DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

WWE DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

It is hard to believe that 'Macho Man' Randy Savage is no longer with us. His sad passing was well documented across the globe (including a few pieces by yours truly). This three disc DVD box set is a very good way to fondly remember the legendary grappler. The only thing it lacks is any fresh input form Savage himself. This is of course just how these things go sometimes. Randy and the WWE were not on good speaking terms when the DVD was produced (2009) and thus his inclusion was something that we cannot really have expected to see.

Overall this is a perfectly enjoyable highlight reel of 'Macho Man's WWE and WCW career, plus much more along the way.

Matt Striker and Maria are our hosts in this roller-coaster ride through the ups and downs of Savage's tenure in wrestling. Savage was one of the few former wrestlers who retired gracefully and never returned to the ring. He did however make an appearance in the original Tobey Maguire starring Spiderman film though.

I for one had hoped the WWE and Randy would one day bury the proverbial hatchet and offer him a place in the Hall of Fame. Maybe that will still happen, it is just a shame that the man himself will not be able to appreciate it. That fateful heart attack and subsequent car crash saw to that unfortunately.

So what will you see on this three disc set? Well from the get go we get to see Randy as the perfect heel for the WWE at that time. He was cocky, exciting and more than willing to bend the rules when he could. Things really picked up when he was aligned with (real life spouse) Miss Elizabeth. Liz was something the WWE had never seen before, she was a glamorous young woman and she was a breath of fresh air in a company that possessed mainly older male managers.

From a match point of view across the discs we get to see some classic encounters between macho and Ricky Steamboat (with whom he had one of wrestling's finest ever feuds and WrestleMania's best match too), we also see him face off against Ted DiBiase, Honky Tonk Man, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Included here also are the legendary Mania match with Hulk Hogan, the well-paced 'retirement match' with Ultimate Warrior and the quite scary battle with Jake Roberts (which saw Savage get mauled by Jake's pet snake).

Throw in some nice TV matches, WCW classics and a huge amount of vignettes, the 1991 in-ring wedding of Randy and Liz, and you have one hell of a good release.

This Christmas this may just be the one wrestling DVD that the wrestling fan in your life would love to have.

The Randy Savage Collection is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

By Phil Allely

Lanny Poffo Interview Highlights

Lanny Poffo recently participated in an interview with SLAM! Wrestling to address his late brother, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, as well as his own lengthy career in sports entertainment.




Poffo is asked whether WWE reached out to Randy for induction into their Hall of Fame and what his feelings were on the matter.



“Yes, we talked about it,” Poffo said. “As a matter of fact, what he was, remember when the Von Erichs got into the Hall of Fame? That was the first time he’d mentioned it, and my father was still alive. We celebrated his birthday, and at this point my father was coherent. He says, ‘The Von Erichs are in the Hall of Fame? I’m not going in, ever, into the Hall of Fame unless it’s the Poffos, Lanny, Randy and Angelo.’ That’s what he said. We didn’t cremate him against his wishes and we’re not going to go into the Hall of Fame against his wishes either.”



Poffo also commented on WWE releasing several products featuring Randy.



“I think it’s fantastic,” he said. “Did you see the interview he made for the Mattel dolls? He said, ‘It looks just like me, not now, but then.’ He got a big pop at the ComicCon with his video when he made that self-deprecatory joke. I thought it was phenomenal. He made a joke about himself that he didn’t look like that anymore.”

Ric Flair Interview Highlights Re: Randy Savage

Ric Flair was a guest on 610-AM The Fan’s “The Drive” show with Taylor Zarzour and Marc James on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. In the interview they went over the awful death of Randy Savage. Here are some comments from the interview.


Flair on “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s death hitting hard: “It sure did (hit hard). It’s pretty sad. He just recently got married, it’s been a little over a year, and was happy and, you know, really seemed to be at peace with himself. He just had a phenomenal career and to have this happen is just really, really sad.”

Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage: “That was a huge day for me and my first dance at WrestleMania, of course. It was just a tremendously well-written program. It was like he was married to Liz back then and she was a huge commodity and a huge star with the WWF, or that’s what they were called back then, of course. And the thing was, ‘She was mine before she was yours.’

It was well-written and done and Randy worked hard at it and I worked hard at it. We had a really good match. Curt Hennig, God rest his soul, managed me and Liz managed Randy and we gave them a hell of a show and it was awesome. That was my first Mania and one of the finest memories of my career.”

Flair on Savage: “My thoughts about Randy are different. I think he was such a competitive guy. Randy had a really hard time relaxing and I feel bad. I think about the times I used to say to him, ‘Hey man, just calm down and don’t worry about this and this and this… whatever happens is going to happen.’

“If you go to sleep at night worrying about what’s going to happen the next day, it’s just too hard. You know, he worked like I did, 365 times a year back in the old days.

“He actually broke in in Charlotte in 1975. I’d only been here a year when Randy moved in down here. He played semi-pro baseball, I think, in St. Louis and was doing fairly well but wasn’t blowing up the ladder like expected so he came here and broke in the business.

“The irony in that is when I first moved here in ’74 I actually traveled with his dad (Angelo Poffo)several times. I knew the whole family very well. His dad just passed recently and I think that hurt Randy really bad. They were very close.

“Randy just dropped out of sight when the company was sold from WCW (to WWE). The thing I feel worst about, of all of the guys that are available and eligible to be in the WWE Hall of Fame — there most be something that I’m unaware of that’s gone on and they’ve never inducted him because Randy certainly was a major player for the WWF in the mecca days of the ’80s and ’90s.”

Flair on if Savage is one of the ten greatest wrestlers of all time: “Of course. Yeah. Of course. … I didn’t always agree with Randy. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t sweat things out like he did. But I wasn’t… I didn’t have to fight like a dog in that race they had to be whoever they were in the eighties in that show, where everybody was fighting for position everyday of their life. I didn’t have to evolve from that.

“I never had personal differences with him, nothing about lifestyle. It was just about business and it doesn’t stop my opinion (of him)… he always did favors for me. He came in and opened some of my Gold’s Gyms.

“We were great friends. He and I clashed in business but outside of the ring we were great. He could drink beer and have a good time. And I made him laugh and helped him take his mind of things that bothered him. We got along great and had a lot of fun together.

“I used to say to him all the time, he probably died with 300 million dollars in the bank. I’m not exaggerating. I’m being facetious. But Randy was very thrifty. I used to say to him all the time, because he would stay at hotels that were less cost effective than where I stayed. (laughs)

“You can criticize it all you want but I’m going to enjoy the moment because you never know, you know. The irony in that is Randy was only 58 years old. That’s sad because I guarantee you he’s got enough money to live 200 more years. He made it. He worked hard to earn it. He worked very hard to earn it. He deserved it.

“But I always used to say to him, ‘Man, you live for the day.’ Today’s another example of why you have to live for today. You never know.”

New Jim Ross Blog

Jim Ross posted a brand new blog on his website commenting on Brock Lesnar’s book, “Macho Man” Randy Savage” and more. Here are some highlights:




Roundtable: “BTW and speaking of legends, we are preparing to shoot two more Legends Roundtables in a week or so. Not sure of the complete panel, I think that Michael Hayes, JJ Dillon and myself are 3 of the 4, or the topics. It’s one of my favorite things to do especially now that I’m not on the air weekly. Love the atmosphere and the honesty of the panel and am anxious to hear of the subjects, panelists and air dates which are all TBD.”



Randy Savage’s Influences: “Tweeter follower asked me where I thought Randy Savage got the majority of his in ring influences. Savage was very individualistic but I’ve always been of the mindset that his costumes and music were somewhat influenced by WWE HOF’er Gorgeous George. Randy was amazingly intense, virtually 24/7, and brought natural athleticism to the squared circle. We never always agreed on a variety of professional matters and had our share of disagreements but never once did i not respect his in ring ability and the fact that he was one of the biggest , pro wrestling stars of all time.”



