Still my favourite match ever. A few have come close, but none have surpassed it in nearly a quarter century.

Nah, I'd guess "This is better than Love Story...if you like that sort of mush!"

Savage heads to the commentary booth

Date: March 30, 1991



Immediately on the heels of his retirement from in-ring competition, Savage joined Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper in the weekly Superstars of Wrestling booth. Savage didn't immediately just go full babyface as an announcer; he was kind of a tweener, and he and Piper would jab at each other and not get along at first. Over the course of the year they became more and more friendly with each other as Savage prepared to return to in-ring competition as a face.

WWF Superstars of Wrestling: "Elizabett, Elizabett…" Savage proposes to Elizabeth

Date: July 6, 1991

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJVqSS4XHzU

It was speculated on for weeks that Macho might pop the question. It's pretty funny hearing Vince and Piper troll him and prod him into following through with it here.

Savage says that he's been thinking about returning to the ring, specifically at SummerSlam. Mean Gene reminds him that he's contractually retired. Savage is of course talking about getting hitched at SummerSlam. From there he follows through with the proposal, to which of course she says yes.

SummerSlam '91: Savage marries Elizabeth



Date: August 26, 1991

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u12xNjibUpc

Alright look, I'm definitely a sucker for the Savage-Elizabeth love story, but I can't get too excited about watching two people who were already married have a kayfabe wedding where nothing really happens. This is the one wrestling wedding where everything just went ahead as planned and nobody interrupted anything. That's the wedding itself. The reception is another story, but that didn't air during SummerSlam.

Savage and Liz get a nasty surprise from Jake the Snake and The Undertaker at their wedding reception

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g6bpr8dwz4#t=04m05s



As Liz and Randy are in the middle of opening presents, Liz opens a box with a cobra in it. As this causes a commotion, the Undertaker comes in with the urn and clobbers Macho Man with it. Jake the Snake goes to terrorize Elizabeth with the snake, but Sid Justice comes in wielding a chair and backs them down. This kick-started the Savage/Jake feud that would lead to Savage returning to the ring.

Superstars: Jake Roberts lures Randy Savage into the ring; Randy gets bitten by the cobra

Date: November 23, 1991

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxYhaFfwlYY

After the incident at the wedding reception, Jake Roberts had come out and cut a number of promos mocking and deriding Savage. Savage had petitioned to WWF President Jack Tunney for reinstatement, but Tunney had refused his request, and informed Savage that he is absolutely not allowed to put his hands on another WWF superstar.

On this edition of Superstars, Jake finally baited Savage into coming to the ring. As an official tried to stop Savage from going in, Jake sucker-punched him and then assaulted him, tying him up in the ropes and then bringing out his cobra and having it sink its fangs right into Savage's arms. In a spot where Jake was legitimately actually trying to pull the cobra off, the snake seemed to get pissed and sunk its bite in further; it's easy enough to spot this moment.



This was quite an intense scene, and definitely one of the most memorable of the Golden Era.

Jack Tunney reinstates the Macho Man, sets a matchup between he and Roberts at Tuesday in Texas

In the aftermath of that snakebite scene, Jack Tunney saw no choice but to reinstate Savage and allow him to return to the ring. Specifically, he set his return for the one and only Tuesday in Texas PPV that aired a week and a half after Survivor Series 1991.

Sorry, was in a rush when I posted. The line is when UW comes walking through the curtain:

Brain: Is that THE Ultimate Warrior?
Gorilla: IT IS!!!
Brain: Then why isn't that insane lunatic running at 150, 200 miles per hour like he always does.

Paraphrased that last line. Setup and delivery are A+

of any era. Anybody that saw that when it happened will remember it. It was surreal.

Yeah true. You didn't truly believe there was any real chance that he would actually get bitten. The rescue was certainly coming, etc.

This Tuesday in Texas: Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts



Date: December 3, 1991

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9PkUtoOGJ8 (unfortunately this cuts off the most epic part of the post-match; I strongly suggest watching on the WWE Network instead if you have it…but if you don't, at least here's Jake's legendary promo: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x47...fter-he-s_news)

Background: Jake the Snake had been taunting a forcibly retired Randy Savage for weeks, then finally kicked the feud up a few notches from "intriguing" to "****ing epic" when he turned his cobra on Randy Savage and had it sink its fangs into Savage's arm. This was Savage's return to the WWF ring for the first time since WrestleMania. Jack Tunney banned Jake from bringing a snake to ringside anymore after that.

