Randy Savage

Background

Randy Savage was born on November 15, 1952, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest pro wrestlers who ever lived. His talents in the ring have always shone, and he still has a loyal fan following to this day. Savage was born Randall Mario Poffo in Columbus, Ohio. He was born to an Italian-American father, Angelo Poffo, and a Jewish mother, Judy Poffo. He had one brother named Lanny, who also went on to become a professional wrestler. The brothers were inspired by their father, who had been a well-known wrestler during their childhood. After graduating high school, Savage was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a catcher, and he ended up playing in four minor league seasons. In 1973, during the baseball offseason, he broke into the wrestling business and decided to end his baseball career in favor of it, choosing the ring name “Savage” after what his trainer Terry Stephens and booker Ole Anderson said: he “wrestled like a savage.” He then began to work with his father and brother.

His father felt that his sons were not getting the types of opportunities that they needed to advance, so he started the International Championship Wrestling organization, which was considered an outlaw organization. It was short-lived; Savage then joined Jerry Lawler’s Continental Wrestling Association, along with his brother. During this time, he had several notable matches, which increased his profile in the wrestling community. By 1985, Savage was considered one of the top free agents in pro wrestling and signed with Vince McMahon. He then began appearing on “Tuesday Night Titans” and made his pay-per-view debut. That same year, he began his on-screen relationship with occasional professional wrestler Elizabeth Hulette, better known as Miss Elizabeth, who he selected as his manager. Behind the scenes, Hulette and Savage had already been married in 1984.

In 1986, he won the Worldwide Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. Savage’s early career with the W.W.F. was very successful, winning three victories over renowned W.W.F. star Hulk Hogan, two of which took place at Madison Square Garden. In 1987, Savage won the King of the Ring tournament, and his popularity continued to increase over the next two years as he defended his World Heavyweight Champion title against wrestling stars like Andre the Giant and the Big Boss Man. He also formed the tag team The Mega Powers with Hulk Hogan. In 1989, Savage lost the title to Hulk Hogan after holding it for 371 days, beginning an ongoing feud between the two wrestlers which was only further exacerbated when Hogan said Miss Elizabeth was his manager.

Savage then retired from active wrestling after his career-ending match with The Ultimate Warrior in 1991. Despite that, he kept appearing on television as a broadcaster and returned to the ring soon after in an unofficial capacity. He was then reinstated, beginning an on-screen feud with W.W.F. Champion Ric Flair. During this time, he also divorced Miss Elizabeth in real life. Savage remained with W.W.F. until he made his first appearance with World Championship Wrestling in 1994. Additionally, he was able to settle his feud with Hulk Hogan, and the Mega Powers reunited. He continued wrestling with W.C.W. until the late 1990s. He then took a break from wrestling before reappearing in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2004. In December of that same year, he wrestled his last match. After this, he was featured in several animated T.V. and film projects because of his memorable voice. Outside of wrestling, Savage appeared in several television shows and movies, like “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Mad About You,” and “Spider-Man.” He also voiced characters on “King of the Hill,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” and “Bolt.” Savage died in 2011 of a heart attack due to undiagnosed heart conditions.