"Macho Man" Randy Savage Tribute Thread
05-31-2014
, 08:20 AM
05-31-2014
, 11:43 AM
SummerSlam '92: WWF Title - Randy Savage (c) vs. Ultimate Warrior
Date: August 29, 1992
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303263 (WWE Network)
Background: Warrior was deemed the #1 contender to the title, and tensions had built between Savage and Warrior since then. The looming question was whose corner Mr. Perfect would be in. The only final word that Perfect and Flair ended up giving was that Perfect would be "in the winner's corner."
The Match: Both men come out alone; Perfect is in neither corner, at least to start.
Savage offers a handshake to open the match. Warrior is extremely hesitant, but does it. Then he holds on and violently brings Savage in. They shed their costumes, face off a moment longer, and then get to work. First lock-up is a stalemate. Second one results in Warrior pushing Savage down. Savage back up, drives a knee into Warrior's midsection and then hits a clothesline. Up top for an axhandle, but he gets hammered by Warrior on the way down. Atomic drop by the challenger. And another one, an inverted one this time.
Clothesline by the Warrior. Off the ropes with two shoulderblocks. Off the ropes one more time and an elbow drop misses. Savage hammers away with right hands, then locks in a reverse chinlock. Warrior reaches up and turns it into a jawbreaker to get free, then delivers a facebuster. Two-count. Whips the champ into the corner, then follows with a few hard rights against it. Whips into the opposite corner and then stomps away.
Clothesline by Warrior. Savage, at the disadvantage, pulls a leverage move by pulling on Warrior's singlet and pulling him face-first into the turnbuckle. Warrior staggered, and Savage gets a running start and clotheslines him over the top. Rolls him back in and gets a two-count. Up top, flying axhandle connects, but Warrior kind of no-sells it and jogs in place. Another axhandle, and this one fells Warrior. Third time back up top, and this time Warrior catches the cross-body attempt, holds Savage up at length, and drops him into a backbreaker.
Right hand by Warrior, followed by a turnbuckle smash. More of the same in the opposite corner. Third corner whip, and a fourth, and Warrior is showing little creativity. Sidewalk slam is a unique spot for him, and that's what he does next. Surprise small package by Savage gets a two-count. Swinging neckbreaker by the champ. Still no sign at all of Mr. Perfect, and Bobby Heenan insists from the broadcast booth that Perfect promised him he would be in someone's corner, and that Perfect wouldn't lie to him.
Savage hangs Warrior over the top rope. Scurries back inside for a cover that gets two. The Macho Man goes for a suplex, but he's unable to get him up. His back gives out, and Warrior quickly takes advantage with strikes to Savage's lower back. Warrior sets up a suplex of his own, and this one hits. Two-count. Both slow to get up. As Savage does, he's against the ropes. Warrior charges with a cross-body but Savage ducks and Warrior tumbles all the way out to the floor. Champ up top, axhandle to the floor. Smashes the Warrior into the steps. Into the ringpost next. Lays in the boots, and then finally returns the challenger to the ring. A pin attempt obviously goes nowhere. And as this happens, Perfect and Flair emerge from the back.
Savage attempts a piledriver, but Warrior ducks out of it with a backdrop. Savage hangs on and makes it a sunset flip pinning combo for two. Clothesline by Warrior gets two. Follows with a bodyslam. Off of both ropes for a jumping splash, but Savage gets the knees up and Warrior writhes in pain after taking those knees to the gut. Both back up, Warrior misses on a running clothesline, both run back at each other and clothesline each other for the double knockdown.
Savage is up and heads near the side of the ring that Perfect and Flair are on. Perfect trips Savage from the outside. Warrior doesn't see this, but Vince immediately declares that Warrior sold out to Mr. Perfect. Right hand by the Warrior, then holds him up in a choke before dropping him in a corner. We get a ref bump on a corner whip. Scoop slam by the challenger. Warrior up top, and drops an axhandle to the middle. Attempts a pin, but Hebner is super late in getting there and only gets to two.
Warrior bitches at length at Hebner, and finally Savage comes to and knees him in the back from behind, bumping Warrior into Hebner and sending him all the way to the outside. Savage hits a piledriver and then goes outside to try to revive Hebner. While Savage is doing that, Perfect and Flair come into the ring. Perfect holds Warrior up, seemingly trying to help him, but then grasps him from behind and Flair nails Warrior with brass knuckles. "Oh, so I guess it's SAVAGE that sold out!", etc.
Savage returns Hebner to the ring, then goes up top for the flying elbow. Connects. Hebner is still struggling and takes a long time to get over to count the pin. Finally gets there and only gets two. Perfect and Flair are showed conferring outside. Savage tries to drop some axhandles on Warrior while Warrior juices up anyway. He launches the comeback right right hands and clotheslines. Stands Savage up, off both ropes, flying shoulderblock. Press slam. Goes off the ropes to follow with a splash, Perfect misses on a trip attempt on one side but Flair waffles Warrior with a chair on the other.
Savage has deniability on both of these spots, having seemingly seen neither. He rolls the Warrior over, sees that he's unconscious, and looks at Perfect and Flair as if to say "WTF? Why the hell is he out?" He asks Hebner, and Hebner seems to say "I dunno, how would I know that?" Savage kicks at Perfect from the apron, and then conflicted he heads up top really slowly to try to drop the flying elbow. He takes forever trying to figure out whether he should, and instead of hitting the elbow on Warrior he launches to the floor to hit Flair. Flair clubs him hard in the knee with a chair as he hits outside. Savage seemingly blows his knee out here (in kayfabe) and gets counted out.
Perfect and Flair immediately go to double-teaming Savage, trying to damage the knee further. Warrior clears them out and chases them to the back. Warrior is pissed to have won by countout. He heads outside to grab the championship belt, slowly enters the ring, helps Savage up and gives him the belt and raises his hand. The two bury the hatchet here and become allies.
Flair and Perfect cut a promo backstage about how Flair should have been the one getting a title shot here anyway, and how he was going to get the title. They say "there was a plan A, and now it's onto plan B." This may have been rooted in truth, since it's been long believed that Warrior was scheduled to turn heel here but pulled the plug on it before the event and thus turned Perfect and Flair's involvement into just trolling the match and hurting everybody.
Result: Ultimate Warrior via countout (28:00)
Rating: My evolution on this match is as follows: the first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty damn boring. I watched it for the second time a couple of months ago and thought, "Wow, that was way better than I remembered. That was a really good match." This viewing leveled things out a bit, as it's a good match but probably not "really good." 3 stars out of 5.
Date: August 29, 1992
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303263 (WWE Network)
Background: Warrior was deemed the #1 contender to the title, and tensions had built between Savage and Warrior since then. The looming question was whose corner Mr. Perfect would be in. The only final word that Perfect and Flair ended up giving was that Perfect would be "in the winner's corner."
The Match: Both men come out alone; Perfect is in neither corner, at least to start.
