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The 411 Wrestling Top 5 05.25.11: Week 128 – Randy Savage Moments
Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. Most of our topics will be based on recent events in the Wrestling World, looking at those events that make us think of times past.
So, on to this week’s topic…
So what did our group of writers select? Let’s find out…
Scott Rutherford
HM: The DDP Feud – Put DDP on the map as a legit superstar.
HM: WM 8 vs Ric Flair – Redemption is indeed sweet.
HM: IWC – If you can get your hands on anything from his outlaw days, you will be left breathless by the awesomeness of Randy and cry that he was probably only 70% of the wrestler in the WWF than he was here.
5. WM7 vs. The Ultimate Warrior – Pulled out a classic from one of the most unlikely opponents you could find.
4. WM4 – His First World Title – No greater enduring image than Elizabeth on Randy’s shoulder in his greatest moment of triumph.
3. Savage Gets Bit By A Snake – Even if the thing was defanged and de-venomed, the fact Savage let a snake gnaw at his arm for the sake of an angle says it all.
2. Savage vs Steamboat – WM3 – One of the best matches ever. I don’t care that the match was scripted literally down to the second…what they did with the time they had and on the biggest card ever was a testament to the talents of the men involved. Wouldn’t have been nearly as great if Savage wasn’t such a great heel.
1. His WWF Run – This may be a gigantic cheat since the whole concept of top 5 is to pick out individual moments and highlight them, I believe that the whole of Savages run right up to and including WM8 was one, giant, big, fat highlight. In my opinion the booking of Randy Savage in his tenure was about the best booking of a wrestler…ever. Think of this…hot property Savage comes into the WWF amid much hype and instead of choosing an established big time manager he goes for the unknown and absolutely stunning Elizabeth. Immediately Savage becomes despised through his heel tactics and utter mistreatment of Elizabeth who, for some reason, won’t leave his side. He wins the Intercontinental championship though devious means and humiliates George Steele at every turn after Steele becomes obsessed with Liz. Then Savage in a moment of sheer viciousness nearly kills the beloved Ricky Steamboat with a ring bell. Savage carries on like he has done nothing wrong. At WM3 Savage finally eats humble pie as Steamboat beats him for the IC Title with the help of George Steele gaining some measure of revenge for his own mistreatment. Devastated at his loss, he suddenly starts hearing the cheers of the fans and finds himself on the receiving end of the handshake from Hulk Hogan and rides his wave of popularity to his first WWF title. He is a popular champion but is stilled dogged by inner demons and suddenly turns on Hogan and the one person that never left his side…Elizabeth. Savage thereafter drops the world title to Hogan and takes up with harlot Sensational Sheri and begins a spiral down that he can’t pull out of. After feuding with the likes of Jim Duggan and Dusty Rhodes, Savage found himself rebuked by world champion Ultimate Warrior after Sheri offered herself to Warrior in exchange for a title shot. Pissed, Savage costs Warrior his title and leads to Savage and Warrior battling it out at WM7. In one of the most memorable WM matches ever, Warrior beats Savage down and pins him with a single foot on his chest. Sherri is livid and literally kicks Savage while his is down, then out of the stands Elizabeth runs to Savages side and chases off the harlot and they tearfully re-unite in the middles of the ring. The road to redemption starts for Savage and finally at WM8, he regains the world title after beating Ric Flair who threatened to tarnish the honor of Elizabeth.
Never has a character arc been so cleverly threaded over the course of nearly 6 years. The twists and turns all made sense and the character morphed with each turn into something different. The details like Savage holding the ropes open for Liz at WM7 after years of making her do it just resonated in ways that no storyline ever has before. The very human emotions of jealously, rage and forgiveness were easy for the watchers to understand and get involved in. I doubt if we will ever see a character so well written ever again and a man of the talents of Savage to take us on such an emotional journey.
Wes Kirk
HM: Savage beats Santana for the IC Title – The first wrestling match I saw on TV!
HM: Macho King – Played the role to perfection along with Queen Sherri
HM: SNME vs Bret Hart, November 28, 1987 – The sell job of a lifetime.
5. Savage helps form the nWo Wolfpack – Tired of the constant grandstanding of the pompous “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Savage began challenging Hogan for his role as leader of the nWo. Some people felt Savage should lead, others sided with Hogan. What ended up happening was that Savage was beaten down and thrown out of the nWo, but started the Wolfpac faction with Kevin Nash, stealing away nWo talents and bringing in two huge WCW stars in Lex Luger and Sting. Although the Wolfpack wouldn’t last long, Savage did what nobody else was able to do: Split the nWo!
