The legendary "Macho Man" Randy Savage outlasted some of the greatest Superstars of the 1980s, several of whom went on to induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, to win his first WWE Championship inside Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey at WrestleMania IV. He competed in four grueling matches to become champion and establish himself as one of the top stars in the industry. His triumph over "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase completed a roller coaster ride of a year that saw him lose the Intercontinental Championship to Ricky Steamboat at 1987's WrestleMania III, turn babyface later in the year, have a second Intercontinental title reign cancelled due to backstage politics involving the Honky Tonk Man and become the second-most popular star in wrestling behind only Hulk Hogan. Savage's title reign encapsulated the entire year between WrestleManias IV and V and saw one of the truly great stories in WWE history unfold during that period. As the partner and friend of Hogan in the Mega Powers tandem, Savage found himself feuding primarily with DiBiase and Andre the Giant at house shows across the country. As the calendar turned over to 1989, he began a program with Bad News Brown that toured arenas, After a heel turn prior to WrestleMania V, Savage worked several matches against Intercontinental champion The Ultimate Warrior, one of which was featured on the 2014 Hall of Famer's latest home video release. Savage would carry the gold with honor and probably could have gotten another year out of his reign thanks to the aforementioned heel turn but the decision was made to have him drop the strap to Hogan at in Atlantic City, the home of his title win a year earlier. Savage worked extremely well with Hogan and delivered the first really great main event in WrestleMania history. While he may have been largely overshadowed by the Hulkster throughout his reign, Savage's run with the title cemented him as one of the top stars in professional wrestling and helped lend credibility to an already impressive resume.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