The Match: Jake and Savage give separate backstage promos. Jake's is fantastic. Savage's intensity sort of eats his up and makes it incoherent, though it's perfectly fine in this situation for him to be so ramped up. As he's in mid-promo, he hears Jake's music start out in the arena, and he pretty much sprints out of there. As Jake is walking to the ring, Savage clobbers him from behind at full speed. Great start to a personal feud match.



Savage gets Jake into the ring, lays in the rights in the corner. He still has his outfit, his over-the-top jacket and hat on. Clothesline by the Macho Man. Up top with an axhandle to the middle. Finally sheds his hat and jacket. Jake tries to take a walk, but Savage isn't having it, following him out and pounding away. Sends him back inside. A low blow by Jake slows Savage down, and then he tosses him over the top.



The two brawl on the outside; Jake manages an advantage and rams Savage into the post arm-first; the arm that the snake just bit a week and a half prior. Roberts wraps Macho's bad arm around the post a few more times, and now Savage is heavily favoring it. Referee Hebner out to check on him…Savage blindly swings at him but misses. Back into the ring. Lays in some shots at Jake's gut, then an uppercut that staggers him. He's working as if he has one functional arm, and Roberts is able to come back at him with an inverted atomic drop.



Jake gets Savage in an armbar and tries to undo the bandage around Savage's arm that has the snakebite wound. It has evident blood coming through (probably not real). Savage hits a back elbow to slow the Snake down, but he's crippled enough that he can't keep a rally going. Jake is in firm control, signals for the DDT, but upon attempting it Savage has an adrenaline rush and rams him hard into the turnbuckle. As Jake staggers back and falls over, Savage goes up top, hits the flying elbow, and gets the three-count.



The match is over, but by no means are we done here. Savage goes to get a chair; an official (I think Tony Garea) gets it away from him. Savage is undeterred and goes and grabs the timekeeper's bell. Before he can use it, Hebner tugs it away from him, and as this happens Jake manages a DDT on him. Jake is hurt, but he makes his way back up and delivers a second DDT. He makes his way like he's about to leave, but a few steps up the aisle an evil smile comes across his face and he heads back toward the ring.



He pulls a bag out from underneath the ring that presumably has his snake in it. As he crawls toward Savage, bag in hand, Elizabeth comes running to the ring and covers Randy, screaming at Jake to stop it and leave the Macho Man alone. Jake stands up over Randy and Liz, pulls Savage into position, stares at Liz and points at his eyes and then delivers a third DDT.



After Liz keeps pleading with Jake to leave Savage alone, he stands up, pulls her up by the hair, and does the unthinkable and slaps her. Gorilla: "He should be suspended for life! He's not a man, he's an animal!" I realize that things got edgier later on in wrestling, and that this moment would barely register in ECW, but for this time…this was twice in 10 days that Jake the Snake just absolutely crossed lines that you did not cross, even when you're a heel. Both moments were shocking, and even as I watch this today I couldn't help but get sort of mad watching him slap Elizabeth. That's how powerful the moment was.

Backstage, Jake interviews with Mean Gene and cuts one of the great evil heel promos in wrestling history. Just watch it.

Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (6:25)

Rating: The match is definitely good, though you don't come out of this viewing thinking about the match, especially since it gets cut really short to make time for the overall angle. I'm going to say 3.25 stars out of 5 for the match, but the whole thing from start to finish is at least a 4-star segment.

A couple of other little things I love about this match...

1) Savage debuted a slightly unhinged face character, one that seemed right on the edge of completely snapping, something that was really unheard of up to that point. He would develop it even further leading up to WM VIII.

2) Watch when Jake brings the bag supposedly containing the snake into the ring. He just casually slides it in and it ends up at the feet of Earl Hebner, who was helping Savage. Hebner notices the bag and nearly pisses his pants trying to get away from it, while Jake climbs in the ring, calm as you please. Just a nice little touch I appreciated for no particular reason.

Royal Rumble '92: Royal Rumble Match



Date: January 19, 1992

Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345295 (WWE Network)

Background: Hogan lost the WWF Title to Undertaker at Survivor Series under dubious circumstances. He then got it back under dubious circumstances. Jack Tunney vacated the title and announced that the Royal Rumble winner would be crowned the new WWF Champion. Individually, Savage's feud with Jake Roberts was still ongoing.

