10 Things You Didn't Know About Jay Lethal
2. Randy Savage Gave Lethal His Blessing Over 'Black Machismo' Character
Standing out from the crowd, Lethal created a character in TNA called 'Black Machismo'. The entire gimmick was a homage to the iconic 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, a man Jay does a stellar impersonation of. So good is his reenactment of Randy's famous voice, that TNA wanted to use it to get Lethal over on television.
Dressing in some seriously extravagant outfits that mimicked those worn by Savage, Lethal became one of the most interesting wrestlers in TNA for a good few years. Meanwhile, despite his success Jay worried that Savage may take the lifted character as an insult more than a tribute.
One day, Jay even received a phone call from someone claiming to be Randy. Over the phone, the man endorsed Lethal's impersonation and said he found it very entertaining. Later at an independent show, Randy's brother Lanny confirmed that it was indeed his sibling who had called Jay to lend his congratulations.
In essence, Randy Savage was giving Jay Lethal his blessing to continue the 'Black Machismo' character. That's a good thing, because it led to one of the more successful periods of Lethal's career.