Macho Man Randy Savage: Savage's 10 Greatest Matches
With the untimely death of Randy “Macho Man” Savage on Friday, the wrestling world lost one of its all-time greatest performers.
Whether it be wrestling a match or cutting a promo, Savage always brought a great deal of energy and flamboyance to everything he did. As good as he was in that respect, he may have been an even better athlete.
Few wrestlers were as well-rounded as Savage, who was equally adept at brawling as he was flying off the top rope with his trademark flying elbow drop or double axe handle.
Over the course of a career that spanned across four decades, Savage had countless great feuds and matches. He had so many great matches, in fact, that it's almost impossible to compile a consensus list of his best ones. I gave it a try, however, so without further ado, here are the top 10 all-time matches of the late, great Randy “Macho Man” Savage.
10. Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair for the WCW Heavyweight Title, Jan. 22, 1996
1 of 10
This match marked Savage's second of four WCW Championship wins and came in the middle of a heated feud with his old rival Ric Flair. To make things more interesting, Savage had enlisted the services of Flair's former valet, Woman.
A good deal of action took place outside the ring, with Savage favoring an injured arm for much of the match as well. As Savage began to gain the upper hand, Jimmy Hart distracted the referee, allowing Arn Anderson to interfere on Flair's behalf.
Just as Anderson was about to hit Savage with a foreign object, however, he ducked, and Flair was struck instead. Savage then finished off Flair with his patented flying elbow drop to score the pin.
After the match, Hulk Hogan got into the ring to celebrate with Savage and also ask for a title shot. That feud wouldn't materialize until a later date, though, as Savage dropped the title back to Flair the following month.
9. Randy Savage vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Heavyweight Title, April 19, 1992
2 of 10
This match is significant in that it was Savage's first title defense after winning the strap off Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII. It also marked Miss Elizabeth's final appearance in the WWF following her real-life divorce from Savage.
At this time, Shawn Michaels was still early in his singles career after turning on long-time tag team partner Marty Jannetty, and nobody could have foreseen the type of career Michaels would eventually have. Because of this, the match is likely looked upon more favorably now than when it actually took place.
A good built-in storyline in this match was that Michaels' manager was Sensational Sherri, who managed Savage during his time as the Macho King.
The match itself was a great back-and-forth affair that saw both Savage and Michaels showcase their trademark athleticism throughout the contest. Sherri tried to interfere on multiple occasions, prompting Elizabeth to rough her up.
Savage eventually won the match with a high cross body off the top rope. After the match, Sherri tried to hit Savage with her boot, but missed and knocked out Michaels instead. The ensuing celebration between Savage and Elizabeth would be their last together in a WWF ring.
8. Randy Savage vs. Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Title, Feb. 8, 1986
3 of 10
By this point, Savage had been in the WWF for only seven months, but he was already incredibly over with the crowd as a heel. Tito Santana had brought a great deal of credibility to the Intercontinental title, so he was the perfect wrestler to push Savage to prominence.
Savage used many of his heel tactics in this match, as he escaped the ring multiple times while under siege from Santana. Santana worked over Savage's knee during the match in an attempt to soften him up for the figure four leg lock.
At one point, while on the ring apron, Savage pulled a foreign object from his trunks. As Santana attempted to execute a bell-to-back suplex, Savage nailed Santana with the object and knocked him out cold. This allowed Savage to make the pin and win the title.
After the match, Savage hid the foreign object and ran off with Elizabeth before the referee could sense something was amiss. This win signaled the beginning of a 14-month reign as Intercontinental champion for Savage.
7. Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase, Steel Cage Match for WWF Title, June 25, 1988
4 of 10
This match was a continuation of a feud that started when Savage beat DiBiase for the WWF Championship in the finals of a tournament at WrestleMania IV. DiBiase had been feuding with Savage's friend Hulk Hogan in an attempt to get the belt, but shifted his focus to Savage once he won it.
In terms of the match itself, this was probably better than their WrestleMania encounter, but not quite as significant as Savage merely retained the title in this contest. Both men had sustained pockets of dominance during the match, but were foiled in their attempts to exit the cage.
Savage came close to escaping on a number of occasions, but DiBiase's personal bodyguard Virgil would either slam the door shut or climb the cage to curtail Savage's progress. At one point, DiBiase was just inches away from exiting the cage through the door, but Savage used brute strength to pull him back in by his tights.
The blow off to the match was incredibly surprising. As Savage and Virgil battled atop the cage, a young fan in Hulk Hogan gear legitimately scaled the cage and tried to stop Virgil. The fan was finally corralled by security as Savage reached the floor to pick up the victory.
6. Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts, This Tuesday in Texas, Dec. 3, 1991
5 of 10
While this was certainly a great match, it's probably more well-known for its aftermath and the psychology surrounding the feud.
The Savage/Roberts feud started during Savage and Elizabeth's “wedding” at SummerSlam '91. During the reception, Roberts hid a snake in a gift box, which ended up frightening Elizabeth. Then Roberts and his ally, The Undertaker, attacked Savage.
In subsequent weeks, Roberts continued to harass Savage, going so far as to have his cobra actually bite Savage. Their bout at This Tuesday in Texas was a good one that saw Savage pick up the win after a flying elbow.
Following the match, Savage attempted to make Roberts pay by hitting him with the ring bell. He was stopped by ringside personnel, however, allowing Roberts to recover and DDT Savage. Roberts then went under the ring to get his cobra. Elizabeth then ran down to protect Savage. After pleading with Roberts to spare Savage, Roberts grabbed Elizabeth and shockingly slapped her before leaving the ring.