Lesnar Autobiography: “Anxiously awaiting my copy of the Brock Lesnar/Paul Heyman book ‘Death Clutch’ and somewhat curious to see how yours truly is depicted by Brock after a less than celebratory departing from WWE while I was an executive w/ the company.”



Writers: “Emailer…Why on Earth would you really want to be a ‘wrestling writer?’ As John McEnroe once screamed to a tennis official, “You CAN’T be serious!” I’m not one to throw water on anyone’s dreams but the life of a ‘wrestling writer’ is often times thankless, tireless, and massively over scrutinized. I know that I couldn’t handle it in today’s marketplace.”

New article on Randy Savage career

Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports has an article chronicling Randy Savage’s extraordinary wrestling career and it features behind-the-scenes details on how it came to an end.




Savage briefly appeared for TNA Wrestling in late 2004 to feud with Jeff Jarrett. At the December pay-per-view, Turning Point, he was scheduled to partner with Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles in a tag team match against The Kings of Wrestling—Jarrett, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Savage, who hadn’t wrestled in over four years, flaked out of the match mere minutes before the pay-per-view was to go live.



WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, who was TNA’s head booker at the time, recalled the tumultuous ordeal backstage in a quote for the article.



“The last words he said to me, five minutes before the PPV, was, ‘I can’t do this. I don’t want people to see me looking like this,’” Rhodes remembered. “Jerry [Jarrett, a TNA company co-owner] called [event producer] Keith Mitchell in, and I said, ‘Change the main event. I said to him, ‘Randy, just go home. It’s okay with me.’ That’s the last words he said to me.”



To explain the wrestling legend’s absence from the match, an angle was hastily scripted for The Kings of Wrestling to attack Savage and stuff him into the trunk of a limo, which spend off out of the arena’s parking lot. Without Savage, Styles and Hardy had to work the match by themselves. Savage ultimately appeared, albeit briefly.



After several minutes of Hardy and Styles fighting off The Kings of Wrestling, Savage, wearing a long black shirt to hide his shrunken physique, returned to the Impact! Zone and walked down to the ring. He was tagged in by Hardy moments later and pinned Jarrett after a punch to the jaw.



Savage bolted from the promotion days later at an iMPACT! taping due to a disagreement over the finish of his match at the next scheduled pay-per-view, Final Resolution. He had requested that he win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett at the event, but was denied. He never wrestled again.



Rhodes, who lived a 20-minute drive from Savage, never saw him again following Turning Point. He compared Savage of the last five years of his life to the reclusive lifestyle of Howard Hughes.



“I could see it in his eyes … he just didn’t want to do it,” said Rhodes. “Obviously, he was financially set. Out of all of us from that era, [Ric] Flair, Hogan, Andre, myself, how many of us walked away. One.”

More Randy Savage Stuff

Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer stated today on F4WOnline.com that recent allegations made by WWE Hall of Famers George “The Animal” Steele and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper concerning Vince McMahon’s soured relationship with Randy Savage have nothing to do with the WWE chief’s animosity towards the late wrestler.




Piper alleged last Friday on Twitter that Savage slapped McMahon in a bar. Steele then suggested in an interview that McMahon held Savage in contempt for abruptly jumping to World Championship Wrestling in 1994 because he considered him “almost like a son.”



Steele said, “I think that what happened with Randy, when his career was winding down with the WWF, Vince McMahon just loved Randy. After all everything Randy had done and he took him under his wing, and he wanted Randy after the ring was over with for him, he wanted him to be our spokesperson. He was traveling with Vince all the time. Randy was almost like a son, they were really tight. And then one day, we were at a TV meeting, and we got word that Randy, without calling Vince, had left and jumped to the WCW. I had never seen Vince McMahon broken before, he was crushed. It hurt him big time and I don’t think he ever got over that. I think that’s the real problem to be honest with you.”



