15 Greatest “Macho Man” Randy Savage Matches

15 Greatest “Macho Man” Randy Savage Matches According to The Wrestling Classic

Originally Written for ONE37PM

Hey everyone! It’s The Wrestling Classic here with another list for On37PM. This time I list the Fifteen Greatest “Macho Man” Randy Savage matches. For those who follow my page, they know “Macho Man” Randy Savage is my all-time favourite wrestler. I think Savage is one of those guys who was a total package of a professional wrestler. He was talented in the ring, an extremely entertaining promo and an over the top colourful character that transcended to pop culture due to his persona.  Although, a lot of people look back appreciating “Macho Man” Randy Savage for his looks and promos, we’re going to focus on his most memorable matches. The matches that younger fans should definitely check out and the old school fans can also reminisce about.
The Macho Man is one of those legends with a legacy that is cemented in the world of professional wrestling and beyond. He passed away in 2011 but his influence is still felt today. People around the world are still fascinated by his voice, his loud personality, his intensity, his presence, his many looks, his promos and his matches. That being said keep doing the thing, embrace the madness and let’s snap into this list. Oooh Yeah! Dig It!

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Honorable Mentions

Mid South Wrestling – 06/03/85
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler

The Wrestling Classic – 11/07/85
“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Dynamite Kid

Boston Garden  – 05/24/86
“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Hulk Hogan

Saturday Nights Main Event – 11/29/86
“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Survivor Series – 11/24/88
Traditional Elimination Match
The Mega Powers, Koko B Ware, Hillbilly Jim & Hercules w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. The Twin Towers, Haku, Red Rooster & Ted Dibase w/ Slick, Bobby Heenan & Virgil

Saturday Nights Main Event – 02/08/92
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Bash at the Beach – 07/16/95
Life Guard Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair

Spring Stampede – 04/06/97
No DQ
“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Spring Stampede – 04/19/98
WCW World Championship  – No DQ
“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Sting

Turning Point – 12/05/04
“Macho Man” Randy Savage, AJ Styles & Jeff Hardy vs. Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall

Greatest 15 Matches

15. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Tito Santana
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Prime Time Wrestling – 02/08/86

This match was not an all time classic but really significant because it was “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s first big championship win and the reign that put him on the map as major player for the company. Savage had only been in the WWE for 3 months but already becoming one of the fastest rising charismatic heels in the company. Santana had Savage on the ropes, ready to bring him back into the ring, when Savage pulled a foreign weapon out of his tights and smashed it into Santana’s head securing him the Intercontinental Championship. The rest is history.

14. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Special Referee – “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Slamboree – 05/17/98

The match between The Hitman and the Macho Man in WCW is almost a forgotten gem. The addition of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as the special guest referee here just added more star power to the match. Bret Hart recently joined “Hollywood” Hogan’s NWO when costing Savage the World Championship. Piper believed Bret Hart turned on everything he stood for by siding with Hogan. At the same time, Randy Savage helped create the new Wolfpac with Kevin Nash to fight against Hogans NWO and wanted revenge on Bret Hart. The match was great because both legends are great workers, working off a solid story. In the end the finish was an overbooked typical WCW finish with interference and confusion. Regardless, this was one of Randy Savage’s last great matches in WCW and before he took time off until 1999 for surgeries on nagging injuries. Savage returned in 1999 for one last run with a new look and the Team Madness trio of gorgeous women. However, he was less mobile in the ring as a worker during that run but still extremely popular as a character and personality.

13. “Macho King” Randy Savage w/ Queen Sherri vs. Hulk Hogan
WWE Championship
Special Referee – Buster Douglas
The Main Event – 02/23/90

The match originally had Mike Tyson as the special referee for a WWE Championship match between then champion Hulk Hogan and the “Macho King” Randy Savage who had Queen Sherri in his corner. Everything about the scenario was money. However, when the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson was knocked out by James “Buster” Douglas in a fight in Tokyo two week prior to this episode of “The Main Event,” Tyson backed out of the event. WWE was able to secure Buster for the role instead very last minute. The match was everything you would expect between the Mega Powers who had great chemistry together and were always a draw. The finish involved a ref bump that forced secondary referee Buster Douglas to make the three count for Hogan’s victory. This led to a memorable altercation between the unpredictable Macho Man and Buster Douglas after the match with Savage taunting Douglas to box him. Douglas ended up knocking out Savage with a punch after an assist from Hulk Hogan who shoved Macho towards Douglas.