Savage offers a handshake to open the match. Warrior is extremely hesitant, but does it. Then he holds on and violently brings Savage in. They shed their costumes, face off a moment longer, and then get to work. First lock-up is a stalemate. Second one results in Warrior pushing Savage down. Savage back up, drives a knee into Warrior's midsection and then hits a clothesline. Up top for an axhandle, but he gets hammered by Warrior on the way down. Atomic drop by the challenger. And another one, an inverted one this time.
Clothesline by the Warrior. Off the ropes with two shoulderblocks. Off the ropes one more time and an elbow drop misses. Savage hammers away with right hands, then locks in a reverse chinlock. Warrior reaches up and turns it into a jawbreaker to get free, then delivers a facebuster. Two-count. Whips the champ into the corner, then follows with a few hard rights against it. Whips into the opposite corner and then stomps away.
Clothesline by Warrior. Savage, at the disadvantage, pulls a leverage move by pulling on Warrior's singlet and pulling him face-first into the turnbuckle. Warrior staggered, and Savage gets a running start and clotheslines him over the top. Rolls him back in and gets a two-count. Up top, flying axhandle connects, but Warrior kind of no-sells it and jogs in place. Another axhandle, and this one fells Warrior. Third time back up top, and this time Warrior catches the cross-body attempt, holds Savage up at length, and drops him into a backbreaker.
Right hand by Warrior, followed by a turnbuckle smash. More of the same in the opposite corner. Third corner whip, and a fourth, and Warrior is showing little creativity. Sidewalk slam is a unique spot for him, and that's what he does next. Surprise small package by Savage gets a two-count. Swinging neckbreaker by the champ. Still no sign at all of Mr. Perfect, and Bobby Heenan insists from the broadcast booth that Perfect promised him he would be in someone's corner, and that Perfect wouldn't lie to him.
Savage hangs Warrior over the top rope. Scurries back inside for a cover that gets two. The Macho Man goes for a suplex, but he's unable to get him up. His back gives out, and Warrior quickly takes advantage with strikes to Savage's lower back. Warrior sets up a suplex of his own, and this one hits. Two-count. Both slow to get up. As Savage does, he's against the ropes. Warrior charges with a cross-body but Savage ducks and Warrior tumbles all the way out to the floor. Champ up top, axhandle to the floor. Smashes the Warrior into the steps. Into the ringpost next. Lays in the boots, and then finally returns the challenger to the ring. A pin attempt obviously goes nowhere. And as this happens, Perfect and Flair emerge from the back.
Savage attempts a piledriver, but Warrior ducks out of it with a backdrop. Savage hangs on and makes it a sunset flip pinning combo for two. Clothesline by Warrior gets two. Follows with a bodyslam. Off of both ropes for a jumping splash, but Savage gets the knees up and Warrior writhes in pain after taking those knees to the gut. Both back up, Warrior misses on a running clothesline, both run back at each other and clothesline each other for the double knockdown.
Savage is up and heads near the side of the ring that Perfect and Flair are on. Perfect trips Savage from the outside. Warrior doesn't see this, but Vince immediately declares that Warrior sold out to Mr. Perfect. Right hand by the Warrior, then holds him up in a choke before dropping him in a corner. We get a ref bump on a corner whip. Scoop slam by the challenger. Warrior up top, and drops an axhandle to the middle. Attempts a pin, but Hebner is super late in getting there and only gets to two.
Warrior bitches at length at Hebner, and finally Savage comes to and knees him in the back from behind, bumping Warrior into Hebner and sending him all the way to the outside. Savage hits a piledriver and then goes outside to try to revive Hebner. While Savage is doing that, Perfect and Flair come into the ring. Perfect holds Warrior up, seemingly trying to help him, but then grasps him from behind and Flair nails Warrior with brass knuckles. "Oh, so I guess it's SAVAGE that sold out!", etc.
Savage returns Hebner to the ring, then goes up top for the flying elbow. Connects. Hebner is still struggling and takes a long time to get over to count the pin. Finally gets there and only gets two. Perfect and Flair are showed conferring outside. Savage tries to drop some axhandles on Warrior while Warrior juices up anyway. He launches the comeback right right hands and clotheslines. Stands Savage up, off both ropes, flying shoulderblock. Press slam. Goes off the ropes to follow with a splash, Perfect misses on a trip attempt on one side but Flair waffles Warrior with a chair on the other.
Savage has deniability on both of these spots, having seemingly seen neither. He rolls the Warrior over, sees that he's unconscious, and looks at Perfect and Flair as if to say "WTF? Why the hell is he out?" He asks Hebner, and Hebner seems to say "I dunno, how would I know that?" Savage kicks at Perfect from the apron, and then conflicted he heads up top really slowly to try to drop the flying elbow. He takes forever trying to figure out whether he should, and instead of hitting the elbow on Warrior he launches to the floor to hit Flair. Flair clubs him hard in the knee with a chair as he hits outside. Savage seemingly blows his knee out here (in kayfabe) and gets counted out.
Perfect and Flair immediately go to double-teaming Savage, trying to damage the knee further. Warrior clears them out and chases them to the back. Warrior is pissed to have won by countout. He heads outside to grab the championship belt, slowly enters the ring, helps Savage up and gives him the belt and raises his hand. The two bury the hatchet here and become allies.
Flair and Perfect cut a promo backstage about how Flair should have been the one getting a title shot here anyway, and how he was going to get the title. They say "there was a plan A, and now it's onto plan B." This may have been rooted in truth, since it's been long believed that Warrior was scheduled to turn heel here but pulled the plug on it before the event and thus turned Perfect and Flair's involvement into just trolling the match and hurting everybody.
Result: Ultimate Warrior via countout (28:00)
Rating: My evolution on this match is as follows: the first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty damn boring. I watched it for the second time a couple of months ago and thought, "Wow, that was way better than I remembered. That was a really good match." This viewing leveled things out a bit, as it's a good match but probably not "really good." 3 stars out of 5.
05-31-2014
, 11:49 AM
Prime Time Wrestling: Randy Savage drops the WWF Title to Ric Flair
Date: September 14, 1992
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWsLYc4cko8
Unfortunately the clip above doesn't provide the whole match, and only catches the last few minutes. Razor Ramon takes out the same knee at ringside for Flair that Flair took out at SummerSlam. Flair locks in the figure-four, and Savage fights valiantly to avoid submission, but ultimately passes out from the pain and loses the title.
Date: September 14, 1992
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWsLYc4cko8
Unfortunately the clip above doesn't provide the whole match, and only catches the last few minutes. Razor Ramon takes out the same knee at ringside for Flair that Flair took out at SummerSlam. Flair locks in the figure-four, and Savage fights valiantly to avoid submission, but ultimately passes out from the pain and loses the title.
05-31-2014
, 12:04 PM
Mr. Perfect Turns Face, Joins Team Savage for Survivor Series
Date: November 16, 1992
Links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
The Survivor Series co-main event (aside from Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title in their first PPV meeting) was set as Randy Savage & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Ric Flair & Razor Ramon. Unfortunately, like two weeks before the event, Warrior walked out or was fired or whatever it was that time, and suddenly they were in a pickle to fill in that tag team match. Not only that, but this was an era where they would tape WWF Superstars for like six weeks at a time, and everything was already taped between then and the event; there was no Monday Night Raw yet, and thus no possibility of a live show to suddenly change booking on the fly.