In late 1996, Savage’s contract with WCW had expired and he briefly negotiated with WWE regarding a possible return to the organization. Meltzer said that during this time frame, Vince McMahon told him he would take back Savage “with open arms,” but would “never ever” take Hulk Hogan back.



Meltzer then notes that McMahon’s animosity towards Savage during the final years of the wrestling legend’s life stemmed from an incident that occurred following 1996, or “something he found out.”



“Any explanation of why Vince hates Savage that has to do with something that Vince would have known pre-1996 is clearly balderdash,” Meltzer stated. “Either something post 1996, or something he found out after 1996.”



There is a long-standing rumor indicating that Savage was involved in a sexual relationship with McMahon’s daughter Stephanie during his final year in WWE, therefore explaining his animosity towards him (which McMahon learned years later). While the allegation has never been verified, Meltzer stated in March 2009 that top WWE officials believed the rumor to be true.



Meltzer said then, “I think that the reason is the same reason that everyone says. It’s the reason everyone in (WWE) says. It’s the reason that is the only one that makes any sense. So I think that’s the reason. I can’t come up with any other reason. I don’t know. I mean, I’ve heard that reason from so many people that are not internet rumormongers, I mean people who – all I know is that within the company as far as the top people, they all believe it, and nobody knows for sure, because it’s never brought up.



“When I first heard the story I didn’t believe it because I thought it was just some story, but then, and I mean even when people who are very high up in that company, after they left the company, would tell me that story I still didn’t believe it, but, you know, after a certain number of years when it’s just, you know, ideas are brought up for Randy Savage and the reaction – there’s something real, real bad because, let’s face it, I mean, I couldn’t count the number of times Vince said he would never do business with Hulk Hogan, and he always does. So, I don’t know…Actually, as time goes by, more people talk about it trying to say that it didn’t happen.”

Jimmy Hart Talks Randy Savage

WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart, a long time colleague of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, appeared on Busted Open with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca, which airs Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207. Highlights from his interview are as follows:




Hart on how is the Poffo family holding up in the wake of Randy’s passing?: “I think since three days since it happened, pretty darn good. Lanny’s always been great. I think what they decided to do too, because I got so many calls from everybody wondering where the funeral is going to be… I know you know it by now too, going to be cremated of course. His ashes are going to be spread on his property. Now, the reason I’m saying this, and its already out there anyhow… Lanny confirmed it too… where his dog Hercules passed away and was buried.



“I think just a little private deal is going to be for Randy’s family, I don’t think he wanted something very very big and that’s kind of the way he was. When he did charities, he never went out there and told people about it or anything and I think donations are going to be sent in in his name are going to be in Tampa for one of the children’s foundations here. I think they’re doing pretty well for it just happening three or four days ago.”



Hart on the relationship between Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan: “I don’t think it was as bad as sometimes people make it out to be because in the wrestling business, there’s always a little angle right around the corner where people can work together and make a ton of money. I think it ended up pretty well. I think when Hulk was going in to the hospital for one of his operations with his back, Randy happened to be at the same place. He stepped in to the room, said hello to Hulk and everything else.



“At the end, everything was pretty well being put back together again. Sometimes people make more of it than what it really is sometimes but being on this end and hearing a little bit of the scuttlebutt here and there, it was almost like a big wrestling angle. Randy was great, there will only be one Macho Man ever ever, colorful and did some great things nobody ever really knew about because he was so private.”

George Animal Steele on why Savage is not in WWE HOF

WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele, a former colleague of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, appeared on Busted Open with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca, which airs Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207. During the interview appearance, he gave his opinion on why Savage has not been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.




“That’s been said a lot of different ways, and there’s been a lot of different things said that are not true necessarily,” Steele said.