4. WrestleMania III vs Ricky Steamboat – One of the most famous and hyped matches over the years has been Savage’s Intercontinental title match against Ricky Steamboat from WrestleMania 3, which was considered one of the best ever. After injuring Steamboat with a flying ring bell shot to the larynx over a steel rail, Savage would have to face revenge when Steamboat was granted a title match. With George Steele in his corner, Steamboat went through a domination by the Macho Man but in the end, Steele helped just enough for a quick inside cradle by Steamboat to put Savage down for the three. Much like with Warrior later, however, this match would be remembered not as much for the winner but for the match.
3. Sweet Revenge over Ric Flair, WCW BATB 1995 – For months, Ric Flair had been pestering the Macho Man and attacking him, after previously assaulting his father Angelo Poffo who was at ringside to watch his son. Savage was attacked by Flair repeatedly and Angelo would end up in the figure four on another occasion. Savage was at the boiling point, and finally it would come down to a lumberjack match! Despite interference from Arn Anderson, Savage would ultimately prevail with the top rope elbow and walk out victorious.
2. Career vs Career Match vs Ultimate Warrior – It was at WrestleMania VII that the two collided in a match in which both men had to put up their career during a feud that saw Savage cost the Warrior his World title to Sgt. Slaughter and Warrior challenge Savage with the ultimate stipulation on the line. This turned out to be a terrific match, possibly the best of the Warrior’s career, and although Savage lost the match the aftermath was the most remembered. Queen Sherri started kicking Savage for losing, and Elizabeth ran to the ring to save her love interest. Elizabeth finally got physical by eliminating Sherri, as Savage slowly came to realizing what happened, and then celebrated with Elizabeth in a moment that brought tears to many eyes in the audience.
1. WrestleMania IV Undisputed Champion – Many people will point to Savage’s other championships as perhaps the most important in his career, but the night he stepped in the ring to face four men and then defeat all of them to become the first undisputed WWF champion was his best night in my view. Previously, the last several champions were Andre the Giant for about 33 seconds, Hulk Hogan for four years and a month, and Iron Sheik for around a month. Savage would defeat Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, One Man Gang, and then Ted Dibiase in the finals to become a year long WWF champion, and never showcased his skills quite as much as on this great night.
Michael Weyer
HM: Winning the Intercontinental Title: Still a great match with Savage cheating to beat Tito Santana for his first major singles belt and start a lengthy reign.
HM: Winning the WWF title, Wrestlemania IV: Yes, it was a fill-in for Hogan but Savage did a great job with four matches in one night and the sight of him on top with Elizabeth at his side was truly heart-warming.
HM: Wrestlemania V: The terrific payoff to the program with Hogan, the highlight being Savage’s reaction when Hogan pops up from the flying elbow.
5. Debuts Elizabeth: In 1985, Savage had established himself as the hottest rising star around and thus when he came to WWF, every heel manager wanted him. For weeks, Savage had “tryouts” for Bobby Heenan, Freddie Blassie, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji and Jimmy Valient. It came to a TV taping as Savage had them all in the ring, thanking them for their time but then saying he had already chosen his manager. He dragged it out, getting everyone to look to the rear of the arena before announcing “here she is!” Out came the single most beautiful woman wrestling had ever seen, the crowd and announcers wowed as she walked to the ring and brought about one of the best unions wrestling would ever know.
4.Injuring Steamboat: Savage had been known as wild in the ring but nothing sold him better as a monster heel than the 1986 TV match with Ricky Steamboat. With the ref down, Savage went about attacking Steamboat, draping his neck across the ring barrier and leaping from the top rope. Then, in a move shockingly brutal for the time, he grabbed the timekeeper’s bell and leapt off the top rope to jam it into Steamboat’s throat. Yes, Ricky helped with his brilliant selling but the sheer brutality of the assault was stunning for 1986 fans. Even better was the aftermath of Savage gloating about what he’d done and getting attacked by Bruno Sammartino, setting up a nice feud that would establish Savage as the premier psycho in WWF.
3. Wrestlemania VIII: Most will point to his first WWF win in 1988 and that was good. But I like this one better as he and Flair went at it for the title with Flair having spent weeks playing mind games by making it look like Elizabeth “was mine before she was yours!” We got a terrific battle between them, with nice psychology of Flair and Perfect targeting the leg so Savage couldn’t pull off the elbow before Savage gets the win to a huge pop from the fans. A great showdown between two legends and a well-crafted bout to boot.