However, they got creative and used the set of Prime Time Wrestling to change things. To start the show, they announced that Warrior was out and that Savage would have to find a new tag team partner. They went to Savage via satellite, and asked who he had chosen for a partner. He builds up for a bit and then formally offers his spot to Mr. Perfect. This was after he had feuded with Flair all year long, and in doing so had partially feuded with Mr. Perfect as well. It didn't make a ton of sense for them to suddenly come together, but I can't blame them for just having to do something weird on the fly.
Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan, regulars on the Prime Time panel, laughed really hard at Randy Savage's proposal. But then, on a slow burn, Vince McMahon, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Hillbilly Jim did a bunch of rabblerousing and twisting and slowly baited Mr. Perfect into getting more and more irritated with Bobby Heenan, Ric Flair, and Razor Ramon over the course of the show. The heels would subtly insult him, then soften the blow, then subtly insult him again. Eventually Perfect admitted that he was considering Savage's offer, which caused everything to boil over.
Soon after, Perfect stood up and formally accepted Savage's offer. Heenan yelled at him and slapped him, causing Perfect to grab him by the collar and threaten him before pouring water on him. The show went off the air to Perfect talking trash with Flair and Ramon.
Honestly, they did a great job in playing the weird hand they were dealt, and I love this whole face turn spread out over a two-hour show. No matter how odd it was to suddenly align Perfect with Savage, I had a hard time not loving it just because they were my two favorite wrestlers.
Anyway, I pinpointed the eight different beginnings of studio segments in the links above. I really do recommend viewing. All parties involved do a great job in selling the angle.
Date: November 16, 1992
Links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
The Survivor Series co-main event (aside from Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title in their first PPV meeting) was set as Randy Savage & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Ric Flair & Razor Ramon. Unfortunately, like two weeks before the event, Warrior walked out or was fired or whatever it was that time, and suddenly they were in a pickle to fill in that tag team match. Not only that, but this was an era where they would tape WWF Superstars for like six weeks at a time, and everything was already taped between then and the event; there was no Monday Night Raw yet, and thus no possibility of a live show to suddenly change booking on the fly.
However, they got creative and used the set of Prime Time Wrestling to change things. To start the show, they announced that Warrior was out and that Savage would have to find a new tag team partner. They went to Savage via satellite, and asked who he had chosen for a partner. He builds up for a bit and then formally offers his spot to Mr. Perfect. This was after he had feuded with Flair all year long, and in doing so had partially feuded with Mr. Perfect as well. It didn't make a ton of sense for them to suddenly come together, but I can't blame them for just having to do something weird on the fly.
Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan, regulars on the Prime Time panel, laughed really hard at Randy Savage's proposal. But then, on a slow burn, Vince McMahon, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Hillbilly Jim did a bunch of rabblerousing and twisting and slowly baited Mr. Perfect into getting more and more irritated with Bobby Heenan, Ric Flair, and Razor Ramon over the course of the show. The heels would subtly insult him, then soften the blow, then subtly insult him again. Eventually Perfect admitted that he was considering Savage's offer, which caused everything to boil over.
Soon after, Perfect stood up and formally accepted Savage's offer. Heenan yelled at him and slapped him, causing Perfect to grab him by the collar and threaten him before pouring water on him. The show went off the air to Perfect talking trash with Flair and Ramon.
Honestly, they did a great job in playing the weird hand they were dealt, and I love this whole face turn spread out over a two-hour show. No matter how odd it was to suddenly align Perfect with Savage, I had a hard time not loving it just because they were my two favorite wrestlers.
Anyway, I pinpointed the eight different beginnings of studio segments in the links above. I really do recommend viewing. All parties involved do a great job in selling the angle.
05-31-2014
, 12:15 PM
05-31-2014
, 01:27 PM
Survivor Series '92: Randy Savage & Mr. Perfect vs. Ric Flair & Razor Ramon
Date: November 25, 1992
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303821 (WWE Network)
Background: See the post above. Perfect defected to Savage's side just over a week before the PPV and agreed to tag with him.
The Match: Having Heenan on commentary for this match is fantastic, since he's one of the primary people Perfect turned on here.
Perfect starts things out against Ramon, which, as artistic choices go, I always think is lame. He just turned on these guys; that's tailor-made for a hot tag after Savage handles the initial action. Razor throws Perfect into the ropes out of a headlock and hits a shoulderblock. Ramon now off the ropes and Perfect hits a drop toehold, then trolls him with a float-over while mussing his hair. Heenan: "Lucky move." Vince: "What do you mean 'lucky move'?" Heenan: "OH JUST SHUT UP!" Severely rustled Heenan is one of the best forms of Heenan on commentary.
Razor tries to trap Perfect in the enemy corner, but Perfect fights him off and then floors Flair (standing on the apron) with a vicious chop. This irritates Flair, who tags in and then promptly takes some clotheslines, a back bodydrop, a dropkick, and a couple more clotheslines and chops for good measure. Savage gets his first tag in and enters with a top rope axhandle to Flair. Flair pushes Savage, Savage replies with a slap. Flair is all kinds of riled by this whole match so far.
Clotheslines by Savage. Flair manages to slip out and make the tag to Razor Ramon, who has a bit better luck in dealing with the Macho Man. He gains control and then tags Flair back in to capitalize on things. Flair gets some work in and then re-tags Ramon. We have our heat segment. Abdominal stretch by Razor. Savage fights his way out of that with a hiptoss, but can't follow up and the Bad Guy re-establishes his dominance quickly before tagging Flair back in.
Flair sends Macho out over the top, then occupies the referee while Razor beats on him out on the floor. Rolls him back in, Flair attempts a pin, but no go. Measures him with a kneedrop and then tags Ramon back in. As Savage is continuing to get obliterated, Mr. Perfect suddenly just gets off of his corner and seemingly threatens to leave Savage in the lurch. He thinks better of it though, and returns.
I always hate that moment, and in many ways I think it's a failure on the part of the commentary team in dealing with this match. There always should have been an underlying "can Savage actually trust Perfect?" story going on, but they basically never build that at all. Even when Perfect starts leaving, it just gets "oh he's leaving? Damn. Oh okay he's back, lolz." Savage cut a promo indicating a mistrust of Perfect before the match. The workers were doing their jobs. The commentary team just didn't run with that as part of the angle at all.
Back to the action. Flair cheap shots Perfect while he's on the apron, causes him to try to come in, but of course the referee is going to push him out each time. Savage finally gets his break when he catches Flair going up top and is able to toss him off. Makes the hot tag to Perfect while Flair tags Ramon in. Perfect hits a long snapmare on Razor and then flips through with the rolling neck snap. Lays in some right hands and his patented knee lift. Knee lift on Flair as well.