“I think that what happened with Randy, when his career was winding down with the WWF, Vince McMahon just loved Randy. After all everything Randy had done and he took him under his wing, and he wanted Randy after the ring was over with for him, he wanted him to be our spokesperson. He was traveling with Vince all the time. Randy was almost like a son, they were really tight. And then one day, we were at a TV meeting, and we got word that Randy, without calling Vince, had left and jumped to the WCW. I had never seen Vince McMahon broken before, he was crushed. It hurt him big time and I don’t think he ever got over that. I think that’s the real problem to be honest with you.



“I heard all this other stuff that I think is garbage when it comes to Randy and relationships with daughters and all that stuff… I don’t think that’s anywhere’s close to the truth.”

Ultimate Warrior Video Tribute To Randy Savage

Ric Flair Comments on Randy Savage

TNA Wrestling talent Ric Flair appeared on Charlotte’s “The Fan” 610 AM WFNZ sports radio station on Friday to discuss Randy Savage following his passing earlier in the day. Highlights are as follows:




Flair on “Macho Man” Randy Savage:



“It sure did (hit hard). It’s pretty sad. He just recently got married, it’s been a little over a year, and was happy and, you know, really seemed to be at peace with himself. He just had a phenomenal career and to have this happen is just really, really sad.”



Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage:



“That was a huge day for me and my first dance at Wrestlemania, of course. It was just a tremendously well-written program. It was like he was married to Liz back then and she was a huge commodity and a huge star with the WWF, or that’s what they were called back then, of course. And the thing was, ‘She was mine before she was yours.’ It was well-written and done and Randy worked hard at it and I worked hard at it. We had a really good match. Curt Hennig, God rest his soul, managed me and Liz managed Randy and we gave them a helluva show and it was awesome. That was my first Mania and one of the finest memories of my career.”



Additional thoughts on Savage:



“My thoughts about Randy are different. I think he was such a competitive guy. Randy had a really hard time relaxing and I feel bad. I think about the times I used to say to him ‘Hey man, just calm down and don’t worry about this and this and this… whatever happens is going to happen.’ If you go to sleep at night worrying about what’s going to happen the next day, it’s just too hard. You know, he worked like I did, 365 times a year back in the old days. He actually broke in in Charlotte in 1975. I’d only been here a year when Randy moved in down here. He played semi-pro baseball, I think, in St. Louis and was doing fairly well but wasn’t blowing up the ladder like expected so he came here and broke in the business.



“The irony in that is when I first moved here in ‘74, I actually traveled with his dad several times. I knew the whole family very well. His dad just passed recently and I think that hurt Randy really bad. They were very close. Randy just dropped out of sight when the company was sold from WCW (to WWE).



“The thing I feel worst about, of all of the guys that are available and eligible to be in the WWE Hall of Fame — there most be something that I’m unaware of that’s gone on and they’ve never inducted him because Randy certainly was a major player for the WWF in the mecca days of the eighties and nineties.”



Flair on whether Savage is one of the 10 greatest wrestlers ever:



“Of course. Yeah. Of course. … I didn’t always agree with Randy. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t sweat things out like he did. But I wasn’t… I didn’t have to fight like a dog in that race they had to be whoever they were in the eighties in that show, where everybody was fighting for position everyday of their life. I didn’t have to evolve from that. I never had personal differences with him, nothing about lifestyle. It was just about business and it doesn’t stop my opinion (of him) — he always did favors for me. He came in and opened some of my Golds Gyms. We were great friends. He and I clashed in business, but outside of the ring we were great. He could drink beer and have a good time. And, I made him laugh and helped him take his mind of things that bothered him. We got along great and had a lot of fun together.



“I used to say to him all the time, he probably died with 300 million dollars in the bank. I’m not exaggerating. I’m being facetious. But, Randy was very thrifty. I used to say to him all the time, because he would stay at hotels that were less cost effective than where I stayed. (laughs) You can criticize it all you want but I’m going to enjoy the moment because you never know, you know.