The Match: Savage comes out at #21. Jake the Snake is in the ring already, so Savage hits the ring on a dead sprint. Jake slips out of the ring underneath the ropes and Undertaker (Jake's ally for this period of time) attacks Savage. Once Taker gets the advantage, Jake returns and goes on the attack on the Macho Man. It takes Savage all of 60 seconds or so to eliminate his nemesis.



…and then he loses his mind, and jumps over the top rope to the floor to continue the attack, seemingly eliminating himself.



It's pretty obvious that he wasn't actually supposed to do this though, because they scrambled and came up with some rule that had never existed before and didn't exist since. Namely, that "someone else has to eliminate you." Oops. Alright, well anyway, he remained in the match and returned to the ring.

He ended up making one more elimination, that of Colonel Mustafa (a repackaged Iron Sheik), and he makes it to the final four, which explains why they made such a silly point of keeping him in the match when he absent-mindedly eliminated himself. He doesn't last long once it gets down to four though. Sid Justice works him over at the ropes, Flair attacks the two men from behind, and Savage spills out to the outside, dashing the Macho Man's championship hopes…at least for this night.



Result: With a tear in his eye, Ric Flair has the greatest night of his life (1:02:02)

Rating: N/A, Savage made it deep and was a believable title-winner at final four but it still wasn't a particularly compelling Rumble for him. Obviously this was the GOAT Rumble in general, but just from a Savage-centric perspective it wasn't special. The next few months would be special though.

Not the most insightful discussion ever - but they did a Macho segment on this week's Cheap Heat podcast and picked some favorite marches.

Saturday Night's Main Event XXX: Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts

Date: February 8, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDKNqtPcFw0#t=35m28s

Background: The feud between Savage and Roberts had hit molten hot levels by this point, and had been going on for about two and a half months.

The Match: Savage gives a great intense promo before going to the ring. He speeds up to a run en route to the ring and Jake bails out. Savage sheds his costume and jumps out over the top after Jake, immediately ramming him into the post. Jake attempts to run around the ring to get some space, but Savage posts his arm. Back inside, he drives his boot into Jake's throat while hanging onto the ropes, then drags him halfway outside the ring and elbows his throat. Beats him into the corner, and Jake appears to be bleeding…may have busted his nose.



Jake manages a sidestep in the corner to finally slow Macho down. Tosses him out over the top. Follows and posts him. We go to commercial. Back from the break, Roberts is in control, but his whip into the corner is reversed and Savage hits him with a back elbow on the way out. Attempts a top rope axhandle, but Jake catches him with a punch on the way down and then quickly capitalizes with a DDT.



He doesn't follow up by pinning though, and instead just sits down in the corner and watches as Earl Hebner counts Savage down. Finally gets up, hits the short clothesline on Savage, and signals a second DDT. Waits too long on this one, and when he goes for it Savage backdrops him out over the top rope. Top rope axhandle to the floor drives Jake throat-first into the barricade. Rolls him back in, heads up top, flying elbow, and a three-count.

Savage isn't satisfied, and heads up top again. A bunch of officials stand in the way, but Savage jumps through the crowd of them and buries another elbow into Jake. Savage is going to follow with an attack with the ring bell a la the Steamboat feud, but the officials stop him and Jake escapes to the back. The coast obviously clear now, Elizabeth heads out to the ring to celebrate with her husband. This ended up being the blowoff of this feud.



This part didn't air on the original night, but they showed a week later on Superstars that after this match, Jake was standing backstage with a chair in hand and told the camera man that whoever came through the curtain first was going to get it. Liz was walking out in front of Randy and was about to get hit…but the Undertaker grabbed the chair from Jake, causing enough of a distraction to allow Elizabeth to get away and allowed Savage to hit Jake with a chair of his own before leaving. Jake and Undertaker began a feud, and Savage set his sights higher. This feud blew off more quickly than it should have, but it's tough to complain when considering what Savage entered into next.

Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (5:25)

Rating: Match was okay, but it was mostly an inferior repeat of the Tuesday in Texas stuff, except without Jake coming out on top in the post-match segment. 2.5 stars out of 5.

This feud was so great because you legitimately believed that Jake did dastardly things to Savage and Liz and you believed that Savage was pissed and wanted to kill him for it. Today you'd have Cena come out, make 5 poopie jokes, brush it off like it didn't matter, and make funny pictures with Jake's head on the titan-tron.