We devolve into chaos, with all four men brawling. Flair hits Savage with a chair outside when the referee isn't looking. Perfect gets distracted fighting with Flair when Razor is actually the legal man. We get a ref bump as Perfect goes at Flair. With no referee in the ring, Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but Perfect is able to block and counter with a backdrop. Hits a Perfectplex, but no referee for a long time and then when a substitute finally goes in to count Flair breaks it up. Perfectplex on Flair, but the referee is distracted with Razor. Finally a count from the other originally-bumped referee and Razor breaks that one up as well. Neither Flair nor Razor will leave the ring, so they ultimately call the match off as a disqualification.
Savage and Perfect ultimately manage to clear the ring with a steel chair, and are declared winners via DQ. They do the mutual show of respect thing in celebration, and Perfect's face turn is solidified.
Great post-match promo by Flair and Ramon.
Result: Savage and Perfect via DQ (16:29)
Rating: Watching this match through the lens of a Savage tribute helps me realize that almost the entire point of this match was putting Perfect over as a new top babyface, and that it did little to showcase or help anything along for Savage. Overall I think this is objectively like a 2.75 stars out of 5 match. Some good stuff for sure, but the heat segment dragged again in this one and the ending was a lame one.
Date: November 25, 1992
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31303821 (WWE Network)
Background: See the post above. Perfect defected to Savage's side just over a week before the PPV and agreed to tag with him.
The Match: Having Heenan on commentary for this match is fantastic, since he's one of the primary people Perfect turned on here.
Perfect starts things out against Ramon, which, as artistic choices go, I always think is lame. He just turned on these guys; that's tailor-made for a hot tag after Savage handles the initial action. Razor throws Perfect into the ropes out of a headlock and hits a shoulderblock. Ramon now off the ropes and Perfect hits a drop toehold, then trolls him with a float-over while mussing his hair. Heenan: "Lucky move." Vince: "What do you mean 'lucky move'?" Heenan: "OH JUST SHUT UP!" Severely rustled Heenan is one of the best forms of Heenan on commentary.
Razor tries to trap Perfect in the enemy corner, but Perfect fights him off and then floors Flair (standing on the apron) with a vicious chop. This irritates Flair, who tags in and then promptly takes some clotheslines, a back bodydrop, a dropkick, and a couple more clotheslines and chops for good measure. Savage gets his first tag in and enters with a top rope axhandle to Flair. Flair pushes Savage, Savage replies with a slap. Flair is all kinds of riled by this whole match so far.
Clotheslines by Savage. Flair manages to slip out and make the tag to Razor Ramon, who has a bit better luck in dealing with the Macho Man. He gains control and then tags Flair back in to capitalize on things. Flair gets some work in and then re-tags Ramon. We have our heat segment. Abdominal stretch by Razor. Savage fights his way out of that with a hiptoss, but can't follow up and the Bad Guy re-establishes his dominance quickly before tagging Flair back in.
Flair sends Macho out over the top, then occupies the referee while Razor beats on him out on the floor. Rolls him back in, Flair attempts a pin, but no go. Measures him with a kneedrop and then tags Ramon back in. As Savage is continuing to get obliterated, Mr. Perfect suddenly just gets off of his corner and seemingly threatens to leave Savage in the lurch. He thinks better of it though, and returns.
I always hate that moment, and in many ways I think it's a failure on the part of the commentary team in dealing with this match. There always should have been an underlying "can Savage actually trust Perfect?" story going on, but they basically never build that at all. Even when Perfect starts leaving, it just gets "oh he's leaving? Damn. Oh okay he's back, lolz." Savage cut a promo indicating a mistrust of Perfect before the match. The workers were doing their jobs. The commentary team just didn't run with that as part of the angle at all.
Back to the action. Flair cheap shots Perfect while he's on the apron, causes him to try to come in, but of course the referee is going to push him out each time. Savage finally gets his break when he catches Flair going up top and is able to toss him off. Makes the hot tag to Perfect while Flair tags Ramon in. Perfect hits a long snapmare on Razor and then flips through with the rolling neck snap. Lays in some right hands and his patented knee lift. Knee lift on Flair as well.
We devolve into chaos, with all four men brawling. Flair hits Savage with a chair outside when the referee isn't looking. Perfect gets distracted fighting with Flair when Razor is actually the legal man. We get a ref bump as Perfect goes at Flair. With no referee in the ring, Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but Perfect is able to block and counter with a backdrop. Hits a Perfectplex, but no referee for a long time and then when a substitute finally goes in to count Flair breaks it up. Perfectplex on Flair, but the referee is distracted with Razor. Finally a count from the other originally-bumped referee and Razor breaks that one up as well. Neither Flair nor Razor will leave the ring, so they ultimately call the match off as a disqualification.
Savage and Perfect ultimately manage to clear the ring with a steel chair, and are declared winners via DQ. They do the mutual show of respect thing in celebration, and Perfect's face turn is solidified.
Great post-match promo by Flair and Ramon.
Result: Savage and Perfect via DQ (16:29)
Rating: Watching this match through the lens of a Savage tribute helps me realize that almost the entire point of this match was putting Perfect over as a new top babyface, and that it did little to showcase or help anything along for Savage. Overall I think this is objectively like a 2.75 stars out of 5 match. Some good stuff for sure, but the heat segment dragged again in this one and the ending was a lame one.
05-31-2014
, 01:52 PM
Royal Rumble '93: Rumble Match
Date: January 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345323 (WWE Network)
Background: This is the one match that shows up in all three tribute threads, since it's the only time Savage, Perfect, and Owen were all in the same match. Not that their time overlapped here or anything. Savage was without much of a feud here, having mostly moved on from Flair and Razor.
The Match: Savage is out 30th. He goes right after Repo Man, who had recently ambushed him on one of the initial episodes of Monday Night Raw. After about a minute and a half, he flings Repo Man out over the top.
We get a really lame final four for this match, with Savage and Yokozuna but also Bob Backlund (a babyface who had returned and gotten no reaction, clearly being of another era) and Rick Martel (who had settled into a role as a part-time midcarder). Backlund eliminates Martel, and we're at three. As Yokozuna was working Savage over in the other corner, Backlund attacks him from behind. A dropkick staggers Yoko up against the ropes, at which point Backlund charges and gets backdropped over the top.
We're down to Savage and Yoko, the only two of the final two who could possibly win. Savage fights valiantly, but ultimately succumbs to the dumbest ending in Rumble history. Yoko charges Savage in the corner, Savage dodges and Yoko plants hard into the corner. He's staggered, and eventually falls. Savage hits the flying elbow. Then…he goes for a pin. And Yokozuna throws him out so hard that he goes flying over the top rope for the loss. Facepalm.
Result: Yokozuna via dumbest Rumble ending ever (1:06:35)
Rating: N/A, but not good. All I can ever think about when I think '93 Rumble is that stupid, stupid ending. I had forgotten until taking this look that it also involved two people with no prayer of winning in the final four.
Date: January 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345323 (WWE Network)
Background: This is the one match that shows up in all three tribute threads, since it's the only time Savage, Perfect, and Owen were all in the same match. Not that their time overlapped here or anything. Savage was without much of a feud here, having mostly moved on from Flair and Razor.
The Match: Savage is out 30th. He goes right after Repo Man, who had recently ambushed him on one of the initial episodes of Monday Night Raw. After about a minute and a half, he flings Repo Man out over the top.
