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| OOH YEAH, DIG IT Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Randy Poffo, better known to wrestling fans and even some non-wrestling fans alike as "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, died Friday morning at 9:25 AM local time in Florida. He died in a single-vehicle car accident in Pinellas County, FL, where his car crossed the median and slammed into a tree. His wife, Lynn, was also in the vehicle, but she survived with minor injuries. It is suspected that he may have suffered a heart attack prior to losing control of his vehicle. He is survived by his wife and his brother Lanny.
Savage started his career as a minor league baseball player before making the jump to pro wrestling, working mainly for his father in Kentucky. He worked extensively for Mid-South as well before making the leap to the WWF, where he'd capture the Intecontinental and World Championships. He was best remembered for his matches with Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, but perhaps his trademark was his relationship with the girl-next-door Miss Elizabeth. The two had a relationship both on- and off-screen, and they were "married" at SummerSlam 1991 (despite having been married off-screen since 1984).
Savage left the WWF in the early '90s and went to WCW where he won several World Championships and was involved heavily in the nWo angle. He separated from Elizabeth during this time. Savage left the company and thus the spotlight, aside from a few appearances on TNA here and there. There were rumblings of him making a comeback to the WWE in a Legends capacity, and the wheels were certainly in motion with the release of his DVD set as well as him doing advertisement work for the WWE All-Stars game. He gained some semblance of viral popularity again with the Where's Randy Savage meme.
I wish my deepest and sincerest condolences to the Poffo family and friends, and I join the millions of wrestling fans in mourning. We're all bummed. This sucks. RIP Macho Man. You were the man, DIG IT.
As an extended tribute, this week is now Macho Week. A week-long tribute to the man, the myth, the legend.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