2. Wrestlemania III: If you don’t like this match, you have no right to call yourself a wrestling fan, it’s that simple.
1. Wrestlemania VII: I covered this in a Spotlight a few months back and it still stands as a brilliantly planned match with the Ultimate Warrior, perhaps Warrior’s best ever. Savage sells a total ass-kicking and failing to shake the intense Warrior up and his reaction when Warrior pops up after five flying elbows is priceless. The aftermath is what makes it legendary as Savage and Elizabeth reunite, a moment that all fans loved and a fitting end at the time for him. That image of them together is what I prefer to remember for Savage and Elizabeth and reminds you of how great a performer he was.
Robert S. Leighty Jr
HM: 1st WCW Title Win – It was only a matter of time, and much like his 1st WWF Title win, Savage had to overcome the odds and outlast 59 other men to win the vacated WCW Title in a 3 ring battle royal.
HM: Snake Bitten – What other dude is crazy enough to let a cobra (doesn’t matter had no venom) chomp on his arm. Savage/Roberts was a money feud that sadly had no payoff.
HM: DPP Feud – By all accounts Savage was a selfless dude that had no problem putting people over, and DDP can thank (and he has) Savage for putting him on the map as a Main Event star in WCW.
5. WrestleMania IV Title Tournament – The 1st time is always the most special, and the fact that Savage wrestled 4 times in 1 night to win his first WWF Title showed the world how awesome the man was. The iconic image of him hosting Liz on his shoulders while she held the WWF title while crying is forever burned into my memory.
4. Turning on Hulk Hogan – From Day 1 in the WWF, Savage seemed obsessed with Hogan and the WWF Title. Even when Hogan and Savage formed the MegaPowers, Savage still was hell bent on proving he was on the same level as Hogan. Everyone knew that at some point Savage would snap, and he did so in glorious fashion. The entire angle of the MP exploding was done perfectly, and Savage’s rant in the medical room was said with such conviction that it blurred the lines of work and shoot. When Savage blindsided Hogan with the title while Liz screamed for help, dollar signs were probably springing up in Vince’s eyeballs.
3. 2nd WWF Title Win: WrestleMania VIII – Savage won his 1st title at WM IV, but he had to share the spotlight with Hogan, and sort of needed his help to get the win. That was not needed at WrestleMania VIII when he knocked off Ric Flair. These two men were made to feud and adding Liz into the mix only made it that much better. The match is severely overlooked when it comes to all time classics at WrestleMania for some reason. It was a beautiful match where everyone was on their game (including Perfect, Liz, Monsoon, and Heenan). The end saw Savage win his 2nd WWF Title with Liz at his side, and this time the moment was all his infront of a massive crowd in Indianapolis.
2. The Ricky Steamboat feud – The feud itself was brilliant as it also encompassed Savage’s previous feud with George Steele. It made Savage look like a heartless killer and made Steamboat into the most sympathetic face ever. The blowoff at WrestleMania III still gets my vote as the greatest match of all time, and it says something that it stole the show at the Biggest Show Ever headlined by the Biggest Match in History.
1. WrestleMania VII – It may seem weird to have his top moment be a loss at WrestleMania, but for me nothing tops this entire angle/story. This was where the Macho Man character became a “real” man. This really did mean more than the WWF Title, and it showed in this match and what followed. Savage and Warrior delivered an epic encounter that is fondly remembered, and then what followed with Sherri and Liz makes this the most emotional thing I have ever seen in a WWE ring. The fact that Savage came in as a hated heel and left as the conquering hero (even though he lost) shows how great the booking was, and how much the crowd was invested in the Savage/Liz characters.
Tony
5. Randy Savage Interviews – Perhaps this is cheating, but I have to give credit to Randy for making nearly every time he was on the mic a lasting moment and impression that sometimes baffled and sometimes just right on point. His flamboyant colors with his glasses only helped to intensify every word he said and when those fingers wiggled in the air as he pushed words out of his lips, you could practically feel everything he said.