We get a really lame final four for this match, with Savage and Yokozuna but also Bob Backlund (a babyface who had returned and gotten no reaction, clearly being of another era) and Rick Martel (who had settled into a role as a part-time midcarder). Backlund eliminates Martel, and we're at three. As Yokozuna was working Savage over in the other corner, Backlund attacks him from behind. A dropkick staggers Yoko up against the ropes, at which point Backlund charges and gets backdropped over the top.
We're down to Savage and Yoko, the only two of the final two who could possibly win. Savage fights valiantly, but ultimately succumbs to the dumbest ending in Rumble history. Yoko charges Savage in the corner, Savage dodges and Yoko plants hard into the corner. He's staggered, and eventually falls. Savage hits the flying elbow. Then…he goes for a pin. And Yokozuna throws him out so hard that he goes flying over the top rope for the loss. Facepalm.
Result: Yokozuna via dumbest Rumble ending ever (1:06:35)
Rating: N/A, but not good. All I can ever think about when I think '93 Rumble is that stupid, stupid ending. I had forgotten until taking this look that it also involved two people with no prayer of winning in the final four.
05-31-2014
, 01:56 PM
Savage is relegated to commentary table, with some part-time wrestling thrown in
So after Savage put on that stellar 1992, including a number of really good matches and compelling angles, was still wildly over, and by all accounts (including shoot interviews by himself) had the desire to continue wrestling a full schedule, Vince McMahon decided that now was the time to turn the Macho Man into a commentator. Sigh.
Savage still got to wrestle here and there, but his primary role was that of commentating on Monday Night Raw and some PPVs. He only really had one more feud in the WWF, which came about later in 1993.
So after Savage put on that stellar 1992, including a number of really good matches and compelling angles, was still wildly over, and by all accounts (including shoot interviews by himself) had the desire to continue wrestling a full schedule, Vince McMahon decided that now was the time to turn the Macho Man into a commentator. Sigh.
Savage still got to wrestle here and there, but his primary role was that of commentating on Monday Night Raw and some PPVs. He only really had one more feud in the WWF, which came about later in 1993.
05-31-2014
, 02:32 PM
Raw: Randy Savage vs. Doink
Date: August 2, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_L2FjcMiRE
Background: Doink taunted and challenged Savage the week before on Raw. Savage accepted, so here we are. Savage dedicated this match to his friend Crush, a former rival of Doink's who was recovering off-screen after being obliterated by Yokozuna on an episode of Raw.
The Match: Savage and Doink lock up, Doink attempts a right hand, Savage ducks it and they reset to go again. Armdrag takedown by Macho. Doink laughed maniacally after both of Savage's minor successes. Arm-wringer by Savage, but as he attempts to follow Doink takes the eyes. Savage gets pissed and goes and gets a chair, but referee Earl Hebner yanks it away as he tries to use it and Doink manages to blindside him and seize control.
Clothesline by the evil clown. Cinches in a Boston crab. Has good pressure going, but grabs the ropes for leverage and gets caught, so the hold is broken. Attacks Savage's leg along the bottom rope. Continues to work the hurt leg, but Savage launches a comeback after sidestepping a corner charge. Running knee into Doink's back. Follows him out, but gets blocked and posted as the show takes a commercial break.
Back from the break, Savage has Doink in a submission hold but Doink eye-rakes his way free. Dropkick by the clown. Heenan cracks a good joke about the winner getting full custody of Todd Pettengill. Belly-to-belly suplex by Savage gets two. Elbow drop gets another two. Abdominal stretch, but Savage manages to get loose and hiptoss his way out of that. Doink is still able to keep control of the match overall though, laying in some fists and then locking in something of a surfboard.
Savage fights back, but quickly gets bodyslammed. Doink up top, tries for the cannonball off the top but Savage dodges. Again Savage tries to keep the rally going and gets dumped out of the ring for his efforts. He crawls under one side of the ring, and then…a midget Macho Man comes out on the other side. WTF.
Doink chases the midget, Savage comes back out from under the ring and picks him off, then rolls the clown in and pursues him. Doink again gets distracted by the midget and Savage follows him in, locks in a small package, and gets the three-count.
Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (9:20 plus commercial time)
Rating: Yeah this wasn't very good. Not enough real offense for Savage and the ending was a joke. Figured I'd go ahead and publish it anyway since I mentioned it in the thread though. 2 stars out of 5.
Date: August 2, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_L2FjcMiRE
Background: Doink taunted and challenged Savage the week before on Raw. Savage accepted, so here we are. Savage dedicated this match to his friend Crush, a former rival of Doink's who was recovering off-screen after being obliterated by Yokozuna on an episode of Raw.
The Match: Savage and Doink lock up, Doink attempts a right hand, Savage ducks it and they reset to go again. Armdrag takedown by Macho. Doink laughed maniacally after both of Savage's minor successes. Arm-wringer by Savage, but as he attempts to follow Doink takes the eyes. Savage gets pissed and goes and gets a chair, but referee Earl Hebner yanks it away as he tries to use it and Doink manages to blindside him and seize control.
Clothesline by the evil clown. Cinches in a Boston crab. Has good pressure going, but grabs the ropes for leverage and gets caught, so the hold is broken. Attacks Savage's leg along the bottom rope. Continues to work the hurt leg, but Savage launches a comeback after sidestepping a corner charge. Running knee into Doink's back. Follows him out, but gets blocked and posted as the show takes a commercial break.
Back from the break, Savage has Doink in a submission hold but Doink eye-rakes his way free. Dropkick by the clown. Heenan cracks a good joke about the winner getting full custody of Todd Pettengill. Belly-to-belly suplex by Savage gets two. Elbow drop gets another two. Abdominal stretch, but Savage manages to get loose and hiptoss his way out of that. Doink is still able to keep control of the match overall though, laying in some fists and then locking in something of a surfboard.
Savage fights back, but quickly gets bodyslammed. Doink up top, tries for the cannonball off the top but Savage dodges. Again Savage tries to keep the rally going and gets dumped out of the ring for his efforts. He crawls under one side of the ring, and then…a midget Macho Man comes out on the other side. WTF.
Doink chases the midget, Savage comes back out from under the ring and picks him off, then rolls the clown in and pursues him. Doink again gets distracted by the midget and Savage follows him in, locks in a small package, and gets the three-count.
Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (9:20 plus commercial time)
Rating: Yeah this wasn't very good. Not enough real offense for Savage and the ending was a joke. Figured I'd go ahead and publish it anyway since I mentioned it in the thread though. 2 stars out of 5.
05-31-2014
, 02:59 PM
Crush turns heel, attacks Savage
Date: October 18, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_JwlQ5ezOg
Crush, who was put out of action after taking multiple banzai drops by Yokozuna, was pissed that Savage didn't save him and didn't call him when he was in the hospital. He comes out, with Savage sitting ringside on commentary, and cuts a scathing promo about how pissed he was at him. He comes out under the guidance of Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna's manager, who is somehow less at fault for this than Savage.