12. “Macho Man” Randy Savage & Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair & “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri & Mr. Perfect
Coliseum Video Exclusive – 07/22/92

This Coliseum Video exclusive match is truly a hidden gem. However, it immediately became one of my favourites matches when I discovered it. It involved four of my favourite wrestlers of all-time in a tag team match. Randy Savage and Ric Flair were the established former World Champion veterans whereas Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were coming up as singles stars after spending years in their respective tag teams. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels were the heel team with Sherri and Mr. Perfect in their corner, cutting great promos leading to the match. Macho Man and The Hitman were the babyface team holding all the gold since Savage was the WWE Champion and Hart was the Intercontinental Champion. Savage and Hart dubbed themselves as the Space Cowboys in their promos leading up to the match which were also really entertaining. These promos are easily found on Youtube if you haven’t seen them. The Space Cowboys overcame the odds when Savage caught Michaels with a roll up after Sherri took an apron bump and Hart was fighting Flair outside the ring. The match was awesome and I’m grateful it exists.

11. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior
WWE Championship
Summerslam – 08/29/92

This was the rematch we never thought we were going to get between two of professional wrestling’s most colourful and vibrant stars. It took place in the United Kingdom at the 02 Arena at Summerslam 1992. The event is mostly remembered for the Bret “The Hitman” Hart and the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith main event for the Intercontinental Championship, but the WWE Championship match between the Ultimate Warrior and then WWE Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage was great in its own right. These two legends last faced off at Wrestlemania 7 where they put their careers on the line and Savage was the clear heel. The differences this time around was that both men were super over babyfaces and the title was on the line instead on their careers. Therefore, to add more drama to the match rather than it just being a competitive encounter, they had Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect claim that one of the men were looking to work with them to secure the title which caused tension between Savage and Warrior.
The match was a really good competitive match but the storyline played a role in the finish. Flair and Perfect got involved attacking both men causing a count-out victory for the Ultimate Warrior meaning the championship didn’t change hands. It also proved that Ric Flair and Perfect were just trying to play the two superstars against each other with neither one of them actually turning heel. In the end, Warrior and Savage both stood tall together after Warrior ran off the bad guys to a great ovation from the UK crowd.

10. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri
WWE World Championship
UK Rampage – 04/19/92

I was excited when I discovered the matches between the Macho Man and the Heartbreak Kid during the European Tour following Wrestlemania 8 in 1992. There are a couple of them you can find online if you do a quick google search. The match that stood out the most to me is the one that was included on the UK Rampage tapes. It was a seasoned veteran “Macho Man” Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth by his side defending the WWE Championship against a young self-obsessed “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels who had Savage’s old manager Sensational Sherri in his corner. This allowed us to have another Elizabeth and Sherri physical altercation for old times sake.
The match was a lot of Sherri trying to get involved to help Shawn Michaels win but Elizabeth was being more effective as a manager than we were used to seeing her be in the past by putting her hands on Sherri to stop her. There were ref bumps and a lot of interference but eventually Randy Savage was able to catch Shawn Michaels with a cross body to secure the victory. Shawn Michaels and Sherri attacked after the match but it backfired leaving Savage and Elizabeth to celebrate together. This was just a small glimpse of what we could have gotten if Randy Savage got the two year feud against Shawn Michaels he was pushing for in 1994.

9. The Mega Powers w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. The Mega Bucks w/ Bobby Heenan & Virgil
Special Referee – Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Summerslam – 08/29/88

It was the inaugural Summerslam event taking place in Madison Square Garden which meant it needed a colossal main event. The Mega Powers facing off against The Mega Bucks was as colossal as it gets. On one side you had WWE Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan with Miss Elizabeth and on the other side you had “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and Andre The Giant with Bobby Heenan and Virgil. To stack the odds even more against the Mega Powers, longtime Hulk Hogan hater, Jesse “The Body” Ventura was declared the special referee. Hulk Hogan had been feuding with Andre since Wrestlemania 3. Randy Savage and Ted Dibiase had been feuding since Wrestlemania 4.
This match was the blow-off for both feuds. Hogan and Savage crossed paths many times after Savage turned babyface in mid 1987 bringing them closer together. Elizabeth would bring Hogan out to aid Savage when the odds were stacked against him with the bad guys. The Mega Powers kept saying they had secret weapon to overcome the odds here and that secret weapon was none other than Miss Elizabeth who distracted everyone by taking her skirt off revealing her red panties, allowing The Mega Powers to gain the advantage for the win. It was racy and effective for that time period. The Mega Powers reigned supreme and seemed indestructible moving forward unless they were to explode.

8. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Diamond Dallas Page w/ Kimberly
Falls Count Anywhere Match
Great American Bash – 06/15/97

Diamond Dallas Page didn’t trust Randy Savage when he returned in January and was following Sting around. Page’s senses were right because Savage ended up joining the NWO turning on WCW just like Page suspected. The feud officially started at Uncensored when Savage blindsided DDP and his wife Kimberly Page while leering at Kimberly’s Playboy centerfold. Two months prior to this match, DDP and Randy Savage had their first match at Spring Stampede. It ended with “Macho Man” Randy Savage taking the Diamond Cutter from Page and Nick Patrick making the count after Savage basically took out all the other referees. This did not sit well with the Czar of Madness and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on DDP again.
Due to the chaos that took place at Spring Stampede, the second match of the feud had the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation. This was an all out brawl but it was entertaining and fun as hell. Macho worked harder at getting DDP over than probably anyone short of Page himself as it almost looked like Page was about beat Savage and all his Madness before Scott Hall showed up. Scott Hall helped Savage by taking out Nick Patrick and hitting an Outsiders Edge on DDP before Savage could put an exclamation mark on the victory with a Flying Elbow.

7. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibase w/ Andre The Giant
WWE World Championship
Wrestlemania IV – 03/27/88

This match will always hold significance because it was the night “Macho Man” Randy Savage became the Undisputed WWE Champion at Wrestlemania 4. The WWE Championship was vacated after Andre The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan on “The Main Event” in controversial fashion due to twin referees and only to make it worse, Andre sold the championship to Ted Dibiase following the match. President Jack Tunny wasn’t having any of it and created a 14 man tournament to crown an undisputed champion at Wrestlemania. The finals came down to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and the “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Ted Dibase won two matches and got a bye in the third round due to both Hogan and Andre being eliminated by double DQ in their match. Randy Savage won all three of his matches to make it to the finals whilst Elizabeth and him wore different matching outfits for each round including the finals.
The odds were stacked against Savage in the main event as Dibiase had Andre in his corner making it difficult for Savage to focus on his opponent. Miss Elizabeth ran to the back to bring Hulk Hogan out to ringside to even the odds and stop any shenanigans from the bad guys. In the end, Randy Savage hit a beautiful Flying Elbow with camera flashes galore from the crowd to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. Randy Savage was on top of the world with his woman Elizabeth on his shoulder while she had the championship on her shoulder. Hogan was there too doing his thing but this was Macho Man’s night! The cream had risen to the top.

6. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart w/ Jimmy Hart & Jim Neidhart
Saturday Nights Main Event – 11/28/87

It’s a shame that we only got the Hitman versus the Macho Man two times on televised events considering they were two of the all time greats, told great stories with one another and were on the same roster for so many years across two companies. The first time we saw the two wrestle in a singles match was on Saturday Nights Main Event. Randy Savage started 1987 as a top heel in the company but sometime after Wrestlemania 3 the fans couldn’t help but cheer for Savage due to his talent and charisma. He eventually stopped being so hostile towards Elizabeth too, feuded with Honky Tonk Man to avenge her honour and started becoming a full fledged popular babyface. During the feud with the Honky Tonk Man, the Hart Foundation got involved as they were also managed by Jimmy Hart. They cost Randy Savage the Intercontinental Championship in his title match against Honky Tonk Match at Saturday Nights Main Event by interfering and causing a DQ.
This led to Randy Savage facing off with one-half of the tag team in Bret Hart at the following Saturday Nights Main Event. This was a really good match where once again the odds were against Savage with Neidhart and Jimmy at ringside getting involved. Savage started selling a left leg injury from a bump to the outside to the point where by the end of the match he wasn’t even wearing his left boot. Bret continues working the leg as Savage worked from under sneaking a victory away with surprise roll-up from a scoop slam. This is a great match if you haven’t ever seen it.

5. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair w/ Mr. Perfect
WWE Championship
Wrestlemania VIII – 04/05/92

When the “Nature Boy”Ric Flair made his debut in the WWE in 1991 claiming to be the “Real World’s Champion” with the Big Gold Belt, everything pointed towards him facing Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 8 in the long-awaited dream match of WWE’s top guy against JCP’s top guy for the World Championship. However, plans changed and Flair entered a really personal feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage heading into Wrestlemania 8. Flair claimed that he had been in a prior relationship with Savage’s wife Miss Elizabeth, going as far as presenting doctored pictures of Elizabeth and Flair together. This drove Macho Man insane. Although, Ric Flair won the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble, this was more about Savage defending his wife’s honour than winning the title. Ric Flair kept taunting Savage about the pictures and more leading to the match which made Savage come into this match like a mad man wanting Flair to pay for his lies and threats.
This was a solid match with a story the fans were invested in. Mr. Perfect was in Flair’s corner making it a two on one situation for Savage. Perfect pulled the referee out of the ring after a Flying Elbow stopping the three count, handed Flair brass knucks he was able to use on Savage, hit Savage’s knee with a chair hurting his leg and continuously helped Flair throughout the match. After a few near falls, Savage was able to roll up a bloody Ric Flair while pulling the tights to get the three count and win the WWE Championship for a second time. There was some more drama after the match between Savage, Elizabeth, Flair and Perfect but it was defused quickly. Elizabeth celebrated with Randy in the ring to fireworks and a happy audience. The promo Randy Savage cut backstage with Mean Gene after the match is one of my favourite Macho Man promos. He might have won the championship, defended his wife’s honour and beat up Ric Flair but he was still intense and fired up wanting more.

4. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Las Vegas Sudden Death Match
Halloween Havoc – 10/26/97

Macho Man’s feud with DDP in 1997 has to be his best rivalry in World Championship Wrestling. It did not just prove to us that Savage could still go at nearly 45 years old but that he also was capable of creating new main event stars like he did with Diamond Dallas Page. They had been feuding since the beginning on the year and this was the blow-off match for their feud.  Many believed that the match at Great American Bash was going to be the final match of their feud but the two met again in a tag team matches at Bash at the Beach and Fall Brawl. Another memorable moment was Page disguising himself as La Parka to trick Randy Savage in a match on Nitro. They were also tied in victories against each other on PPV at this point, so another match between the two was inevitable.
This match took place at Halloween Havoc and was dubbed a Las Vegas Sudden Death match which was basically a creative name for a Last Man Standing match. This meant the superstar who couldn’t get back to their feet before a ten count would lose the match. Savage came in over confident as usual while DDP came in confident but with his ribs taped up as they seemed to be hurt forever back then. This match was an absolute brawl that went all around the arena with both guys beating the crap out of each other. Kimberly and Elizabeth even got into their own cat fight. This match had great psychology, heat, drama, ref bumps and timing as these two became really familiar each other at this point. Savage couldn’t keep DDP down for ten count after two Flying Elbows and Savage was able to get up in 9 seconds following a Diamond Cutter. In the end, “Hollywood” Hogan came down dressed as Sting and smoked DDP in his injured ribs with a baseball bat which Page couldn’t recover from following the beating he took the rest of the match too. Regardless of the finish, this match was fantastic.

3. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan
WWE Championship
Wrestlemania V – 04/02/89

