Remebering Macho Man Randy Savage

Last year the wrestling world lost a real legend.  Randy "Macho Man" Savage passed away in May 2011 and the Wrestling Android wants to pay tribute to one of the biggest stars to have stepped inside the squared circle.

When I started watching wrestling in 1994, Randy Savage was mainly a colour commentater for the WWE on Monday Night Raw.  However as a kid in the 90s I already had a good idea who he was.

The first time I saw him in action was in the 1994 Royal Rumble match.  I simply remember this crazy haired, full bearded, wild man in lime green spandex and instantly I was sold.  I got an instant insite into the "Madness" of the Macho Man as he eliminated himself from that very match in order to chase down his foe at the time, Crush.  Even though I had only just started watching WWE I knew straight away how intense this rivalry between these two men was.  And that was Randy's gift; his ability to tell a story and capture the public's imagination.

At Wrestlemania X, that same year, Randy had his last televised match with the WWE.  It was a Falls Count Anywhere match with Crush which ended in a Macho Man victory.  In the late Summer of '94 Randy left for WCW.

So enamoured by my new found love of wrestling, I went back and rented as many WWE videotapes as possible and realised just how good Randy was.  This included his intense fued with Hulk Hogan which lead to their Wrestlemania V match.  As the MegaPowers exploded I found myself wanting Randy to win despite him being the bad guy.  It's now seen as the cool thing to do to cheer the heel but getting a 12 year old kid to cheer for you when you're facing the immortal Hulk Hogan takes some class.   I have also been lucky enough to check out some of his later WCW work on YouTube and found out he was one of the few top guys to still be giving it his all in the ring.

It was only after his death last year though, that I realised just how highly Randy Savage was thought of in the wrestling world.  I viewed the thoughts of Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior and an extremely honest and emotional DDP online. I urge you to check them out.  And current in ring tributes like CM Punk's elbow drop only go to compound his legendary status.  I only hope there will be more like Macho Man in the future.

Check these out:
Diamond Dallas Page's Tribute
Ultimate Warrior: Macho Man Tribute
BRET TALKS ABOUT THE DEATH OF RANDY SAVAGE 

AP