After taking the rant from Crush, Savage goes into the ring and tells Crush that he's making a mistake, that they really are friends and they can work this out. Savage asks Crush to shake his hand. When Bobby Heenan (the interviewer) tells him not to, Crush backs him off and then agrees and shakes Macho's hand.
Very predictably, on their way out together, Crush blindsides Savage with a clothesline, pounds away at him, and then drops him throat-first on the steel barricade. As he continues the attack, Fuji, Cornette and now Yokozuna return to the ring. The whole ambush concludes with Yoko dropping a banzai drop on Savage and then going up for a second one before officials drag Savage away.
Savage attacks Crush to continue feud
Date: November 8, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2AynX1JWc
A few weeks later, Savage was back at the announce table, and despite Vince trying to settle him down throughout the broadcast, when Crush came out Savage actually flings McMahon to the floor and then races over and attacks Crush. Nobody did good old-fashioned insanity like Savage.
Date: October 18, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_JwlQ5ezOg
Crush, who was put out of action after taking multiple banzai drops by Yokozuna, was pissed that Savage didn't save him and didn't call him when he was in the hospital. He comes out, with Savage sitting ringside on commentary, and cuts a scathing promo about how pissed he was at him. He comes out under the guidance of Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna's manager, who is somehow less at fault for this than Savage.
After taking the rant from Crush, Savage goes into the ring and tells Crush that he's making a mistake, that they really are friends and they can work this out. Savage asks Crush to shake his hand. When Bobby Heenan (the interviewer) tells him not to, Crush backs him off and then agrees and shakes Macho's hand.
Very predictably, on their way out together, Crush blindsides Savage with a clothesline, pounds away at him, and then drops him throat-first on the steel barricade. As he continues the attack, Fuji, Cornette and now Yokozuna return to the ring. The whole ambush concludes with Yoko dropping a banzai drop on Savage and then going up for a second one before officials drag Savage away.
Savage attacks Crush to continue feud
Date: November 8, 1993
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2AynX1JWc
A few weeks later, Savage was back at the announce table, and despite Vince trying to settle him down throughout the broadcast, when Crush came out Savage actually flings McMahon to the floor and then races over and attacks Crush. Nobody did good old-fashioned insanity like Savage.
05-31-2014
, 04:02 PM
Survivor Series '93: Elimination Match - Randy Savage, Razor Ramon, Marty Jannetty, & the 1-2-3 Kid vs. IRS, Diesel, Rick Martel, & Adam Bomb
Date: November 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31292541
Background: Savage was just a sub into this match for Mr. Perfect, whose back had again rendered him unable to work. Razor announced him as a surprise partner just before the match started.
The Match: Razor faces off with Rick Martel to start. We get fairly slow sequences between Razor and Martel, and then between Razor and Adam Bomb. Razor finally tags out after a long first stint and the Kid goes in. Diesel dominates the Kid, but the Kid manages to hot tag Randy Savage in for his first action. He clears the ring of everyone, bodyslams Diesel, hits the flying elbow off the top, and gets the three-count to eliminate Big Daddy Cool.
Rick Martel comes straight in to ambush Savage after the pin, and gets the initial advantage, but Savage hits a turnbuckle smash and a couple of right hands, and Martel tags out to IRS. He rams Macho's head into one corner, then tries a whip into the ropes, but Savage ducks a clothesline and hits his own flying clothesline on the way back before tagging out to Razor.
After several more minutes of Razor, Savage tags back in to face IRS. Running knee knocks him into the corner, after which he picks him up and drops him along the top rope. As he's on offense here, Crush strolls out to ringside. Savage had just gone up top to try to hit a flying elbow, but jumped down when he spotted Crush. The distraction ends up getting Savage rolled up from behind by IRS for a three-count, and eliminated.
Team Razor goes on to win when Jannetty and the Kid survive to the end.
Result: Marty Jannetty and the 123 Kid survive (26:58)
Rating: N/A, or incomplete, whatever you want to call it. I stopped at Savage's elimination, but the match to that point was nothing great and Savage only got 3-4 minutes of action at best.
Date: November 24, 1993
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31292541
Background: Savage was just a sub into this match for Mr. Perfect, whose back had again rendered him unable to work. Razor announced him as a surprise partner just before the match started.
The Match: Razor faces off with Rick Martel to start. We get fairly slow sequences between Razor and Martel, and then between Razor and Adam Bomb. Razor finally tags out after a long first stint and the Kid goes in. Diesel dominates the Kid, but the Kid manages to hot tag Randy Savage in for his first action. He clears the ring of everyone, bodyslams Diesel, hits the flying elbow off the top, and gets the three-count to eliminate Big Daddy Cool.
Rick Martel comes straight in to ambush Savage after the pin, and gets the initial advantage, but Savage hits a turnbuckle smash and a couple of right hands, and Martel tags out to IRS. He rams Macho's head into one corner, then tries a whip into the ropes, but Savage ducks a clothesline and hits his own flying clothesline on the way back before tagging out to Razor.
After several more minutes of Razor, Savage tags back in to face IRS. Running knee knocks him into the corner, after which he picks him up and drops him along the top rope. As he's on offense here, Crush strolls out to ringside. Savage had just gone up top to try to hit a flying elbow, but jumped down when he spotted Crush. The distraction ends up getting Savage rolled up from behind by IRS for a three-count, and eliminated.
Team Razor goes on to win when Jannetty and the Kid survive to the end.
Result: Marty Jannetty and the 123 Kid survive (26:58)
Rating: N/A, or incomplete, whatever you want to call it. I stopped at Savage's elimination, but the match to that point was nothing great and Savage only got 3-4 minutes of action at best.
05-31-2014
, 04:38 PM
Royal Rumble '94: Rumble Match
Date: January 22, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345831
Background: Again Macho was just a part-timer entering this. His feud with Crush was ongoing.
The Match: Diesel had cleared the ring, eliminating 7 of 9 opponents so far, and was just waiting to eliminate the next person, and the next one, and the next one. Savage comes into this situation at #11, and at least managed to break up the streak by not being eliminated right away. He takes the fight to the big man, running him from one corner to the next and then trying to eliminate Diesel. He doesn't succeed in doing that, but when Jeff Jarrett enters the ring next, Savage does manage to get the better of him and get him out over the top.
Shortly after Jarrett goes, Savage's nemesis Crush is 13th into the ring, and the fight between them is on. Savage hits an axhandle off the top on Crush. And another. The funny thing is that ever since Jeff Jarrett hit the ring, Diesel is just kind of shamelessly feigning like he's hurt in the corner and allowing the other guys to fight. He does come out and attack Savage here, allowing an opening for Crush to get an advantage. Doink comes out as the next competitor, and as he's coming out Crush just unceremoniously drops Savage out of the ring like he's Bob Holly. So much for this Rumble.
Result: Lex Luger and Bret Hart are co-winners after both hitting the floor simultaneously at the end (55:08)
Rating: N/A, obviously not much for Savage here. Crush eliminating him is some kind of minor footnote in their feud.
Date: January 22, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345831
Background: Again Macho was just a part-timer entering this. His feud with Crush was ongoing.
