The Forgotten G.O.A.T.
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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Professional Wrestler; an individual must possess a great wrestling ability, charisma, mic skills and have a good character
G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time); measure by one’s ability to perform at a high level, maintain relevance, top level in ring worker as well as promo skills and the ability to evolve with the times
When you combine the two, there are many names that get tossed around in the G.O.A.T. conversation of professional wrestling:
- Hulk Hogan
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Bruno Sammartino
- Ric Flair
- The Undertaker
- John Cena
For their era, each of those names listed have a legitimate case for that title of Greatest of All Time. There are probably some names I didn’t include that could be there as well but whenever this debate pops up, those are the ones we see most often. The argument is subjective and everyone will never come to agree on one name to give the crown to but we can all agree on the names that should be considered.
Today, I am here to talk about a name that gets left off of this list far too often. The main reason for that being the era in which he competed. It was damn near impossible to shine through the shadow of Hulkamania. Yet at times, he did. So let us not focus on how short that reign on top for him was but instead, let us look at the overall package that this man brought to the industry as he rose to the top… as the cream tends to do.
Macho Man Randy Savage: The Forgotten G.O.A.T.
I’ll break down what makes the greats great as defined earlier as I plead my case for the Madness in an effort to cement him in his rightful spot in the discussion. When checking the boxes to consider one a “greatest of all time,” Macho Man might be the first professional wrestler in the industry that checks all those boxes while also managing to stand the test of time. We could literally travel back in time, pluck him from the 80’s/90’s and bring him to the current generation of wrestling and he would transition flawlessly and that may be the most important aspect of Randy Savage to look at when making this argument.
The golden era of professional wrestling is stacked with characters in the main event scene that made that top spot a never ending dog fight but there were two names that stood above the rest. One was the Immortal Hulk Hogan and the other was Macho Man Randy Savage and when you compare those two with what they were able to do in the ring, it’s not even close as to who was the superior performer and was putting on the better matches. When you look at the rest of the roster, there were few if not none that were on his level. No matter the opponent, Savage was putting on the kind of matches that we can watch to this day with excitement. Whether it be the damn near impossible task of carrying Ultimate Warrior to a must see match in the main event of a Wrestlemania or putting on classics with the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair, Macho Man was arguably the best in-ring performer of that generation.
He was able to maintain that level into the later years during his WCW run as evident in the very underrated feud between himself and Diamond Dallas Page. Though he wouldn’t get many opportunities during his nWo run, he would still show why he deserved to be looked at as one of the greats by being one of the few names in the main event that was capable of putting on solid matches. There is a 15 year catalog of wrestling matches that we can all look back at to see exactly what it is I am referring to. A man that was clearly ahead of his time paved the way for the next generation to push the boundaries and evolve into what it is today.
From the moment he stepped on the scene till present day, there has never been another Macho Man Randy Savage. From the outfits to the voice and down to the promo’s, Savage was different. In the 80’s, when extravagance was running wild, Randy was not only one of a kind but the man who stood tallest. When he transitioned into the black and white in the late 90’s, he was still making that signature look work. With the likes of Seth Rollins and the Young Bucks showing off their ‘fits in the current generation, it was Macho Man who was the originator of the “drip.” Another nod to the evolution of professional wrestling that Macho Man can take credit for.
The raspy voice is iconic and to this day, rarely imitated and never duplicated. The delivery of his promos was a work of art and when you combined it with the voice, yep. You guessed it. It’s what separated him from everyone else and made him great. It was just one more aspect of the work Savage put in and a show of the dedication he committed to the character, something we don’t see at that level anymore. The amount of one liners Macho Man dropped on people is legendary and were amongst the most original lines the we have ever seen. Instead of relying on 3 or 4 catchphrases, Savage hit you with something new and fun each promo that sounded like it came straight out of a diss track and the legendary “oooh yeah!” that followed was just the icing on the top.
We couldn’t have a real conversation about the Macho Man Randy Savage without mentioning the lovely Miss Elizabeth. The chemistry, the dysfunction and the wedding are all just more layers to what Savage brought to the table as a whole and would be used as blueprints for many others to try and replicate but there was only one true power couple in professional wrestling. Whether Randy was head over heels, feeling obsessive & controlling or was replacing her with the likes of Sensational Sherry, there was always extra story to sink your teeth in when invested in Randy Savage.
An actual pioneer to the evolution of what wrestling could be, Macho Man deserves more love in the G.O.A.T. conversation. Of the names listed to start this off, I don’t think there is anyone better as far as the complete package goes and that is what makes his exclusion all the more confusing to me. So we will look at the list of accomplishments before I go in this attempt to justify Randy Savage’s place among the greats.
PWI Awards: Wrestler of the Year(1988), Most
PWI Awards: Wrestler of the Year(1988), Most Popular Wrestler of the Year(1988), Most Hated Wrestler(1989), Comeback of the Year(1995), Match of the Year w/Steamboat(1987), Feud of the Year(1997),
WCW World Heavyweight Champion(x4), WWF World Heavyweight Champion(x2), WWF Intercontinental Champion(x1), King of the Ring Winner(1989), WWE Hall of Fame(2015)
About Author
He’s the one I refer to when wrestling talk happens in my house of undeniable steel character. Did Austin before Austin. If you can do that then you’re a GOAT. If you can pull off wrestling when people were believing it’s real flawlessly and beautifully then you are the Goat. If you can match Dusty Character and Flair and outlandishly stick out with Swagger you’re a Goat. If you have the most beloved romance that tops it for me sentimental; Thee GOAT.