Just realized Bray Wyatt needs to trap Cena in a room full of snakes.

The Build to WrestleMania VIII

Savage announced as #1 contender to face Ric Flair for the WWF Title at WrestleMania VIII

Date: February 15, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP8SIQmjKWY

Originally this match was scheduled to be Hogan vs. Flair, but that booking ended up being changed, with Hogan facing off against Sid and Macho Man being put into the WWF Championship match.

The link above pinpoints to that week's WrestleMania Report hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund, including the opening promos for the Flair/Savage match.

Early Promos

Date: February 22, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBOUTI8kpr0#t=24m10s

Flair and Perfect continue to claim that "they know something that Savage doesn't know," without expanding further. Flair and Perfect were so awesome in this feud.

Date: February 29, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6xEBo-D9T0#t=23m33s

More of the same as they trade promos and Flair/Perfect remain cryptic.

Flair reveals the secret he's been teasing

Date: March 7, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfBjDPASvv4#t=21m15s

This is the week when things ramped up. Mean Gene goes to conduct an interview in Ric Flair's dressing room. Flair alleges that Elizabeth used to be with him before she went with Savage. He shows some pictures of he and Elizabeth together in the past, and smugly tells Savage, "She was MINE before she was yours!"

Things ratchet up from there

Date: March 14, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj9PITvj9I8#t=05m50s



This week, a disgusted Vince McMahon interviews Ric Flair and goes at him for being a scumbag. As he shows pictures of he and Liz at the pool, "Let me tell you something, McMahon: the temperature in her water is second-to-none."

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj9PITvj9I8#t=12m35s



Here's the follow-up, with Mean Gene trying to approach Randy Savage for a reaction.

Savage sits there, furious to the point of having no words, and after Mean Gene asks questions, Randy will only say "UNTRUE!"

Date: March 21, 1992

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSb1Ed9Jwug#t=00m35s



One more promo from Flair taunting Savage with pictures.

WrestleMania VIII: WWF Title - Ric Flair (c) vs. Randy Savage



Date: April 5, 1992

Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1g...y-savage_sport

Background: Savage was named #1 contender to the title. Ever since then, Flair started claiming that Savage is stuck with Flair's sloppy seconds.

The Match: Good backstage promo by Flair before the match starts. Macho Man won't let Mean Gene into his dressing room for an interview because he's too livid to speak. As Savage hits the ring without Elizabeth, Flair tries to take a walk but Savage runs him down and attacks. Mr. Perfect forcibly pulls him off and throws him to the ground, which isn't a disqualification because we're two seconds into a WrestleMania main event.



Into the ring, clothesline by Savage followed by a knee to Flair's back. Lays in a couple of punches while standing above him on the second turnbuckle. Flair lifts him out to go for an inverted atomic drop, but Savage shakes loose and hits a clothesline. Whip into the corner and a back elbow. Referee Earl Hebner tries to back Savage down as he has Flair against the ropes; Savage threatens Hebner, but then when he runs back at Flair, Flair backdrops him over the top to the floor.



Flair rams Savage's lower back into the ring apron. Inverted atomic drop. Savage rolls back in, but is hurt and Flair lays the boots to him while he's still down. Sets him up in the corner and chops away. Flair executes a nice delayed suplex, then gets a two-count on a pinning attempt. Back suplex gets two as well. Chops the Macho Man in one corner, whips him into the other, whips him back to the other still, chops him as he staggers out. Two-count. Measures him with a knee drop.

Outside the ring, the Nature Boy rams Macho back-first into the apron again, then awaits his return to the ring from inside. Meets him on the apron and executes another delayed suplex from the apron to the inside. Two. Whips him into the corner and then lays in a right hand that Hebner hassles him about for being a closed fist. Flair stomps on Savage in the corner, really fully controlling the match since the initial flurry.

He chops Savage in the corner, but Savage retorts with a punch. Another chop, another punch. Savage seems to fight his way out of the corner successfully for a moment, but Flair manages to whip him into the ropes. Savage catches him with a swinging neckbreaker on the way back though. Both up a bit slowly, Flair comes off the ropes at him but Savage lays in more right hands. Flair attempts to go up top, but Savage catches him and throws him off. Great elevation and a big pop from the crowd for that spot.