This match stands out even more because it was the conclusion of one of the greatest long-term storylines in WWE’s history. Hulk Hogan was someone Randy Savage targeted as soon as he hit the scene in the WWE in 1985 as a brand new heel. Macho Man knew that to be the top heel, he had to have his eyes set on the top babyface in the company. They had many matches against each other in 1986-1987. Hogan and Savage crossed paths many times again after Savage turned babyface in mid 1987. Elizabeth would bring Hogan out to aid Savage when the odds were stacked against him with the bad guys. They actually began to build a friendship while being the two most over baby faces at the time and it continued to grow throughout 1988. Hogan was also there to even the odds at Wrestlemania 4 in the finals of the championship tournament, where Savage won the WWE Championship. The cream had finally risen to the top but Hulk Hogan remained in the picture by grandstanding and hotdogging in Savage’s spotlight.
However, this wasn’t what bothered the Macho Man, rather it was Hogan’s growing relationship with Miss Elizabeth that really got the King of Madness paranoid and questioning Hogan’s true intentions. Throughout their time as the Mega Powers, there were small moments where you saw Savage be concerned about Hogan’s actions towards Elizabeth and even questioned Hogan’s loyalty to him as a friend. Although, Liz was the glue that kept them together she was also the reason they would explode. All of Savage’s frustrations came to a head on an episode of Saturday Nights Main Event in a tag match against the Twin Towers. Elizabeth was knocked off the apron mid match. Hogan left the match temporarily to take Elizabeth backstage for medical attention leaving Savage to fight off Akeem and the Big Bossman alone. Following, the match was the unforgettable backstage altercation where Savage confronted Hogan for being jealous of him and having lust in his eyes for Elizabeth. Savage attacked Hogan while Elizabeth pleaded for him to stop  and we were off to the races. It was evident that at Wrestlemania 5, the Mega Powers were going to explode when Savage would defend his championship against Hogan. The promos leading up the match were classics as well if you haven’t ever seen them.
Prior to the match we learned that Elizabeth wouldn’t be in either mans corner but in a neutral corner for the match. Hulk Hogan came into this match as the mega babyface as the fans were still all about Hulkamania. Personally though, adult me looks back at this angle and understands where Savage was coming from so I always see Hogan as the heel of this feud now. Savage entered the match as the reigning and defending champion but he was also wrestling with a staph infection in his elbow. The angle was so good that the hype was real for this one and it felt epic. The match was what you would expect from these two in their prime. Elizabeth wasn’t at ringside for long until officials decided it would be best for her to be backstage.  Savage was working hard for this match by moving fast and being the offence for most of it. Hogan did a great job of selling and making Savage look great. When Hogan kicked out of the Flying Elbow before hulking up, it was a big deal because up until this point nobody had ever kicked out of it. Hogan ended up winning the championship and Savage and Elizabeth split as duo with Randy aligning himself with Sherri moving forward. The toxic on and off relationship between Savage and Hogan would be revisited regularly for years to come as it aways drew money and imitated their relationship in real life. Elizabeth would also still play a role on most occasions to both their feud on-screen and in real life.

2. “Macho King” Randy Savage w/ Queen Sherri vs. Ultimate Warrior
Career Threatening Match
Wrestlemania VII – 03/24/91

This rivalry started because the “Macho King” Randy Savage felt entitled to a WWE Championship shot against the Ultimate Warrior because he wanted to regain the title he lost at Wrestlemania 5. Savage even had Queen Sherri get down on her knees to beg Warrior for the opportunity in a very suggestive manner. Regardless, The Ultimate Warrior repeatedly rejected Randy Savage’s challenges which led to Savage trying to find a different solution to this problem. When Warrior was defending his championship against Sgt Slaughter at the Royal Rumble, Randy Savage would interfere at the opportune moments to hurt Warrior’s chances from winning. The second time Savage appeared he struck Warrior in the head with his royal scepter as Slaughter kept the referee’s attention, knocking the champion unconscious. Slaughter became the new WWE Champion. The moment Warrior became aware of what Savage had done he ran to the back trying to find Savage for revenge. Following this incident, The Ultimate Warrior challenged the Macho Man to a match at Wrestlemania 7 where they would both put their careers on the line which Savage accepted. Personally. this is my favourite Macho Man Randy Savage match considering it may be the match I watched the most growing up. It was two of wrestling’s biggest, loudest, most colourful, flamboyant and charismatic legends going toe to toe with high stakes. The Warrior and Savage were those two superstars that captured your imagination because they were larger than life and such unique over the top personalties.
The Macho King made his grand entrance being carried to the ring with Queen Sherri by his side. The Warrior didn’t run to the ring for a change and Heenan questioned if this symbolized Warrior doubting himself for the first time. There was a buzz in the air and you could feel the energy when the two were just facing off before the match started. Warrior was dominant but Savage with Sherri by his side found ways to outsmart him to gain the advantage time and time again. An over confident Savage being the mad man he was hit five Flying Elbow’s in a row and the Warrior kicked out. It was rare for anyone to kick out of one Flying Elbow but Warrior kicked out of five. Savage then kicked out of the Gorilla Press followed by a Splash which was Warriors finish. The near falls and kicking out of finishers was still fresh spot in this era, therefore really effective. This is when the Warrior started looking up to the Gods wondering if this was it for him. The idea was that he was looking for an answer to know if this was the end of his career. It wasn’t long after this that Warrior gained the upper hand again after Savage hit his throat on the guardrail missing a flying double axe handle to the floor. Warrior hit three big shoulder blocks that sent Savage out of the ring before pinning him in the center of the ring with his foot on his chest for the win ending the Macho Man’s career.
Throughout the match the camera would cut to Miss Elizabeth who was in the crowd foreshadowing that she could somehow get involved in this match that had huge implications but she didn’t get involved at all even though she showed concern on her face when Savage was losing. Following the loss, Sherri turned on Savage by attacking him for losing and taunting him for costing them their careers. This led to Elizabeth sprinting to the ring to help Randy by grabbing Sherri by the hair and tossing her out of the ring. When Savage realized what had just happened, he embraced with Elizabeth and they reunited for the first time in two years. There were actually fans crying in the crowd who were ecstatic to see the Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth back together. It was a beautiful moment following a great match. I will stand my beliefs that Savage gave Warrior his best match, that both superstars walked out victorious regardless of the match outcome and this match along with the post match drama told the perfect story of love and war.

1. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat w/ George “The Animal” Steele
Intercontinental Championship
Wrestlemania III – 03/29/87

This match. Ricky Steamboat has gone to say that no mater how many matches he’s wrestled in his career, he is always asked about this match at signings and when meeting fans. This match has always been held to the highest regard and is the favourite match of so many superstars who are legends today. Although, it was Hulk Hogan defending his WWE Championship against Andre the Giant that drew the 90 thousand plus people to the Pontiac Silverdome, it was the “Macho Man” Randy Savage defending his Intercontinental Championship against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat that stole the show. The feud began in November 1986 when Ricky Steamboat was granted a match for the Intercontinental Championship on Superstars. Steamboat lost the match by contout but Savage continued to assault Steamboat after the match. Savage injured Steamboat’s larynx using a ring bell and this put him out of action indefinitely. Steamboat would return surprisingly in January to stop Savage’s attack on George Steele as Savage was trying to injure Steele with a ring bell the same way he hurt Steamboat. It wasn’t long after that we found out Steamboat would meet Savage at Wrestlemania for a Intercontinental Championship rematch. The tone of the match was set. Randy Savage was unhinged and wild while Ricky Steamboat was focused and determined for retribution. It was Steamboat’s cup of coffee in the big time.
This match was different than anything we had seen before because Savage had planned the entire match ahead of time on a yellow legal pad, step by step and spot by spot from the stare down at the beginning to the three count at the end. They were planning the perfect match ahead a time while most matches have planned spots but mainly called in the ring on the fly. George “The Animal” Steele would accompany Ricky Steamboat for this anticipated match. Steele had feuded with Savage for the most part of the last year over the Intercontinental Championship and due to his infatuation with Savage’s manager, Miss Elizabeth. Elizabeth would accompany Randy Savage. This was the longest match on the Wrestlemania 3 card going for nearly fifteen minutes. The match was non-stop with no slowing down with every move having a purpose. There were many near falls and quick pins to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. Randy Savage nailed his big Flying Elbow but the referee was down when he went for the pin so he decided to go for the ring bell to take out Steamboat the same way he did before. However, Steele stopped that from happening pushing Savage off the top rope. Steamboat would then counter a bodyslam into a small package for the victory to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
This was a masterpiece of technical wrestling with meaningful high flying moves at the perfect time. The match went exactly as planned and I don’t think either Savage or Steamboat realized how important this match would become. This match wasn’t just a brilliant showdown but a game changer for the WWE. Not only did this match inspire generations of wrestlers but it paved the way for more athletic matches between smaller more athletic guys to be on major shows. It also made the Intercontinental Championship feel more prestigious as the workhorse belt moving forward. It became common for the Intercontinental Title match to be the best and most anticpated match on the card for years. Lastly, it set the bar for stealing the show at Wrestlemania. It’s the magic of this match I think both Savage and Steamboat tried to recapture again throughout their career but never really could. I know wrestling has evolved over the years but I truly believe this match still holds up today. I encourage anyone who hasn’t seen this classic to check it out.

I hope you all enjoyed this list of the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s greatest matches. If you enjoyed it, be sure to leave a like, comment and share it with your friends. OH YEAH! DIG IT?!

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