It was 12 years ago today that Macho Man Randy Savage died of a heart attack while behind the wheel of his Jeep Wrangler in Seminole, Florida. Savage was a tremendous wrestler, known for having one of the most vicious elbow drops in the game. His on-and-off feud with Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest wrestling storylines of the 1980s.
Savage created a character that people remember more than his in-ring skills. His growling voice, the weird drawn-out emphases on the wrong syllables and his trademark phrase of “Oooh, yeah!” became widely imitated. The Macho Man was like the Kool-Aid Man after too many scoops of creatine. Savage truly shined in his promos, some of which became classics in the business.
Savage feuded with WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana, eventually gaining that belt at a match at Boston Garden in 1986. Of course, he enlisted the aid of an international object to win, but that was part of Savage’s gimmick. He considered Santana to be trash, a fact made eminently clear in this promo.
Many consider this to be Savage’s best promo, a great combination of prop comedy and barely comprehensible craziness. Savage lost the Intercontinental Championship, blaming WWF President Jack Tunney for his defeat. His confidence in himself didn’t waver though, and Savage declared himself to be the cream of the crop.
While discussing his upcoming match with Billy Jack Haynes in Sacramento, California, Savage was about one click away from becoming totally unhinged. Not only does he go off on Haynes, but he delivers strange threats to interviewer Ken Resnick. It might not be the strangest Savage promo, but it’s on the list.
Savage was incredibly protective of the beautiful Miss Elizabeth, his valet and real-life wife at the time. Miss Elizabeth had captured the eye of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who used Miss Elizabeth to lure Savage into a fight. To say the least, Savage was displeased with Roberts’ behavior.
Someone thought it would be a good idea to put Savage together with The Ultimate Warrior in a tag team called the Ultimate Maniacs. The partnership lasted less than a year. It wasn’t really a memorable run, except for the promos those two men made together. Look: I don’t know what the hell was wrong with Warrior in this bit, but he tried to out-macho the Macho Man. The result was bizarre.
Savage left a huge impression not only on the wrestling world, but on popular culture in general. His commercials for Slim Jim beef sticks were everywhere, making “snap into a Slim Jim” a common saying. Yeah, really. In 2003, Savage released a hip-hop album called Be A Man. The reviews were not great, but the song “Remember Me” features Savage talking about his legacy. You can find plenty of articles about Savage’s influence on the business. In this case, it may be best to let the Macho Man speak for himself.
