10 WWE Stars Loved For The Wrong Match

4. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage

MANIA X SEVEN
WWE.com

Loved for: Randy Savage Vs. Ricky Steamboat, WrestleMania III

Genuinely influential and awesome for its time, this was Randy Savage's love letter to and lasting impression on the wrestling business. Convoluted, athletic, and crammed with suspense, this was a workrate match in a company almost bereft of it elsewhere, prepared methodically by a method practitioner. A true classic for its time, there is always the caveat with Savage Vs. Steamboat. It hasn't aged badly - at all - but it only really stands out from the lumbering WWF standard of the late 1980s. Steamboat wrestled several better matches that same decade, indicting Savage Vs. Steamboat as an unequivocal all-time classic.

Deserves as much, if not more credit for: Randy Savage Vs. Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania VII

Re-watch this match, and it is astonishing how little Savage does offensively. For almost the entire 20:48 duration, he is at the mercy of the Warrior. It is only when Sensational Sherri interferes that Savage is even close to assuming a prolonged advantage. Elsewhere, he sells like a complete pro for his opponent, even going as far as to undermining emphatically his finish at a time when finishers were actually protected. This match was held when the bloom was off Warrior's rose, too, underscoring the extent of Savage's professionalism. It was a salvage job from Savage so good that Warrior, for one night only, looked the star he did in 1989.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!