Today would have been the 69th birthday of one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. The Macho Man Randy Savage was introduced to us via WWE in 1985 and it didn’t take long for his career to take off. With his natural athletic ability and unmatched charisma, Savage quickly became one of the most bankable stars in the industry.
During the Macho Man’s rise to prominence, he was responsible for some of the most memorable matches in the industry. The quality of his matches was unrivalled and when he stepped between the ropes we knew we were about to see something special.
Savage has had memorable matches with the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, Tito Santana, and Diamond Dallas Page. Matches with these men are at the top of many a list, but some have surprisingly flown under the radar. There are some Randy Savage matches out there that are hard to find but well worth the effort. Below we will take a look at five lesser-known matches from the career of Randy Savage.
Macho Man Randy Savage v Ted DiBiase
(Steel Cage for WWE Championship | June 25th 1988)
The feud between Savage and DiBiase should have been one that dominated WWE programing. Both men were incredible workers, but they were pushed out of WWE programming after their lacklustre WrestleMania 4 main event.
Thankfully, while not on television, the feud did continue on the house show circuit, culminating in a fantastic Steel Cage match.
Coming to us from Madison Square Garden, the steel cage match was the match we should have got at Wrestlemania 4. Macho Man and the Million Dollar Man went at each other for close to 20 minutes. The pace was incredible as both men worked a fantastic match.
The steel cage was used perfectly and the escape spots were great. Virgil constantly interfering was a great way to build tension and have the fans in attendance believing that DiBiase might walk out with the championship.
Savage did prevail, in the end, and it was a better finish than Wrestlemania. Savage winning on his own instead of getting help from Hogan made him look like a much stronger champion.
Macho Man Randy Savage v “Stunning” Steve Austin
(2nd Round, U.S Title Tournament)
Big Van Vader was stripped of the United States Championship, in 1995, following an attack on Dave Sullivan. After this attack, a tournament was created to crown a new United States Champion.
While the tournament was lacklustre, to say the least, it did provide us with one matchup that, in hindsight, was an incredibly interesting one.
In the second round of the tournament, Randy Savage took on a young Steve Austin. This was well before Austin’s star took off in WWE. At the time Steve was toiling away as a mid-card heel and it was clear that he was not going to break through WCW’s glass ceiling.
The match lasted for close to 3 minutes and was not much of a match. Savage dominated the contest and ended it with a top-rope elbow drop. It was not exactly what one would want to see considering the two men who were inside the ring.
What was notable about the match was that this might be the first and only time that two legends met in the ring. It is just a shame that it took place in a squash match.
Macho Man Randy Savage v Shawn Michaels
(U.K Rampage Tour (Sheffield) 1992)
Randy Savage’s final run with the big strap was dominated by his feud with Ric Flair. The two men had some great matches all over the world. What gets lost, however, is the fantastic matches that he had with some other talents.
One of these great matches took place during the WWE’s U.K Rampage Tour. Randy Savage put his WWE Championship on the line against the newly turned heel, Shawn Michaels.
Savage was long in the tooth at this point in his career, but the match with Michaels was no indication of it. The Macho Man was able to keep up with HBK throughout the contest and it was great to see.
There was also some great psychology during the match. Savage was nursing a knee injury at the time and it was worked into the contest. It hindered him throughout the match and Michael’s new heel persona took no time in exploiting it. It was a great bit of storytelling and one that helped to make this a special contest.
It should also be noted that the Sheffield crowd was a fantastic addition to the match. They were hot throughout the contest and helped to make this match a must-see in the career of Randy Savage.
Macho Man Randy Savage v Bret Hart
(Saturday Nights Main Event #13 | 11th November 1987)
After causing Savage his chance at the Intercontinental Championship, The Hart Foundation was firmly in the Macho Man’s crosshairs. This mini-feud led to a fantastic single match being booked between a young Bret Hart and Savage at Saturday Nights Main Event.
Hart was still a tag team specialist, so it was interesting to see him put against Savage. Any lingering doubts were squashed within minutes of the opening bell. Hart and Savage put on a fantastic technical match that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.
It was cool to see Hart working heel during the match. He is more well known as a face and it was a great dynamic to see him using heel tactics to maintain the advantage during the contest.
Another great angle during the match was what it did for both men coming out of it. Hart proved, to the company, that he had value as a singles worker while Savage showed that he has top of the card potential. It was a great match that showcased two men that would become legends in the industry.
Macho Man Randy Savage v Bad News Brown
(MSG House Show | 30th December 1988)
After Bad News took some unflattering shots at Miss Elizabeth, he and Macho Man started a mini-program that would run through the holidays. Bad News Brown was a legitimate badass in WWE and he was a perfect contender to bridge the gap for Savage.
It is a shame that WWE did not televise this program more because the two had tremendous chemistry in the ring. Their conflicting styles complemented each other perfectly and made for a hell of an entertaining match.
Brown was a great heel for Savage to encounter. His gruff character made him the perfect man to believably scare Miss Elizabeth. He used these intimidation tactics during the match to get in Savages’ head and gain the advantage. While in control Brown kept the match very entertaining with a move set that most heels of the day would not be using.
The finish was a bit underwhelming, with Randy getting a rollup victory, but it was necessary. Their house show program would continue into the New Year and now was not the time to bury Bad News.
Alas, this WWE title program would not make it further than the house show circuit. Randy Savage and Bad News Brown had some great chemistry and deserved a better stage.