned on Hogan, he helped Savage win the WCW Title from Sting. Like every Macho Man title reign, this one was overshadowed by Hogan, who won the title the very next night on Nitro (The first of 2 times this happened to Macho Man in WCW). So the aftermath of this moment was lame, but it was a great unexpected moment when Nash joined forces with Savage, and Savage won the title.
10 - The Mega Powers Explode
This moment would have been higher for me, but I just hated the fact that this moment was more about Hogan. Whether in a tag team or in a feud Savage always outshined Hogan, but Hogan always got the glory. This was the case with Savage's awesome heel turn in the lead up to Wrestlemania 5. It was the first time you saw a World Champion turn mid reign. It was another one of those moments that only a talent like Savage could have pulled off. Ultimately this moment served to re-elevate Hogan, and demote Savage, but it still was an entertaining rivalry.
....and of course the moment that needs no introduction...