4. Savage vs. Warrior – Being an Undertaker fan, I never was into Hogan and I was definitely never into The Ultimate Warrior. If I had to list a number two, it wouldn’t have been either man. Randy Savage, however, had something that we could latch on to in terms of character and outright excitement in the ring. I think this match personifies that. Whereas WM III was a technical match that had great moments from beginning to end, this had one crowning moment and that was Liz coming in to help Savage. A moment that will go into the books as one of the most emotional moments in wrestling…EVER
3. WrestleMania IV – The welcome mat to the Main Event for Savage comes in at #3. It’s telling that his number one moment was for the IC Title (Spoiler Alert) and this is third, but it’s just the way Savage’s career was. He didn’t necessarily NEED to be the main event because he was a character that somewhat surpassed that necessity. However, this moment was still well deserved and was backed by a great story of four matches to win the belt.
2. Randy and Elizabeth Get Married – Probably the most famous wedding (and best) that the WWE has ever put on. This one had raw emotion and story to back it up. It had everything you could possibly ask for in terms of this in ring segment. A far cry from the “weddings” of today, this moment goes down as one of the most emotional of the WWE and rightfully so as it tugs at the heartstrings of fans everywhere. Come to think of it, a lot of Savage moments do just that, don’t they?
1. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat – I’m 24, not old by any means and not a wrestling encyclopedia as some other writers here are. With that being said, my first encounter with Wrestlemania III was with this match. I didn’t watch it from beginning to end because an older friend of mine said if I were to be his “wrestling friend” I would have to watch ONE match beforehand. He considered it my initiation. Thank you Cito for starting me off with Steamboat and Savage. I’ve since watched this match over 20 times and each time it amazes me. The stamina, the moveset, the near falls, the energy, the crowd, the men in the ring and yes….SAVAGE. What’s telling is that Randy Savage had matches of this caliber frequently. He was the technical wrestler that we of the IWC love and the boisterous entertainer that the mass majority of fans love. He was the best of both worlds and he encompassed all of it in this match. Just…amazing.
Jeremy Thomas
HM: Savage Replaces Elizabeth With Sherri – The selection of Sherri as Savage’s new manager was brilliant. Not only was she the polar opposite of Elizabeth, she had great chemistry with Savage and it played very well.
HM: Putting Over DDP – One of the great things about Savage was the way he put people over. He made a point of making DDP a star and had a great feud with him to boot.
HM: Injuring Ricky Steamboat’s Throat – This was absolutely shocking at the time and helped push Savage into being the most hated man in wrestling. Without this moment, Savage vs. Steamboat would not have worked quite as well.
5. WrestleMania VII – I loved the Ultimate Warrior during his heyday, and I always liked Savage even when I was booing him. This was the culmination of those two and it resulted in what is easily the Warrior’s best match of all-time. Savage really put Warrior over well on his way out of the ring, and damn if the man didn’t look pretty much invincible here. The drama of this whole thing, the way he left as a fan favorite again with Elizabeth at his side…everything about this showed what a master sports entertainer Savage was.
4. The Mega-Powers Explode – The Mega-Powers were THE dominant force in professional wrestling from 1987 to 1988. Nothing could stop Hogan and Savage…except each other. This was a great turn for Savage built on jealousy over a suspected affair between Hogan and Elizabeth. Things got worse when the Hulkster accidentally eliminated Savage at the Royal Rumble and eventually it led to the supergroup breaking up and facing off at WrestleMania V. The way this feud played out was just brilliant, and in some ways the tag team breakup angle has never been done as well since.
3. Marriage To Elizabeth – It’s a testament to the #1 and #2 choice that this is as far down as #3, because it’s one of the greatest moments in wrestling storyline history. Anyone who watched the WWF in the 1980s and early 1990s loved the Savage-Elizabeth relationship. When Savage left in-ring competition following his match at ‘Mania VII and became an announcer, he continued his angle with Elizabeth. Eventually he popped the question and we had the greatest wedding in wrestling history at SummerSlam ’91. It was a great feel-good moment that you have to love.
2. WrestleMania IV – This was the moment that solidified Savage as a main eventer. With the WWE Heavyweight Title up for grabs, the company had a tournament for the title at ‘Mania IV. That tournament saw Savage work his way through to the finals and beat the man who had “purchased” the belt in Ted DiBiase. These weren’t the greatest matches of all-time, but this was a huge moment as it was the time that Savage got the ball handed to him, and he never dropped it from there.
