Macho Man Randy Savage: The 10 Best Highlights of His Career

Giulio RomanoMay 21, 2011

Bleachers,

I am certain by now most of you have heard the news.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage passed away from a heart attack while driving his car this morning in Florida.

This is a shock felt around the world.

The pro-wrestling world has suffered a heart attack at the same time as its king.

He was one of the most decorated superstars of all time. An Intercontinental champion, a six-time World champion and the King of the Ring to name a few things.

To sum up his career in one article is just crazy so if you would please follow me through history as we look back the greatest moments of his out-of this-world career.

Randy Savage Chooses Elizabeth as His Manager

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She was lovely!

Va Va Va Voom!

In 1985, Elizabeth Hulette, known to us as the first lady of the WWE, was chosen above all others to represent the rising star "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

This came as a shock. Who was this woman? What good would she bring him?

Little did we know at the time the two were married on December 30th, 1984.

She was a beauty. Behind the great man was this lovely woman whose reserved and silent smile won the hearts of millions.

Their marriage lasted until they separated and ultimately divorced in 1992 after eight years.

To this day, even after being remarried, it is hard to separate the two.

Their careers will have had many ups and downs but in the end, they were pillars of WWE history and you cannot deny the contribution they brought to the company.

I sincerely hope Savage's passing will warm the hearts of those who make the decisions and rightfully induct BOTH Randy and Liz into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Macho Man Wins the Intercontinental Championship

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The first part of this is also available, check it out! Great match!

At the Boston Garden on February 8th, 1986 the Macho Man defeated his rival Tito Santana and claimed the Intercontinental title, his first championship in WWE.

It was broadcast on the "Prime Time Wrestling" television show a few weeks later.

During the match, Savage reached into his tights and planted "Chico" with some metal stick and covered him for the three-count, a tactic that is very much used today.

He engaged in many feuds over the title. The likes of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, George "The Animal" Steele and even the legendary Bruno Sammartino.

The Macho Man entered and left WrestleMania II as champion with a victory over Steele.

His reign was one of the most successful, if not greatest of all time as it began in February 1986 and went all the way to March 1987

WrestleMania III Savage vs. Steamboat: One of the Greatest Matches of All Time

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Watch part one! It's amazing! Promos are awesome!

I always hate seeing Elizabeth cry...

Dubbed "The greatest match of all time" for over 15 years, the epic confrontation between Randy Savage and Rick Steamboat left its mark upon pro-wrestling forever.

Though the Macho Man lost that night, he and "The Dragon" clearly made this edition of Mania one of the best ever. It was far more impressive than even the Hulk Hogan-André the Giant title bout at the very end.

19 TWO-COUNTS! Count them! It was perfectly executed from the beginning and I could watch it over and over.

Randy Savage was elevated to superstar after this, no one could dare question that.

WrestleMania IV and the Undisputed Championship Tournament

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This must have been the highest and most proud moment of his pro-wrestling career.

To win the great tournament and become undisputed champion is a feat never again reproduced in WWE history.

He made his way through: Butch Reed, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, The One Man Gang and finally, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase in the finals to win the gold.

His was a successful 371 days reign as champion right up to WrestleMania V when Hulk Hogan defeated him for the championship.

By the way...during the entire tournament, Savage and Liz changed outfits four times! Now that is class!

Shocking Moment: Elizabeth Is Replaced with Sensational Sherri

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I love that psycho-bit**!

There was only one person that could feed off of Macho's madness and that was none other than Sherri Martel the "Sensational" one.

Though they were heated rivals on screen, Sherri and Elizabeth were great friend and shared the burden of life on the road together for the few years Martel managed Savage.

I think of that time as a golden age for WWE. Things were of such a quality that it can make it hard to watch today's programming sometimes.

The fact we don't see managers anymore has a profound effect on the product as many superstars are held back for poor verbal skills.

Simply adding Sherri to the mix brought out something more of Macho Man's character. It made him even more hated and treacherous.

I guess he truly was the greatest "heel" of all time.

R.I.P Randy...Liz and Sherri were there to welcome you at the Great Table.

Randy Savage the "Man" Becomes the "King"

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I still can't find the actual match...damn!

Long live to the king! Long live to the queen!

