Post by The Chupster on May 20, 2011 15:55:56 GMT -5
Today the wrestling world lost one of its true legends. "Macho Man" Randy Savage died when he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of his jeep wrangler, crossed a concrete median into oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with a tree. He was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries. He's survived by his wife of one year, Lynn, who was also involved in the accident. She was transported to a different hospital where she was treated for minor injuries.
Alcohol was not a factor, and both were wearing their seat belts at the time.
TMZ article HERE.
From the time I began watching wrestling, Randy Savage was my all-time favorite. I was first introduced to pro wrestling by my friend Allen, who was several years older than myself; our families would get together and hang out, and often we would all rent a ton of movies from local mom-and-pop shops and spend all night watching them. One night we were on our way to one and Allen told me, we have to rent this wrestling show, you won't believe some of this shit. That night we rented Wrestlemania 1 & 2 and I was hooked.
Being a comic book/sci fi/fantasy freak already, I was attracted to the colorful characters, but no one seemed as awesome as the "Macho Man," Randy Savage. Watching his match with George "The Animal" Steele really cemented my interest. A few months later I'd shared my love of wrestling with my grandpa, something that we both really got into- we would record and watch Superstars of Wrestling every Saturday and of course, stay awake late one weekend a month to catch Saturday Night's Main Event, where the Savage was prominently showcased.
A few months after I got hooked, I got to rent Wrestlemania 3, and enjoyed the match that many still consider one of the best matches of all time, as Savage took on Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental title. Wrestling was just a big part of my childhood, and almost every lucid memory I have includes one of a handful of wrestlers, but none so much as Randy Savage. I was ecstatic when he won the World Championship during the tournament at Wrestlemania 4, even if it was with the help of Hulk Hogan- who I never really cared for at all. When the MegaPowers exploded at Wrestlemania 5, I was thrilled, convinced that the Macho Man would be one to come out on top, and I was crushed when he lost to Hogan. And naturally the Jake "The Snake" Roberts/Savage feud. That was... just wow. I remember the footage of the snake, with Roberts trying to pry it off of his arm and blood running down. That was just insane.
I stopped watching wrestling for a long while, but still talked to friends about it, just to keep tabs on what was going on with the Macho Man. The whole retirement thing, the Ric Flair/Elizabeth angle, and on and on- it confused me as to why he wasn't a larger figure. I guess I sort of caught the majority of Savage's top run when I was watching; he apparently just sort of faded into the background, then hopped to WCW with the rest, and didn't really do much there either, so I'm glad I watched when I did and stopped when I did- I got the perfect Randy Savage experience.
When I picked up watching wrestling about 8 years later until I stopped about 6-7 years ago (PPVs notwithstanding), I kept hoping Savage would come back to the WWF for one more major run, or at least a few guest spots. It just seemed a real shame that Macho's main legacy was more or less contained in the late 80's and early 90's- he should've been running around as big as Hogan, but he seemed content to fade into the background, and if that's what he wanted, he definitely deserved it.
I was even more elated when it seemed like Savage sort of patched up his relationship with Vince McMahon, appearing in a commercial for the WWE All Stars video game. With the company bringing back Steamboat, Piper, Snuka, Roberts and more for guest spots, I was still hopeful for more Savage, in the ring or out. But it wasn't to be.
The Macho Man will always be the epitome of pro wrestling to me. He was a professional and was exciting whether he was wrestling a main eventer, a jobber, or just giving one of his insane promos. Today the pro wrestling world lost a true legend. Rest in peace, Randy Savage.
Alcohol was not a factor, and both were wearing their seat belts at the time.
TMZ article HERE.
From the time I began watching wrestling, Randy Savage was my all-time favorite. I was first introduced to pro wrestling by my friend Allen, who was several years older than myself; our families would get together and hang out, and often we would all rent a ton of movies from local mom-and-pop shops and spend all night watching them. One night we were on our way to one and Allen told me, we have to rent this wrestling show, you won't believe some of this shit. That night we rented Wrestlemania 1 & 2 and I was hooked.
Being a comic book/sci fi/fantasy freak already, I was attracted to the colorful characters, but no one seemed as awesome as the "Macho Man," Randy Savage. Watching his match with George "The Animal" Steele really cemented my interest. A few months later I'd shared my love of wrestling with my grandpa, something that we both really got into- we would record and watch Superstars of Wrestling every Saturday and of course, stay awake late one weekend a month to catch Saturday Night's Main Event, where the Savage was prominently showcased.
A few months after I got hooked, I got to rent Wrestlemania 3, and enjoyed the match that many still consider one of the best matches of all time, as Savage took on Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental title. Wrestling was just a big part of my childhood, and almost every lucid memory I have includes one of a handful of wrestlers, but none so much as Randy Savage. I was ecstatic when he won the World Championship during the tournament at Wrestlemania 4, even if it was with the help of Hulk Hogan- who I never really cared for at all. When the MegaPowers exploded at Wrestlemania 5, I was thrilled, convinced that the Macho Man would be one to come out on top, and I was crushed when he lost to Hogan. And naturally the Jake "The Snake" Roberts/Savage feud. That was... just wow. I remember the footage of the snake, with Roberts trying to pry it off of his arm and blood running down. That was just insane.
I stopped watching wrestling for a long while, but still talked to friends about it, just to keep tabs on what was going on with the Macho Man. The whole retirement thing, the Ric Flair/Elizabeth angle, and on and on- it confused me as to why he wasn't a larger figure. I guess I sort of caught the majority of Savage's top run when I was watching; he apparently just sort of faded into the background, then hopped to WCW with the rest, and didn't really do much there either, so I'm glad I watched when I did and stopped when I did- I got the perfect Randy Savage experience.
When I picked up watching wrestling about 8 years later until I stopped about 6-7 years ago (PPVs notwithstanding), I kept hoping Savage would come back to the WWF for one more major run, or at least a few guest spots. It just seemed a real shame that Macho's main legacy was more or less contained in the late 80's and early 90's- he should've been running around as big as Hogan, but he seemed content to fade into the background, and if that's what he wanted, he definitely deserved it.
I was even more elated when it seemed like Savage sort of patched up his relationship with Vince McMahon, appearing in a commercial for the WWE All Stars video game. With the company bringing back Steamboat, Piper, Snuka, Roberts and more for guest spots, I was still hopeful for more Savage, in the ring or out. But it wasn't to be.
The Macho Man will always be the epitome of pro wrestling to me. He was a professional and was exciting whether he was wrestling a main eventer, a jobber, or just giving one of his insane promos. Today the pro wrestling world lost a true legend. Rest in peace, Randy Savage.
