Savage, Randy "Macho Man" (1952—)
Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1985. Although other wrestlers had been accompanied to the ring by a female valet, the pairing of Savage and his real-life wife Miss Elizabeth, pushed Savage to the top with this "beauty and the beast" gimmick. With a manic ring style, outlandish wardrobe, and strained voice interviews ending with a shout of "oh yea!" Savage quickly won over WWF fans. He was one of the first "bad guys" to be cheered, a trend which took off in the later half of the 1990s with the success of anti-heroes like Stone Cold Steve Austin. A feud with Hulk Hogan—started on NBC's Main Event—culminated in Hogan defeating Savage for the WWF title at Wrestlemania V in 1989. Like Hogan, Savage made public appearances on television talk shows. He also achieved success as the spokesperson for Slim Jim's beef jerky. Savage left the WWF in 1994 to join Hogan in World Championship Wrestling as they resumed their feud, drawing a record gate for their Halloween Havoc Pay-per-view match in 1996.
Further Reading:
Lentz, Harris M. Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling. Jefferson, North Carolina, McFarland & Company, 1997.
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