1. WrestleMania III – Despite everything else—and there are a host of moments I wanted to include but didn’t have times—THIS is what Savage will always be remembered for. It is frankly one of the greatest professional wrestling matches in North American history. Savage and Steamboat worked so amazingly well off each other, and both men were at the peak of their career here. Ricky Steamboat tells a story on his WWE Documentary about how after the match in the locker room, there were two lines of people in front of Savage and Steamboat to offer then congratulations, and he looked over to see no one heading over to congratulate Hulk Hogan. Hogan had just won the biggest match in wrestling history at the time, and he had been completely eclipsed by these two. And frankly, as much as I love the spectacle of Hogan/Andre, he deserved to be because the Macho Man and the Dragon stole the show 100%. Rarely have two people been as “on” as these two were here, and it’s a match that will top the charts for a long time to come.
Thomas Hall
HM: Savage appears in WCW – This was a surprisingly cool moment as Savage said that he was coming to Starrcade in Nashville to either shake Hogan’s hand or slap him in the face. Not much of a moment but I’ve always liked it.
HM: Marrying Liz – This was the equivalent of a fairy tale wedding in wrestling. Even though the real wedding was actually about to end, this was one of those things that just makes you smile because it feels right.
HM: Savage Gets Bitten By A Cobra – This is definitely a more goofy moment than the rest but at the same time it’s great. Between the visual of the snake and the camera cutting to a stunned fan causing Vince to absolutely lose it on commentary, this was great.
5. Wrestlemania 8 – This was both a great feud as well as a great match. It’s not talked about that much because the rest of the show wasn’t all that great but it showed that the WWF could survive without Hogan being the world champion. It was a great match, it was a great feud, and the whole thing works as a great story in wrestling. Unfortunately there were no Liz centerfolds but you can’t have everything you want I guess.
4. Wrestlemania 4 – It says a lot when his first world title is the 4th biggest moment of his career. He wrestled an unheard of four matches in one night and won all of them to capture his first world title. He would hold onto it for a year, which in the 80s with Hogan in the same company, that’s unheard of. There were four legit world champions in the 80s. Savage was one of them. That says a lot.
3. Wrestlemania 7 – Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage is easily one of the best matches Warrior has ever had and considering his lack of classics, that’s saying a lot. This was a clash of the titans and one of the true dream matches that we hadn’t seen up until this point. Great match with a great story being told the entire time in one of the most intricate stories we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately enough, the post match stuff is remembered far more, but the match itself was great.
2. Wrestlemania 3 – It’s Savage vs. Steamboat. I mean seriously, what else is there to say here? It’s quite possibly the best match ever seen as they entertained over 90,000 people and stole the entire show from Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, which might be the biggest match of all time. Everything that has been said about this match has already been said and there’s a reason you keep hearing about it over and over again.
1. Reuniting with Elizabeth – This is one of the few moments in wrestling that bring a tear to my eye no matter what. After all the insanity and all the fighting and all the issues, these two wound up together again after Savage had perhaps the second best match he’s ever had and been completely defeated, Liz accepts him back and he has one of the greatest turns of all time. This is without a doubt the best reason to see Wrestlemania VII and it still works today.
Larry Csonka
HM: Randy Savage Tries To Kill Ricky Morton – Watching Savage piledrive Ricky Morton through an old school table was terrifying as a youth.
HM: Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart (SNME 1987) – A very good match against two all time greats, and Savage gave a lot in the match, which was one of Hart’s first major TV singles matches in WWF
HM: SNAP INO IT…OH YEAH! – So iconic that Slim Jim had to send out a press release when he passed away.
HM: Feuding With Flair…in WCW – Macho Man vs. Flair in WCW made a failing house show business gain an audience, and also seemed to revitalize Savage in the ring.
5. Macho Man vs. Tito Santana (February 1986) – Savage wins the IC Title from loveable baby face Tito Santana. This is what got Savage going big time as he cheated to win, and was even more hated afterwards
4. Making DDP – DDP was always going to get a push in WCW due to his relationship with Eric Bischoff, but it was Savage’s willingness to work with DDP and put him over that made DDP a star. All credit to Macho man.
3. WrestleMania IV-V – Yes I am cheating here, but when I look back, I really hope that the WWE gets into making feud DVDs, because a DVD covering Savage’s rise to the title, the formation of the Mega Powers, the explosion and culmination at WM V is a must buy for me.
2. WrestleMania III – The first true “modern style match” in the WWF, which featured a great story, two great athletes and the ending that everyone wanted.
1. WrestleMania VII – I feel that this is his crowning achievement, because he got the best Warrior match out of Warrior, and the post match was the kind of emotional connection lost in wrestling today.
The 411 on Wrestling Podcast: Remembering Randy Savage
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