“The irony in that is Randy was only 58-years-old. That’s sad because I guarantee you he’s got enough money to live 200 more years. He made it. He worked hard to earn it. He worked very hard to earn it. He deserved it. But I always used to say to him, ‘Man, you live for the day.’ Today’s another example of why you have to live for today. You never know.”

New Jim Ross Blog - Thoughts on Randy Savage

Below are some highlights from Jim Ross' blog where he comments on Randy Savage:




"It's been a challenging week. First, the untimely death Thursday of 22 year old Oklahoma Sooners middle linebacker and a young man I befriended, Austin Box. Today we get the shocking news of the death of Randy Savage. Life is so fragile.....a few thoughts.



I was never close to Randy Savage but I had immense respect for his in ring work. Savage was a gifted high flier, had uncanny crowd psychology and a tough, athletic persona that could not be duplicated.



'Macho Man' Randy Savage was a legit star in the world of pro wrestling and one of the most famous wrestlers of any era.



Randy Savage is arguably one of the top 2-3 wrestlers that helped establish the WWE as the dominate promotion of its kind in the world. Savage deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Andre, Hulk, Piper, etc.



In my over four decades in the business, I have never encountered anyone who I perceived was as intense, 24X7, as 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. He was a gifted athlete, he played minor league baseball a handful of years, and brought artful athleticism and raw reality to his profession.



Before I ever stepped foot in WWE, I thought, as one who was earning a living in the business elsewhere, that the Savage-Steamboat match from WM3 was the best WWE match that I had ever seen. A handful of other bouts since then have ranked right up there with it but after a quarter of a century the 'Macho Man-Dragon' encounter from the Pontiac Silverdome still holds up today as an all time wrestling classic.



One never had to guess where they stood with Savage and he never had any issues expressing himself. He was, seemingly, always on edge or, perhaps more specifically, on point. Randy carried himself as one not to be trifled with and as a man who had great passion for his profession and unmatched intensity.



Fans of the genre of pro wrestling lost one of the most famous and skilled performers of all time this morning in Tampa when the former WWE Champion apparently had a heart attack while driving his vehicle with his wife of one year who was the sole passenger.



Our condolences go out to the Poffo family, Macho Man's friends and fans and to all whose lives were touched by 'Macho Madness.'"

TNA Statement re: Randy Savage Death

The following was just posted on TNAWrestling.com:




TNA joins the entire wrestling world in mourning the passing of the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage



Savage was one of the most talented athletes to ever compete inside a wrestling ring. He truly transcended professional wrestling, becoming one of the true “icons” of our sport. Millions of wrestling fans grew up watching Savage battle other legends such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat and many more.



Savage appeared with TNA during our 2004 “Victory Road” and “Turning Point” events – memorable moments that we hope wrestling fans will never forget.



TNA hopes all of our fans remember Randy Savage’s amazing life and career, and how he helped shape the sport as we know it today.



Hulk Hogan via his Twitter account @HulkHogan4Real

“I’m completely devastated, after over 10 years of not talking with Randy, we finally started to talk and communicate. He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit, I just pray that he’s happy and in a better place and we miss him. We miss him a lot. I feel horrible about the ten years of having no communication. This was a tough one. I just pray that Randy’s happy and in a better place and we miss him.”



TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett via his Twitter @JeffJarrettTNA

“Just got a call with the news. RIP Randy. I met him when I was 11yrs old. He would always teach, correct, encourage, and compliment as my career progressed. I have NEVER forgotten the intricacies and attention to detail he taught me over the years. Randy always had a method to his madness. Randy is gone, but will never be forgotten. Thoughts and prayers are w the entire Poffo family.”

TMZ Pic of Randy Savage's vehicle

TMZ.com has posted a photo of the crash scene involving Randy Savage. The photos show his jeep smashed into a tree. You can click here see the extremely sad photo. As noted earlier, Macho Man suffered a heart attack while he was behind the wheel around 9:25 AM ... and lost control of his car -- veering across the concrete median into oncoming traffic ... and straight into a tree.