Flair sent into the corner, comes out and takes a backdrop. Gets up twice and eats two clotheslines. Flair begs from his knees for mercy but Savage spits on him. Flair goes into the corner and does the flip up over the top, run the apron to the other turnbuckle, heads to the top and comes off but Savage hits him on the way down. Two-count that gets sold nicely as a near-fall.



Savage follows with a clothesline over the top rope. Axhandle from the top to the floor knocks Flair into the barricade, and Flair clearly blades at this point.



Savage follows by slamming Flair's head into the steps and then running him into a post on the opposite side. The champ is bleeding pretty hard in a hurry. Savage suplexes him on the floor. Back into the ring, Savage sits and pounds away on Flair. Axhandle from the top to the middle of the ring. Two-count. The Indianapolis crowd is hugely into this. Savage up top for the flying elbow and connects. 1, 2, and Mr. Perfect yanks him out of the ring from behind.

Savage chases Perfect outside the ring and then through the ring. Grabs him by the tie, but doesn't ultimately get any satisfaction as Perfect gets outside. Meanwhile Flair was producing brass knuckles from his trunks, and when Savage returns to the attack Flair nails him. Flair covers, but only gets two. He distracts the referee as Savage lays near the apron, and Perfect comes around and clobbers Macho's leg with a steel chair. Elizabeth has seen enough and heads out to the ring.



Macho's leg is now severely hurt as a result of the chair shot. Flair hits an atomic drop on just the bad leg. Locks in the figure-four leglock. Officials ringside (including Shane-O-Mac! Never noticed that before) are trying to convince Elizabeth to go to the back, which is causing an undue distraction to an intense spot in the match. Bad booking move there. Flair gets caught getting leverage from Perfect outside the ring and Hebner kicks Flair's hand free. The hold gets broken. Savage manages a small package, but only gets two.



Savage is limping hard. He really sells beautifully. Another atomic drop on the bad leg. Flair holds Savage's leg up from a standing position and punches at it a couple of times, but Savage manages a counter-punch that gets him free, then rolls Flair up with a schoolboy out of nowhere, pulls the tights, and gets the three-count to win the championship.



Liz in to celebrate. Flair angrily corners her, forcibly kisses her, and Savage races out and attacks. Perfect and Flair double-team him a bit, but the officials at ringside finally shepherd them away and then settle Savage down. We finally get the call from Howard Finkel. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this bout, and once again World Wrestling Federation Champion…'Macho Man' Randy Savage!" Savage and Elizabeth celebrate together, and he gets both his last really big WrestleMania moment as well as his last big moment with Elizabeth by his side. Awesome. Hat tip to Savage for continuing to sell the leg injury really, really well even during the post-match celebration.



Ric Flair cuts one of his greatest WWF promos after the match backstage, furious and vowing to get the belt back. Savage cuts an even better furious one directly after. These two were just in another league.



Result: Randy Savage via pinfall, new WWF Champion (18:04)

Rating: Even better than I remember it being from previous viewings. This match is awesome. 4.5 stars out of 5.

those promos were certainly elite

Finally! When I mentioned watching these a couple weeks ago I didn't realize we were still in 88. Going to watch this again . Had it at ****1/4 on my first viewing. Let's get that higher!

One thing I thought while going through Savage-Flair is that I gave short shrift to Perfect's time with Flair during my thread on Mr. Perfect. I mean I said they were great together, which I've always thought, but I basically glossed past it. He REALLY did some excellent work as Flair's corner man during this Savage/Flair feud. The two wrestlers were awesome and could have been great all by themselves, but Perfect and Heenan were truly elite supplemental pieces.

UK Rampage Tour: WWF Title - Randy Savage (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

Date: April 19, 1992

Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1x...michaels_sport

Background: Not a lot of background between the two, but Marty Jannetty had tried to jump out the Barber Shop window to escape Michaels earlier in the year, and the heel push was on in a big way. While Michaels didn't ultimately break through and win it all until 1996, he started getting shots at the big belt right away here in 1992 before settling into the IC Title scene for a while. HBK had aligned with Sherri, so we get our final look at Liz vs. Sherri here too.

The Match: Savage and Michaels feel each other out a bit early. Michaels locks in a hammerlock, Savage reverses and cinches in one of his own. HBK with a back elbow, sends Savage into the corner, but Shawn lifts up a knee to hit a charging Savage. The two play a bit of cat-and-mouse outside the ring before getting back in.



