1. Randy Savage Vs. Ultimate Warrior - Retirement Match (WrestleMania VII)
Randy Savage as the "Macho King" is quite possibly the best Randy Savage there is. He's seconded by Sherri Martel, a valet/wrestler governed by the same devil may care instinct in the ring as Savage. As well, Savage got to be a heel again, and upped the ante on his vicious streak and absurdity, too. By 1991, The Ultimate Warrior was one of the WWF's main promotional vehicles, a face-painted superhero par excellence. Not exactly Lou Thesz in the ring though, his retirement match versus Randy Savage was thus wrestled as the closest American interpretation of a light on selling, heavy on "fighting spirit" All Japan-style heavyweight sprint, ever. Even the "sports entertainment" here is awesome, as Miss Elizabeth is spotted in the crowd during the match. Of course, after taking FIVE of Randy Savage's vanuted flying elbow drops, the Ultimate Warrior pins the "Macho King" after three shoulder blocks and a splash. Afterwards, when the dejected Queen Sherri attacks Savage, Elizabeth makes her way to ringside, fightsoff Sherri, and saves her now ex-husband. They embrace, and if Randy Savage had never gotten into a ring ever again, it would have been a storybook finale to his career.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