Savage would eventually end the feud by beating Roberts on a future episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.
5. Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase for WWF Title, WrestleMania IV, March 27, 1988
6 of 10
This match probably represented the high-water mark in terms of Savage's popularity during his time in the WWF. His partnership with Hulk Hogan made him a mega-face, and all that was left was to be crowned WWF Champion.
The WWF Championship had been vacated after Andre the Giant handed the title over to Ted DiBiase after defeating Hogan. What resulted was a 14-man tournament to crown a new champion at WrestleMania IV.
What made this match particularly impressive was the fact that Savage had to defeat Butch Reed, Greg Valentine and One Man Gang earlier in the night in order to reach the finals against DiBiase.
The match was very solid and involved a lot of action on the outside of the ring, as Andre the Giant was in DiBiase's corner, while Hogan was in Savage's corner. Andre interfered in the match a number of times on DiBiase's behalf, but his plans were eventually foiled when Hogan came to ringside.
Savage would win the title after landing a flying elbow drop on DiBiase. Savage, Hogan and Elizabeth all celebrated together after the match. Although Savage and Hogan would continue on as the Mega Powers, this match basically signaled the beginning of the slow-burning “Mega Powers explode” angle.
4. Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair for WWF Title, WrestleMania VIII, April 5, 1992
7 of 10
This is yet another match that benefited from an excellent build up. The Savage/Flair feud started when Flair claimed to have incriminating photos of himself and Elizabeth together. Flair's constant pursuit of Elizabeth was extremely effective in making the feud and the match itself seem very personal.
As was often the case when Savage was a face, Flair received plenty of help in this bout. His “personal consultant” Mr. Perfect got involved multiple times during the course of the match. Due to this, Flair was in complete control through most of the early going.
Flair eventually hit his head on the steel barricade. This bloodied Flair, which really aided in the big-match feel. Just as Savage took control, Mr. Perfect slipped Flair some brass knuckles, which Flair used to knockout Savage. The Macho Man was able to kick out, however, and soon rolled up Flair and got the three count.
After the match, Flair and Perfect beat down Savage while WWF personnel attempted to break it up. Once Flair and Perfect were finally forced to leave the ring, Savage and Elizabeth celebrated Savage's second WWF Championship win.
3. Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title, WrestleMania V, April 2, 1989
8 of 10
This match was the beneficiary of perhaps the greatest build up in WWF history. After winning the WWF Championship, Savage often would tease being jealous of Hogan and would accuse Hogan of trying to steal Elizabeth away from him.
Savage and Hogan's alliance came to an end on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, when Hogan left Savage to be beaten up by the Twin Towers as he went to check on the welfare of Elizabeth. This caused Savage to snap and go back to his heel persona.
Heading into the match, Savage had held the title for over a year, which just added to the enormity of it all. Savage played a lot of cat and mouse throughout the match in an effort to outsmart Hogan, and he actually got the better of him on plenty of occasions.
Hogan should never be construed as a technical marvel, but his presence in the ring really made it a great match. This was never more apparent than when Savage nailed his patented elbow drop on Hogan, only for Hogan to kick out, Hulk up and pick up the victory.
Savage has absolutely been in much better wrestling matches, but in terms of entertainment and importance, this is certainly one of his best.
2. Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania VII, March 24, 1991
9 of 10
This is the only match on the list where Savage wrestled under his entertaining “Macho King” gimmick. The buildup to this match involved Savage and his valet, Sensational Sherri, costing the Ultimate Warrior the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Warrior's challenger, Sgt. Slaughter, had promised Savage a shot at the title, but Warrior was unwilling to do the same. Due to this, Savage hit Warrior with his scepter, allowing Slaughter to win the title.
The stipulation for this WrestleMania match was that the loser would have to “retire” from in-ring competition. As somebody who was never a fan of the Ultimate Warrior, it's obvious how highly I thought of Savage's performance in this match to list it this highly.
I will say that what Warrior lacked in actual wrestling ability, he made up for in energy which was integral in getting the crowd involved. The climax of the match involved Savage nailing Warrior with five top-rope elbow drops in succession. What ensued was the Warrior kicking out and going on to win the match.
Following the match, Sensational Sherri began to slap around a beaten Savage in disgust. This prompted Elizabeth, who was conveniently in the crowd, to enter the ring and fight off Sherri. This resulted in Savage reuniting with Elizabeth and turning face in the process.
1. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat for Intercontinental Title, WrestleMania III
10 of 10
This match, which is considered by many to be the best WrestleMania match of all time and perhaps the greatest wrestling match of all time, is unequivocally the greatest match of Savage's career. This is interesting to note, because the three matches that I consider to be Savage's best were all matches that he lost.
The Savage/Steamboat match was significant for a number of reasons. For one, the loss ended Savage's 14-month Intercontinental title reign, which still stands as the second-longest reign in WWF/E history. Also, it took place in front of 93,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome and really overshadowed the main-event match of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.
The match was an absolute clinic on technical wrestling. There were multiple chains of grapples and pinning combinations that gave the bout a great pace as well. The added of attraction of George “The Animal” Steele and Elizabeth being at ringside gave the match an added element of entertainment too.
Late in the match with the referee knocked unconscious, Savage attempted to hit Steamboat with the ring bell as he had done in a previous match. Steele stopped him, however, and pushed him off the top rope. This allowed Steamboat to pin Savage with a small package just as the referee recovered.
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