Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)

Savage was a promo machine in the lead up to his "Mega Powers Explode" fight with Hulk at WrestleMania V. The deranged and unhinged 'Macho Man' spoke of his prior pal having "lust in his eyes for Elizabeth", and that was something he simply couldn't shake. So, there was only one thing for it: He'd have to elbow drop the fake tan off big Terry on the WWF's grandest stage.

Dig it.

Randy was great heel foil for Hogan at 'Mania V. Following up on the whole Mega Powers implosion, he also helped carry Zeus through the SummerSlam main event. Then, still as a villain, he challenged Jim Duggan for the 'King' title in September '89 and became 'Macho King'. That opened up a whole new range of possibilities for someone who'd described himself as "the cream of the crop, yeah".

Overall, Savage was much more entertaining in both 1988 and 1989 than Hogan. Staunch Hulkamaniacs may disagree with that, but it is fascinating to revisit the latter years of the decade and realise that Hulk didn't have everything in an iron grip. He was still a major name who was heavily involved, of course, but it was Randy who stole the show whenever he was in front of the cameras, and his matches were generally better.

Becoming 'King' would push 'Mach' down the pecking order slightly once memories of the Hogan feud faded, but he'd turned one off gems ('Mania III vs. Ricky Steamboat) into consistency by this point. Savage deserves this acclaim.