Two years ago today (May 20), one of the greatest performers the professional wrestling industry has ever known, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, died of a heart attack while driving his vehicle. He was just 58-years-old.
There's so much to say about the life and times of Savage that I almost can't find the words. He was a talented athlete long before entering the business that would make him a star but it's within the pro wrestling industry that he left his mark on the world.
I remember watching Savage as a kid and being absolutely mesmerized by everything he did. His deep gravelly voice used to scare me and then it startled me before finally intriguing me and taking me in. He had this ability to make me hang on his every word, like I better pay attention because the last one could be just that, the last one, and the next one might be the most important word ever spoken.
He oozed charisma. There's a certain "it" factor you often hear longtime workers in the industry talk about when describing the superstars who transcended the sport and reached dizzying heights of fame. Savage had that. He wasn't the biggest guy, though his muscles rippled through his outlandish wardrobe choices, but he had the biggest heart. You could tell every time he climbed through the ropes to entertain the thousands of fans in the arenas he sold out across the globe.
Make no mistake about it, he was a top star. And he was a top star during heydays of guys like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Hulkamania may have been running wild but the Madness was running right along with it. Warrior might have come in and taken the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) by storm but it was Savage who persevered. It's no surprise, really, that some of the best matches of both Hogan and Warrior's careers came against Savage.
That seemed to happen a lot. "Macho Man" always seemed to have entertaining matches with whoever he was working with. But he was also a genius with a microphone in his hand, just as good cutting promos as he was at putting opponents over. Actually, he was good no matter what he did. In fact, Savage may have been at his best charming his way through an appearance on the Arsenio Hall show just before dropping the WWF title to Hogan at WrestleMania 5. Or maybe it's just a fond memory of mine.
There's so much to say about Savage and so little space to say it. For an in-depth look at Savage's career, I encourage you to check out the fine work done by David Bixenspan just after his death in his series memorializing his career. Part one deals with the time before "Macho Man" joined the WWF and part two deals with his WWF years. I would also strongly suggest you check out Keith Harris' post commemorating Savage's greatest moments via video.
I've posted two videos for you below. One is his aforementioned short but sweet visit with Hall and the other is his Intercontinental championship showdown against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3, the greatest match of his career (and quite possibly the best WrestleMania match of all time).
Please, Cagesiders, feel free to share your favorite "Macho Man" Randy Savage memory in the comments section below.
Savage on with Hall:
Randy Savage's crowning achievement: his match against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3:
And now, from the desk of our CSS Senior Editor; for your viewing pleasure we have freshly dusted off our old archived posts from the CSS Archives -- ENJOY!
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20 - MAY
CSS ARCHIVES
20 May 2012
- WWE Over the Limit results and live match coverage TONIGHT (May 20) from North Carolina by Geno Mrosko May 20, 2012 7:00 PM CDT - 1347 comments
- WWE Over the Limit live streaming free pre-show featuring Kane vs Zack Ryder by Geno Mrosko May 20, 2012 6:15 PM CDT - 36 comments
- WWE adds battle royal to Over the Limit event tonight (May 20) in North Carolina by Geno Mrosko May 20, 2012 5:23 PM CDT - 13 comments
- Cageside Quote: The Bella twins explain why they left WWE by Geno Mrosko May 20, 2012 5:08 PM CDT - 13 comments
- Front-page news: How Pro Wrestling Illustrated chronicled the Monday Night War (1995-2001) by Jason Mann May 20, 2012 12:56 PM CDT - 6 comments
20 May 2011
- Chael Sonnen still newsworthy: Punishment clarified, fan goes nuts by bix May 20, 2011 10:34 PM CDT
- "Macho Man" Randy Savage's life in wrestling part 2: The WWF years by bix May 20, 2011 9:33 PM CDT - 4 comments
- Randy Savage's most memorable moments via YouTube/DailyMotion by Keith Harris May 20, 2011 4:43 PM CDT - 4 comments
- "Macho Man" Randy Savage dead after heart attack turned car accident by bix May 20, 2011 3:25 PM CDT - 42 comments
- "Macho Man" Randy Savage: Too talented to be blackballed by bix May 20, 2011 3:14 PM CDT - 3 comments
- Randy Savage memorialized on Twitter by the pro wrestling fraternity by bix May 20, 2011 12:45 PM CDT - 4 comments
- Bellator 45 Preview: Hale vs. M'Pumbu by Kevin Haggerty May 20, 2011 11:41 AM CDT