In September 1989, something unexpected happened. Macho Man Randy Savage defeated King Duggan to win the "King of the Ring" crown and title.

Of course it was again with underhanded tactics and a loaded purse but who cares? It was great!

Now referred to as "Macho King," Savage and Queen Sherri reigned with a tight fist upon the WWE.

Notice how during the coronation ceremony, the ring is surrounded by "heels."

It was presided over by The Genius who in real life is Lanny Poffo, younger brother to the Macho King.

They really did look alike, funny how nobody notices stuff like that until now.

His former rival Ted DiBiase presented him with a beautiful golden scepter, an emblem fit for a king and a great new addition to the arsenal of weapons he would later use to assure himself victory.

Thus began the days of the king.

Retirement Match Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage: A Timeless Classic

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This was not for any championship in one's career, but rather for the career itself.

Randy Savage was already known to have the best matches but in this one, he helped make even the Ultimate Warrior look amazing. Perhaps it was the best Warrior match ever.

This match was epic for many reasons.

First because both were former WWE Champions and there wasn't that many back then, unlike today so a match like this was beyond monumental.

Second, the fact that both their careers were on the line ensured we, who watched, were on the edge of our seats with every near fall.

At one point Savage dropped five flying elbows on Warrior and still he kicked out. I almost died! Ultimate Warrior was my favorite back then see.

Though Macho King lost the match and his evil manager Sensational Sherri, he regained the jewel in his crown that had been lost for over two years: Miss Elizabeth.

The two reunited amids deafening cheers and tears. It was a new beginning in some ways.

Career matches in pro-wrestling rarely ever stick anyway.

WrestleMania VIII: Macho Man Defeats the Nature Boy and Regains the Gold

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She was mine! before she was yours!

Mr. Perfect: "He had a handful of tights!!"

So what Hennig?

The Macho Man defeated one of the best of all time, Ric Flair, to regain the championship he lost three years prior.

And to think this match was supposed to pit Hogan against Flair. They switched it on us and for the better I believe.

The two were consummate workers and sticklers for detail. Both were renowned superstars, putting them together in a match for the championship definitely overshadowed the Hulk Hogan-Sid Justice main event later that night.

It all started when Flair declared Elizabeth was his before Savage and showed pictures of the two together. An irate Macho Man was determined to win back the honor of his woman and in the process, take the title off the "Nature Boy."

This was a bittersweet victory when you think about it. Randy Savage and Elizabeth separated in real life shortly after and were divorced that following September.

Nevertheless, it is one of the crowning achievements of Macho Man's illustrious career.

Motion Picture Madness: Bonesaw McGraw Takes on Spider-Man

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OOH YEAH!! DIG IT!!

After his pro-wrestling years were over, Savage hit the big time and scored some big deals in Hollywood namely the mega-production Spider-Man I.

I hadn't seen him in years. It was such an exciting moment for me. There were significant changes in his appearance as well. Yes, we all age, but Macho had become supersized!

He wasn't the same as I'd remembered back in the '80s and '90s...smaller and high-flying but a big, muscular brute. I think about it right now, there's a "Macho" man!

This movie was a hit commercially. Having Randy Savage in it made it all that much better.

Though it was a brief appearance, I am certain he earned quite a fortune and made all of us, his fans, delighted to see him again.

DVDs, Video Games, Figurines and the Hall of Fame?

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Haven't played that one yet?!! ...sigh!

After you accomplish so much in such a small amount of time, you definitely have made an impact.

Randy Savage is one of the greatest of all time and his career will be remembered always.

WWE released a DVD collection of his moments back in 2009 entitled "Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection"

Mattel released the Defining Moments figurine series last years featuring a Macho King circa WrestleMania VII and his infamous career match.

This past March, THQ launched its new "WWE All-Stars" video game with Savage as playable character making it his first appearance since 1994 in any WWE game.

After all this, you'd think he was in line for an induction into the Hall of Fame.

Everything happens for a reason and I believe WWE Officials may have been on the verge of doing something big in honor of the Macho Man.

His brother, Lanny Poffo, informed us there was something big on the way just a few months ago. I thought then we would finally know the identity of the anonymous RAW GM...

I was wrong.