With a career that spanned more than three decades, the Macho Man Randy Savage became a pop culture icon and one of the most recognizable figures in the history of professional wrestling. He was a larger than life character who drew thousands of people to arenas around the country with his unique promo style, tremendous ring work, and a character that will never be duplicated. Randy got his start in his father's ICW promotion, engaging in a promotional war with Jerry Lawler's territory and trying every dirty trick in the book to draw crowds. ICW eventually closed, allowing Savage and Lawler to have a hot feud thanks to their years of warring in real life. Savage was signed by the WWF in 1985 and immediately became a star in the promotion. He beat Tito Santana for the Intercontinental title and engaged in an all-time classic against Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania III, winning basically every single Match of the Year award in the process. Savage finally turned babyface in 1987 when he formed the Mega Powers with Hulk Hogan and won the WWF world title at Wrestlemania IV. The storyline between Hogan and Savage was phenomenal, with the psychotic Savage becoming increasing paranoid of Hulk Hogan and his too-friendly relationship with Miss Elizabeth. Finally, Savage snapped and attacked Hogan, accusing him of having lust for Liz and challenging him to a title match at Wrestlemania V. Savage lost the match and became a full-blown heel once again, adopting Sherri Martel as his manager and feuding with Dusty Rhodes. When Savage lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII and reunited with Elizabeth, many thought we had seen the last of Randy in the ring. If that were true, it would be the perfect ending. However, Savage returned to the ring to face Jake Roberts when Roberts crashed his wedding reception and threatened Elizabeth with a live snake. Savage won the WWF title for the second time, defeating Ric Flair at Wrestlemania VII but was slowly transitioned to a color commentator because Vince McMahon felt his in-ring career was at its end. Savage left for WCW in 1994 due to his desire to remain a full-time wrestler and rejoined Hulk Hogan. His on-again, off-again relationship with Hogan mirrored the real-life situation and tension remained between the two for years. Savage joined the New World Order eventually and helped to elevate Dallas Page in their feud, even main eventing the Great American Bash in 1997. Savage would end up capturing the WCW world title four times during his tenure, winning his final title alongside Team Madness, his female managers consisting of Madusa, Molly Holly, and Gorgeous George. Savage made one final wrestling appearance for TNA, making a brief appearance at the 2004 Turning Point event. However, citing health concerns, Savage retired from pro wrestling, cancelling a planned NWA title run. In May 2011, while driving, Savage suffered a heart attack and crashed his Jeep into a tree in Florida. Savage had no illegal drugs in his system but did have an enlarged heart (most likely caused by steroids) and a fairly advanced form of heart disease. Savage was 58 years old at the time of his death and, though he lived a rough and eventful life, fans seemed happy that their hero was not the victim of an overdose or illegal drugs. Many wrestlers have died throughout the years but the emotion shown by fans at the loss of the Macho Man spoke volumes about how popular he was. In his prime, no one was a better combination of charisma, power, or technical skill. Savage could have a great match with anyone and prided himself on being one of the best at his chosen profession. When the world lost the Macho Man, they lost a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