Wrestlers Comment on Randy Savage Death

Several wrestlers have been commenting on the passing on Randy Savage, here are their thoughts…




Hulk Hogan: I'm completely devastated, after over 10 years of not talking with Randy, we've finally started to talk and communicate. HH He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit, I just pray that he's happy and in a better place and we miss him. HH We miss him a lot. I feel horrible about the ten years of having no communication. This was a tough one. HH



Shawn Michaels: @IAmJericho jus txt me the news. We've lost one of the greats!! Our prayers go out to the family & friends of Randy Savage.



RVD: Rest in Peace Macho Man Randy Savage.



Christopher Daniels: RIP Randy Savage, an inspiration who set the standard! As a fan, watching Randy in Wrestlemania 3,4 and 5 was incredible! True Story: at Turning Point 2004 (AMW-XXX cage match), I asked Randy's permission to drop the elbow of the top of the cage! Randy's reply? "God bless you, brother, I don't even do the elbow anymore." And, he gave me a thumbs up after the match as well!



Claudio Castignoli: When I was 12 I turned my jacket into a Macho Man Jacket, adding tassels on the sleeves and ran through my house yelling "oh yeah" The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, funky like a monkey uuuuh yeah! RIP M



Natalya: My prayers are with Randy Savage and his family right now.



Jeff Jarrett: Just got a call w the news. RIP Randy. I met him when I was 11yrs old. He would always teach, correct, encourage, and compliment as my... Career progressed. I have NEVER forgotten the intricacies and attention to detail he taught me over the years. Randy always had a method to His madness. Randy is gone, but will never be forgotten. Thoughts and prayers are w the entire Poffo family. And, he may be the greatest card player the business has ever seen... When he lost, he was only setting you up to take more money from you!



UFC Fighter Shane Carwin: RIP Randy Macho Man Savage! We are going to SOOOOOOOOOO MISSSSS YOUUUUUUUU...... He was a great Entertainer!



The Rock: RIP Randy "Macho Man" Savage - you were one of my childhood inspirations and heros. Strength, love and prayers to the Savage/Poffo family.



Kevin Nash: I lost a close friend today. If anybody in heaven is wondering who the cat in the ugly cowboy hat is it's Randy. Love you Bro. Never another



Shannon Moore: RIP Macho Man Randy Savage. One reason I loved wrestling.



Mick Foley: I just heard the sad news about the Macho Man. Randy Savage was one of my favorites performers, and my heart goes out to his loved ones



Jim Ross: Just heard Macho Man died this morning of a heart attack while driving his vehicle in Tampa. Condolences to all Randy Savage fans/family.

WWE Statement Re: Randy Savage Passing

WWE® is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest Superstars of his time, Randy Poffo, aka Randy “Macho Man” Savage. Poffo was under contract with WWE from 1985 to 1993 and held both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. We wish a speedy recovery to his wife Lynn. Poffo will be greatly missed by WWE and his fans.

Wrestling loses a Macho Man

Wrestling Loses a Macho Man


By Phil Allely

WWE legend Macho Man Randy Savage has died at the age of 58. According to celebrity news website TMZ (and other sources) Savage (real name Randy Poffo) died in a car accident in tampa, Florida.

His brother Lanny (known as The Genius in wrestling circles)told TMZ that randy had suffered a heart attack whilst at the wheel of his jeep.

Police reports are saying that savage veered across the central reservation of the motorway and his vehicle collided head on with a tree. Savage and his wife Lynn (his passenger) were both wearing their seatbelts and police are stating that they do not think alcohol or any other substance was to blame. Savage was pronounced dead today at the Largo Medical Centre.

Randy Savage was a real hero to countless wrestling fans in the 1980s-1990s, his highflying style and fast—paced matches were the stuff of legend. Many consider his Wrestlemania 3 match with Ricky Steamboat to be one of the best ever in the business. Savage also had some superb matches with Hulk Hogan (both as tag team partner and foe), Wrestlemania 4’s World Title tournament and Savage’s bouts with The Ultimate Warrior and Ric Flair are also worth checking out.

