If you were a kid into professional wrestling during the 80s, your favorite, without question was Hulk Hogan. He was Vince McMahon’s very own market researched, live-action Superman and it was damn near impossible for the pre-pubescent set not to devour anything remotely related to the man.
I remember one day telling my dad that Hulk Hogan was the best wrestler ever.
Dad, not being a dick, didn’t tell his eight-year-old son he was wrong. At least, not in so many words.
Instead, he just nodded his head and said it was his opinion that “Macho Man” Randy Savage was the best.
At the time, being fully immersed in kayfabe, I couldn’t fathom the idea that anyone could possibly entertain the notion that Hogan wasn’t the best. It was akin to blasphemy, I remember actually being angry that my dad would suggest that Macho Man was the best.
Of course, he was right.
Over the years I came to realize that not only was Macho Man a better wrestler than Hogan but an better all around performer as well. This past Monday night it was announced by the WWE that Macho Man would be inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Savage was one of those performers who, when he took to the stage, owned the stage. And he did it in that way that actors like John Malkovich are said to chew the scenery in any movie they appear in.
Watching a Macho Man match, whether it was at a major event like WrestleMania or a darkened house show always felt special because it was special.
First, he was athletic in a way that most wrestlers weren’t during his era.
It’s no secret that Vince McMahon liked his wrestlers to be giants and large as he was; Savage wasn’t exactly built like guys like Hogan, Orndorff or Luger.
And he wasn’t as tall either. So he made up for that in sheer skill.
He could actually wrestle and he was really, really good to boot.
As a viewer you forgot that he wasn’t quite as large as the other guys because the other guys were never quite as good.
He also understood stagecraft. His promos are the stuff of legend. Partially because of how crazy the things he said could be, but mostly because they of just how theatrical they were. His hands got as much use in a promo as his mouth, and he used the space around him better than pretty much anyone before or since.
And his choices in clothes, as flamboyant as they may be, also served to make him look more present and larger. His capes, his hats… he even stood on his tippy toes whenever possible in an effort to make himself seem that much larger.
All of this connected with wrestling and non-wrestling audiences alike.
Savage was one of those rare performers who transcended the sports entertainment business and became a celebrity to folks who scoffed at the idea of watching a wrestling match and he did it without the machine guys like Hogan, The Rock and Cena had and would have. Through the power of his own personality he would become a name in pop culture.
Shortly after my dad rocked my world by telling me Savage was better than Hogan, it didn’t really take me that long to come around to his way of thinking.
Sure, Hogan will always hold a place in my heart in that way your favorite super hero always does.
But Savage will hold in a place in my heart in that way that only a great artist can as they’ve produced a body of work that you know you’ll never see the likes of again.
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| “Macho Man” Randy Savage1952-2011 |
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