The Match: Diesel had cleared the ring, eliminating 7 of 9 opponents so far, and was just waiting to eliminate the next person, and the next one, and the next one. Savage comes into this situation at #11, and at least managed to break up the streak by not being eliminated right away. He takes the fight to the big man, running him from one corner to the next and then trying to eliminate Diesel. He doesn't succeed in doing that, but when Jeff Jarrett enters the ring next, Savage does manage to get the better of him and get him out over the top.
Shortly after Jarrett goes, Savage's nemesis Crush is 13th into the ring, and the fight between them is on. Savage hits an axhandle off the top on Crush. And another. The funny thing is that ever since Jeff Jarrett hit the ring, Diesel is just kind of shamelessly feigning like he's hurt in the corner and allowing the other guys to fight. He does come out and attack Savage here, allowing an opening for Crush to get an advantage. Doink comes out as the next competitor, and as he's coming out Crush just unceremoniously drops Savage out of the ring like he's Bob Holly. So much for this Rumble.
Result: Lex Luger and Bret Hart are co-winners after both hitting the floor simultaneously at the end (55:08)
Rating: N/A, obviously not much for Savage here. Crush eliminating him is some kind of minor footnote in their feud.
05-31-2014
, 05:23 PM
Raw: WWF Title - Yokozuna (c) vs. Randy Savage
Date: February 28, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v32172295
Background: None to speak of. This was just Savage getting his big chance. Not that anyone thought he could win or anything, but he sold it the week before like he was definitely going to win.
The Match: As Savage comes to the ring, Vince says, "Yes, Hall of Fame bound!" Nice, Vince. Too bad you didn't do that while he was still alive, and still haven't yet.
Yokozuna enters super slowly, then takes forever just getting his robe off, and finally Savage (who has been pacing like a mad man) rushes him and attacks him. Tries to follow, but takes a clothesline. Still this is mostly Savage taking the fight to the big man, as he floors him with a clothesline that gets a two-count.
Yoko launches a comeback and manages to take control of the Macho Man, laying in a number of strikes. Savage fights out of the corner, but Yoko's size advantage allows him to keep the advantage. Yoko tries to slam Savage's face into the canvas, but Savage blocks and slams Yoko's face into it. Yoko still has enough to counter with a headbutt and keep the upper hand. Clothesline, then he follows with a running splash that comes up empty.
Savage with a high knee from behind that knocks the big man out. Axhandle to Yoko on the floor, and we get a commercial break. Back from break, Savage is trying desperately to roll the big man back into the ring so that he can have a chance to pin him. Savage confirmed smarter than Luger. Jim Cornette interferes, causing Savage to turn his aggression in that direction, but it just leaves an opening for Yoko to attack from behind. He slams Savage's head into the steel steps repeatedly.
He sends the action back into the ring, and Savage actually manages to hang with Yoko punch-for-punch, and in fact gets the better of him and staggers him, then hits him with an axhandle from the top from behind. Up top again, cross-body on the big man gets a two-count. Big chop by Yokozuna stems the tide back his way, but Yoko takes his eye off the ball for a minute and Savage actually gets him down in a schoolboy for a two-count.
Yokozuna keeps taking control, but Savage keeps gamely fighting back. Macho Man gets sent into the corner, and smashed into it by a charging Yokozuna. He drags Savage to the middle of the ring, then tries to drop the big leg but misses. Gets the bucket of ceremonial salt from Fuji, tries to hit him with it, but while the referee is attending to Cornette Savage blocks the bucket, takes it away, and clobbers Yoko with it. Referee back, but Savage takes forever to get on top of Yoko. Once he does, he can only get two.
Heads up top, flying elbow off the top, and Crush runs in to break up the pin and costs Savage the WWF Title. Crush and Yoko double-team Savage, Bret Hart and Lex Luger come out for the save, but Savage is left furious that his shot at the WWF Title was just stolen from him.
Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (11:33 plus commercials)
Rating: This was a surprisingly fun big vs. little match, Savage busted his ass to make it work and it seemed like real life mirroring kayfabe with him trying desperately to show that he still belonged in the WWF Title picture. 3 stars out of 5.
Date: February 28, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v32172295
Background: None to speak of. This was just Savage getting his big chance. Not that anyone thought he could win or anything, but he sold it the week before like he was definitely going to win.
The Match: As Savage comes to the ring, Vince says, "Yes, Hall of Fame bound!" Nice, Vince. Too bad you didn't do that while he was still alive, and still haven't yet.
Yokozuna enters super slowly, then takes forever just getting his robe off, and finally Savage (who has been pacing like a mad man) rushes him and attacks him. Tries to follow, but takes a clothesline. Still this is mostly Savage taking the fight to the big man, as he floors him with a clothesline that gets a two-count.
Yoko launches a comeback and manages to take control of the Macho Man, laying in a number of strikes. Savage fights out of the corner, but Yoko's size advantage allows him to keep the advantage. Yoko tries to slam Savage's face into the canvas, but Savage blocks and slams Yoko's face into it. Yoko still has enough to counter with a headbutt and keep the upper hand. Clothesline, then he follows with a running splash that comes up empty.
Savage with a high knee from behind that knocks the big man out. Axhandle to Yoko on the floor, and we get a commercial break. Back from break, Savage is trying desperately to roll the big man back into the ring so that he can have a chance to pin him. Savage confirmed smarter than Luger. Jim Cornette interferes, causing Savage to turn his aggression in that direction, but it just leaves an opening for Yoko to attack from behind. He slams Savage's head into the steel steps repeatedly.
He sends the action back into the ring, and Savage actually manages to hang with Yoko punch-for-punch, and in fact gets the better of him and staggers him, then hits him with an axhandle from the top from behind. Up top again, cross-body on the big man gets a two-count. Big chop by Yokozuna stems the tide back his way, but Yoko takes his eye off the ball for a minute and Savage actually gets him down in a schoolboy for a two-count.
Yokozuna keeps taking control, but Savage keeps gamely fighting back. Macho Man gets sent into the corner, and smashed into it by a charging Yokozuna. He drags Savage to the middle of the ring, then tries to drop the big leg but misses. Gets the bucket of ceremonial salt from Fuji, tries to hit him with it, but while the referee is attending to Cornette Savage blocks the bucket, takes it away, and clobbers Yoko with it. Referee back, but Savage takes forever to get on top of Yoko. Once he does, he can only get two.
Heads up top, flying elbow off the top, and Crush runs in to break up the pin and costs Savage the WWF Title. Crush and Yoko double-team Savage, Bret Hart and Lex Luger come out for the save, but Savage is left furious that his shot at the WWF Title was just stolen from him.
Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (11:33 plus commercials)
Rating: This was a surprisingly fun big vs. little match, Savage busted his ass to make it work and it seemed like real life mirroring kayfabe with him trying desperately to show that he still belonged in the WWF Title picture. 3 stars out of 5.
05-31-2014
, 05:24 PM
Savage gives intense interview about Crush leading up to WrestleMania X
Date: March 6, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f858fgw4au0
This is one of Savage's finest promos ever. I don't know that I'd ever seen it before. He explicitly mentions going through a divorce, and pretty clearly shows his frustration with having been phased out of a top wrestling role. Absolutely watch this.