Two shoulderblocks by Michaels. Savage clotheslines him over the top, Michaels skins the cat and flips back in, but Savage clotheslines him hard as soon as he gets back in. That spot was a call-back to Savage-Steamboat. Axhandle from the top to the floor. Action returns to the ring, but Sherri goes after Elizabeth on the outside and grabs her. Savage attends to the situation and tells Elizabeth to head to the back, which she does, and during this distraction Michaels attacks Savage from behind.



HBK rams Macho into the steel steps, then rolls him inside. Off the ropes with a couple of measured stomps to the head. Sends the champ into the ropes and then executes a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Pin is broken up by a rope break. Michaels fights Savage into a corner, rakes his eyes, and has him back down along the second ropes. Whip into the opposite corner, blocks a counter attempt then hits a swinging neckbreaker.

One more whip into a corner, and this time Savage comes out, catches HBK's kick attempt, then catapults Shawn into the corner, with Shawn catching the post above and beyond the top turnbuckle. Savage knees the challenger in the back to the outside. Top rope axhandle to the floor. Whips him into the post on the outside, which Michaels gives a big sell to. We're back inside, another axhandle from up top, but it only gets a two-count.



Savage goes back to the well for another flying axhandle but gets caught with a punch on the way down this time. With the champ doubled over, Michaels goes for a whip, Savage reverses, Michaels counters out of an arm drag on the way back and then lays a hard clothesline in. Two-count. Michaels hits the superkick, which wasn't his finisher at the time, so it just gets called "a nice crescent kick" and only gets a two-count as a transitional move.

Bodyslam, and now Michaels heads to the top rope. Fistdrop off the top finds the mark on Savage's head. Savage rolls out to the floor. Michaels follows him out and posts him before heading back in to break the count. Distracts referee Hebner, and Sherri lays in an uppercut on her former ally. Savage manages to get back into the ring and is promptly thrown out again. More distraction by Shawn, more interference by Sherri.



Michaels heads outside, drags Savage's head toward the apron, then drops an elbow smash on Macho's throat. Shawn can't keep the advantage though, dropping his head too early and getting kicked in the face off of an Irish whip. A moment later, Michaels drops under a running Savage and Savage takes Hebner out hard for the ref bump. The champ hangs Michaels out over the top rope by dropping him on it. Bodyslam. Up top for the flying elbow, finds the mark with it, but Hebner is still out of it.



Sherri runs in and kicks Randy a few times, he chases her out and then covers Michaels again, but Hebner can only get to two. Savage and Michaels trading blows on the inside while Sherri tries to run interference. Liz runs back to ringside and knocks Sherri into the ring. Sherri goes back out, but is up on the apron shortly after. Liz pulls her back down again, causing her to hit head-first on the apron. Meanwhile back on the inside Michaels connects on a sunset flip, but only gets two.

Savage to the top, Michaels is up early and charges at him. Leapfrog by Savage from the top rope all the way over Michaels, runs to the other corner, quickly climbs and hits a cross-body on the trailing Michaels, and it gets a three-count and a huge pop.



Michaels clotheslines Savage after the bell. Holds Savage up for Sherri to hit him off the top, but Savage escapes, she predictably hits Michaels, Savage knocks their heads together to clear the ring, and Savage and Elizabeth celebrate a win.

Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (16:20)

Rating: Very good match. Loved that ending spot; it was certainly out of the ordinary for a WWF ending at the time. 3.75 stars out of 5.

Miss Elizabeth quietly exits stage left

Sadly, Randy and Liz's love story didn't have the happy ending that those of us who were attached to them throughout our childhood wished they did. At about this time, they separated in real life and later divorced. That match with Michaels was the last time that Elizabeth ever appeared on WWF TV.

PrimeTime Wrestling: Randy Savage & Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels

Date: July 20, 1992

Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1x...michaels_sport

Background: Savage was WWF Champion, Bret Hart was Intercontinental Champion. Savage and Flair were still feuding, and Michaels was among Bret's rivalries at the time. Here's a promo by Savage and Bret leading into a few of these matches on the house show circuit.

The Match: Jim Ross: "This is a dream tag team matchup if there ever was one." Yep, no kidding. Ross had just come to the company at this point, and he was working here with Bobby Heenan. Also a dream tag team of sorts, though they never fully found their groove together in a short period of time they had.