After his WWE success Savage like many wrestlers jumped ship to WCW, there he fared pretty well amongst the NWO storylines and big name hitters. His last appearance in the ring was in TNA.

My thoughts go out to his family in this sad time.

Steve Austin Interview Highlights

Author Kevin Sullivan, who wrote the upcoming book on the history of the WWE Title, published the following comments from Steve Austin on his blog. Austin made the comments while speaking with Sullivan during his research for the book. Here's what Austin said when asked his thoughts on the greatest WWE Champion of all-time:




"There’s no way to name just one. In terms of drawing power and being a marquee name, I’m going to say it’s a tie between Stone Cold and Hogan. Hogan was the organization back in the ’80s, and I would say Stone Cold had the same appeal. Damn, I broke attendance records, pay-per-view records, merchandise records …



As far as pure wrestlers go, there are too many bad ass wrestlers, but I would say it’s a tie between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Randy Savage was bad ass, too. But he was more of an IC Title guy. But Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels told some great stories. It’s a dead tie. They could work circles around Hogan, and also outwork me.



I would say Ric Flair is the greatest World Champion that ever lived. But I don’t equate him with the WWE Title."

Randy Savage New Pic

yes that is Randy Savage in the background.

WWE All Stars Video Game - Roster News

Randy Savage has been revealed for WWE's All Stars video game which comes out on March 29th for the Xbox360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PSP and Wii.




Below is the updated confirmed roster for the game:



Announcers

* Jim Ross - commentary

* Jerry Lawler - commentary

* Howard Finkel - ring announcer



Legends

* Bret Hart

* The Rock

* Steve Austin

* Randy Savage

* Andre The Giant

* Ricky Steamboat



Superstars

* John Cena

* Sheamus

* Triple H

* Big Show

* Rey Mysterio

* John Morrison

* Kofi Kingston

Snake and Funker to retire!!

Snake and Funker hang up their boots - for real this time?


by Phil Allely

Jake "The Snake" Roberts (aged 55) is having what is billed as his final match on January 29th at the Pro Wrestling Guerilla show in conjunction with WrestleReunion in Los Angeles. Roberts will be facing his protege Sinn Bodhi, the former Kizarny in WWE. Roberts has had a storied career and wrestled across the globe for everyone from the WWE (where he was a top level heel and popular face in the 1980s-1990s, to a stint in WCW as an opponent to Sting, recent years have seen him make some semi-regular WWE/TNA appearances and step into the ring at many Indy shows. Roberts lengthy history of drug dependence and reputation for no-showing events proved to be the downfall of the man dubbed by many as one of the greatest psychological grappers of all time. he could still be a wonderful addition to the WWE/TNA training/development teams if he could beat his inner demons. Roberts of course will go down in the ho]istory books as the man who invented the DDT and for his feuds with the likes of Randy Savage in the WWE

Living legend Terry Funk (aged 66) is also stating that he will have his last match on that same show but Funk has retired several times over the years. The man who helped elevate the orginal ECW, gained godlike staus in Japan with his hard-hitting style and has given his body and soul to Wrestling and constantly returns to the ring to perform in some of the most brutal and barbaric matches known. If this is the last in-ring hurrah for the Funker it will be a be greeted loudly by his loving family who are on tenterhooks each time the OAP sets foot in the ring and attempts his moonsault and bloodspilling ways of old. Funk had some blistering fesud throughout his career, battling Ric Flair, Mick Foley and many other top name perfomers across the globe, he is one of only a hanful of men to have been inducted into both the WWE and WCW wrestler's Hall of Fame.

Both men featured prominently in the documentary film Beyond The Mat, which offered a look at the wrestling industry from behind the scenes and outside of the restraints of wrestling company politics and management agents.