Date: March 6, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f858fgw4au0
This is one of Savage's finest promos ever. I don't know that I'd ever seen it before. He explicitly mentions going through a divorce, and pretty clearly shows his frustration with having been phased out of a top wrestling role. Absolutely watch this.
05-31-2014
, 06:02 PM
WrestleMania X: Falls Count Anywhere (and sort of Last Man Standing) - Randy Savage vs. Crush
Date: March 20, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31355189
Background: Yokozuna put Crush out of action with a brutal attack. Crush's reaction was to blame Randy Savage and align himself with Yokozuna. Seems legit. Anyway, dumb start to the feud notwithstanding, Savage had sold the hell out of it ever since.
The Match: Savage out first, then he rushes at Crush the moment Crush emerges from the back for his entrance. Crush gets a quick advantage though, and drops Savage throat-first over the steel barricade (a call-back to when he injured Savage initially). He gets down and pins Savage for a three-count. The rules of this match now were that a person being pinned had 60 seconds to return to the ring. Savage is well on his way to making it back when Mr. Fuji hits him with the Japanese flag on the way to the ring. The countdown gets all the way to 2 before Savage successfully rolls in.
Crush immediately back on the attack, drops an elbow on Macho Man's throat. Hangs him up in the tree of woe, then stomps and punches away. The official gets him free as Crush heads over to get some salt from Fuji. Crush goes to great pains to hide from the official that he's using this, despite it being no DQ. Savage sees him coming and knocks it back at him though, and takes the advantage back. Axhandle off the top. Bodyslam. Flying elbow connects. Has to roll him out of the ring though, because a pin inside is worthless. Pins him on the floor right outside the ring.
Crush is out cold, so Fuji helps the situation by casually pouring a pitcher of water on him. This wakes Crush up enough that he's able to roll in to answer the count. Savage lays in some kicks, then strangles Crush against the top rope for a moment. After wasting a moment with the referee, he charges the Hawaiian big man but takes a back bodydrop over the top to the outside. Crush follows, hitting some headbutts and punches. Tries to post Savage, but Savage posts him instead. Macho takes him to the next corner and smashes him into the steel steps. Clothesline over the steel barricade.
Crush slows him down in a hurry though, with a superkick. The two brawl through the crowd area and into an area in the back. Savage manages to pin Crush in this backstage area, and then before just allowing him a chance to return, he ties him upside down, making it impossible for him to return to the ring to answer the count. The 60 seconds pass, and Savage is declared the winner.
Result: Savage via pinfall (9:49)
Rating: I dunno. I remember enjoying this match, but it's a little goofy and doesn't develop very far. Sort of fun. Not sure it was a great way to blow off such an intense feud. 2.75 stars out of 5.
Date: March 20, 1994
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31355189
Background: Yokozuna put Crush out of action with a brutal attack. Crush's reaction was to blame Randy Savage and align himself with Yokozuna. Seems legit. Anyway, dumb start to the feud notwithstanding, Savage had sold the hell out of it ever since.
The Match: Savage out first, then he rushes at Crush the moment Crush emerges from the back for his entrance. Crush gets a quick advantage though, and drops Savage throat-first over the steel barricade (a call-back to when he injured Savage initially). He gets down and pins Savage for a three-count. The rules of this match now were that a person being pinned had 60 seconds to return to the ring. Savage is well on his way to making it back when Mr. Fuji hits him with the Japanese flag on the way to the ring. The countdown gets all the way to 2 before Savage successfully rolls in.
Crush immediately back on the attack, drops an elbow on Macho Man's throat. Hangs him up in the tree of woe, then stomps and punches away. The official gets him free as Crush heads over to get some salt from Fuji. Crush goes to great pains to hide from the official that he's using this, despite it being no DQ. Savage sees him coming and knocks it back at him though, and takes the advantage back. Axhandle off the top. Bodyslam. Flying elbow connects. Has to roll him out of the ring though, because a pin inside is worthless. Pins him on the floor right outside the ring.
Crush is out cold, so Fuji helps the situation by casually pouring a pitcher of water on him. This wakes Crush up enough that he's able to roll in to answer the count. Savage lays in some kicks, then strangles Crush against the top rope for a moment. After wasting a moment with the referee, he charges the Hawaiian big man but takes a back bodydrop over the top to the outside. Crush follows, hitting some headbutts and punches. Tries to post Savage, but Savage posts him instead. Macho takes him to the next corner and smashes him into the steel steps. Clothesline over the steel barricade.
Crush slows him down in a hurry though, with a superkick. The two brawl through the crowd area and into an area in the back. Savage manages to pin Crush in this backstage area, and then before just allowing him a chance to return, he ties him upside down, making it impossible for him to return to the ring to answer the count. The 60 seconds pass, and Savage is declared the winner.
Result: Savage via pinfall (9:49)
Rating: I dunno. I remember enjoying this match, but it's a little goofy and doesn't develop very far. Sort of fun. Not sure it was a great way to blow off such an intense feud. 2.75 stars out of 5.
05-31-2014
, 06:31 PM
Randy Savage makes his final appearance on WWF TV
Date: October 31, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSaxk8t5N2w
Savage was a color commentator who had gotten in trouble (in kayfabe) previously for getting physically involved. On this night, Tatanka and Bob Backlund were double-teaming Lex Luger, and despite Vince urging him to stop Savage headed into the ring for the save. Vince openly wondered if Savage would get suspended or fined. Obviously this was a way of writing Savage off of TV, though Vince went ahead and sort of broke kayfabe the next week in addressing this.
Vince McMahon bids a fond farewell to Randy Savage
Date: November 7, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YauJQoPzpAY
Vince McMahon, in the business of burying every wrestler in existence on the way out the door, took a brief segment here on Raw to address the fact that Randy Savage had been unable to come to terms on a new contract with the WWF. Vince thanks him and wishes him nothing but the best. Whatever heat happened between Savage and Vince, and it's clear that there was some, I just can't buy that it really existed here at the time. Vince never gave this nice of a sendoff to anyone.
Date: October 31, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSaxk8t5N2w
Savage was a color commentator who had gotten in trouble (in kayfabe) previously for getting physically involved. On this night, Tatanka and Bob Backlund were double-teaming Lex Luger, and despite Vince urging him to stop Savage headed into the ring for the save. Vince openly wondered if Savage would get suspended or fined. Obviously this was a way of writing Savage off of TV, though Vince went ahead and sort of broke kayfabe the next week in addressing this.
Vince McMahon bids a fond farewell to Randy Savage
Date: November 7, 1994
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YauJQoPzpAY
Vince McMahon, in the business of burying every wrestler in existence on the way out the door, took a brief segment here on Raw to address the fact that Randy Savage had been unable to come to terms on a new contract with the WWF. Vince thanks him and wishes him nothing but the best. Whatever heat happened between Savage and Vince, and it's clear that there was some, I just can't buy that it really existed here at the time. Vince never gave this nice of a sendoff to anyone.