Michaels and Bret start things out. Collar-and-elbow tie-up, and Michaels hits the armdrag to get the first advantage. Second go-around features a hammerlock by Michaels, reversed into a hammerlock by Hart, reversed back by Michaels, then a back elbow by Hart to separate the two. Bret into the ropes, leapfrog by Michaels one way, blind tag by Bret as he hits the other ropes, Michael attempts a leapfrog again coming back but Bret catches him and executes an inverted atomic drop. Savage quickly follows with a clothesline on Michaels. Flair tries to step in, but Savage cleans out both of them.

HBK tags Flair in. Flair wrestles Savage into a corner. They do the dueling hammerlock thing that Michaels and Bret did a moment ago. Savage openly slaps Flair, which infuriates him, and then after a quick scuffle he does it again a moment later. Flair calms down in his corner for a moment. After regrouping, Flair gets some chops in, and he and Michaels manage to trap Savage in their corner despite Savage's best efforts to fight both off.



Savage whipped into the corner by HBK, but he dodges Michaels and Michaels charges shoulder-first into the post. Macho tags the Hitman in, and Bret promptly gets Michaels down on the mat in an armbar. Tags Savage, holds Michaels, Savage comes off the top and hits Michaels's arm. Arm-wringer on the same arm of Shawn's. Tags back out to Bret. Hammerlock on the mat as he lays a knee in on Shawn's kidney.

Getting back up to their feet, Michaels breaks the hammerlock by backing Bret into the corner. Tags the Nature Boy in, and he promptly comes up empty on an elbow drop. Undeterred, he fights Hart into the corner and lays in some chops and fists. Attempts a whip to the other corner, gets reversed, staggers out and gets back-dropped by Bret. Again a tag to Savage, who takes on both of the heels with pretty good success.



Flair hits an inverted atomic drop out of the corner that slows the Macho Man down, tries to follow by cinching in the figure-four but Savage kicks him off. Tries again, gets kicked off again. Michaels in to help, hits a superkick, but again finds that it's just a transitional move because he didn't stomp his feet in the corner like a weirdo first.

Michaels hits a jumping high knee on Savage, then stomps away. Bret comes in to help, but that just distracts the referee. Flair holds Savage down while Sherri clobbers him. Ric tags back in, and he and Michaels hit a double back elbow after sending Savage off the ropes. Flair runs a distraction while Perfect takes another cheap shot at Savage. Ross: "Everyone's getting in cheap shots at Savage! Wait, where are you going?" Heenan: "I thought I'd go get a shot in at him too. Doesn't seem to cost anything."



Flair and Michaels continue to work Savage over in tandem with quick tags. Macho Man gets a desperation move in on Michaels, but Michaels is able to tag Flair in and Flair stops Savage's bid to tag out with an axhandle. Sets him in a corner and chops away. Savage manages to counter a move into a backslide, but does it near the enemy corner and Michaels breaks it up. Bret comes in, causing Hebner to have to deal with him again, and then Savage locks in a small package that Hebner isn't there to count. Flair rolls the small package into Michaels's favor, Hebner comes back to count, but only gets two.



Savage finally makes the hot tag after catching Flair trying to go up to the top rope and throwing him off. The Hitman is finally in, and rains in a series of punches on Flair. Back bodydrop. Michaels comes in to run interference as well, but Bret takes out both of them. Flair tries to escape to the apron but Hart suplexes him back in. Backbreaker, pin, two-count and then broken up by Michaels. Savage runs in after Michaels and rolls him up from behind, which Hebner counts even though neither man is legal. Anyway, just a two-count again.

Flair and Hart fight outside, Savage whips Shawn into the ropes, he hits Sherri, schoolboy by Savage, and he gets a three-count. Still neither guy was legal, but the result stands.

Result: Savage & Bret via pinfall (17:18)

Rating: Started off strongly, then kind of slowed down for a heat segment that dragged on for too long despite Michaels and Flair keeping a good pace going. The ending was not great and the crowd was pretty lame. Still a decent bit of good action, enough that I can't keep it below 3 stars out of 5, but it lacked something of an "it" factor for me.

Build-up to Savage vs. Warrior II at SummerSlam '92

This promo helped build up to a showdown at SummerSlam in which Warrior was getting a WWF Title shot at Savage.



Beyond that segment, the over-arching story here was the involvement of Flair and Perfect. Perfect alleged to Savage that he had been negotiating with Warrior to be in his corner at SummerSlam. He alleged to Warrior that he had been negotiating with Savage. The question going into the event was "Whose corner will Mr. Perfect be in?"