Even by the standard of pro wrestling and its magnified personality , there ’s never been anyone quite like Randy “ Macho Man ” Savage ( 1952 - 2011 ) . A staple of WWE and WCW programming in the eighties and nineties , Savage ’s bulging neck opening vein , gruff voice , and imaginative gesticulation made him a virtuoso .
1. HE WAS ORIGINALLY A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER.
Born Randall Poffo in Columbus , Ohio , Savage ’s don , Angelo Poffo , was a far-famed pro grappler in the 1950s , sometimes wrestlingunder a maskwith a dollar sign on it as “ The Masked Miser . ” If that was consider the mob line , Savage ab initio strayed from it , pursuinghis sexual love of baseball into a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals farm team as a catcher directly out of high schooling . Savage bring nigh 300 nonaged conference game over four seasons . After neglect to make the majors , hedecidedto survey his Father-God into grappling .
2. A HAWAIIAN WRESTLER INSPIRED HIS FAMOUS TAGLINE.
In 1967 , a then-15 - yr - old Savage accompanied his sire to a grappling event in Hawaii . There , he saw island grapnel King Curtis Iaukea deliver a “ promo , ” or appeal for viewers to watch him in a forthcoming lucifer . Iaukeaspokein a voicelessness before bellowing , punctuating his sentence with , “ Ohhh , yeah ! ” That particular oral communication pattern dumbfound with Savage , who espouse it when he start his calling in the annulus .
3. HIS MOM GAVE HIM THE “MACHO MAN” NICKNAME.
allot to Savage , his grapple nickname did n’t come from the Village People song but from an article his female parent , Judy , had read inReader ’s Digestannouncingthat “ macho man ” was go to be a hot term in the coming yr . She mailed it to Savage along with a list of other potential public figure . Even though neither one seemed to bed what a “ macho man ” was , Savage liked the sound of it . His stage name , Savage , come from Georgia promoter Ole Anderson , whothoughtSavage ’s grappling style was furious .
4. HE SCARED OTHER WRESTLERS.
In the former 1980s , Savage ’s father had started boost his own regional show in the Lexington , Kentucky area . To draw publicity , Savage and the other wrestler would sometimes show up to rival showsthreatening grapplersand offer up stakes that they could pound them up in a real fight . Once , a Memphis grappler constitute Bill Dundee pulled a gun on Savage , who allegedly took it away from him and thump him with it . After his begetter ’s advancement close up , Savage shore in the WWF ( now WWE ) , giving him a national platform .
5. JAKE THE SNAKE’S PYTHON PUT HIM IN THE HOSPITAL.
One of Savage ’s recurring feud in the WWE was with Jake “ The Snake ” Roberts , a lanky matman who carry a python into the ring with him and allowed the reptile to “ attack ” his opponents . To intensify their rivalry , Savage agreed to leave Roberts ’s Hydra to bite him on the arm during a television taping after being ensure it was devenomized . Five Clarence Shepard Day Jr. later , Savage was in the hospital with a 104 - stage fever . Savage lived , but the snake did n’t ; it conk just a few days later . “ He was devenomized , but maybe I was n’t , ” Savagetold IGNin 2004 .
6. HE PLANNED HIS MATCHES DOWN TO THE SECOND.
While outcome may be design wing , the stage dancing of pro wrestling is left largely up to the player , who either spill the beans it over prior to pop off out or call their moves while in the ring . For a 1987 equal with Ricky Steamboat atWrestlemania III , Savage want everything to be absolutely perfect .
“ We both had those yellow-bellied legal tablets , and we bug out making note , ” SteamboattoldSports Illustratedin 2015 . “ Randy would have his set of promissory note and I would have mine . Then we grow everything address — number 1 , figure 2 , issue 3 — and we break down up to issue 157 . Randy would say , ‘ OK , here is up to spot 90 , now you severalize me the rest . ’ I would have to go through the ease , then I would quiz him . I ’d never planned out a couple that way , so it was very stressful to think of everything . ” The endeavour was worth it : Their match is considered by many fans to be among the greatest of all time .
7. HIS MARRIAGE TO MISS ELIZABETH CAUSED PROBLEMS IN THE LOCKER ROOM.
Savage ’s “ valet ” in the WWE was Miss Elizabeth , a fixing of his corner during most of his career in the 1980s . Although they had an onscreen wedding in 1991 , they had been wed in genuine life back in 1984.Accordingto several matman , Savage was enviously guard with his wife , whom he keep in their own footlocker room . Savage would also confront grappler he believed to have been hitting on her . The strain of working and travel together was read to have contribute to their ( genuine ) divorce in 1991 .
8. HE CUT A RAP ALBUM DISSING HULK HOGAN.
9. HE MIGHT GET A STATUE IN HIS HOMETOWN.
In 2016 , fanscirculateda prayer to get Savage his own statue in Columbus , Ohio . The initiative was breathe in by the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger has a monument in Columbus , and wriggle fans argue that Savage should get equal clip . The city manager has yet to bring out a reply . In the meantime , a20 - inch - marvellous resin statueof Savage was released by McFarlane Toys in 2014 .
See Also:10 Larger - Than - Life Facts About Andre the Giant
