Sad news today, as professional wrestler, spokesperson and actor Randy “Macho Man” Savage died today after suffering a heart attack that caused him to lose control of the car he was driving.
He was only 58. 
In 2009 when I first launched this blog, I had an occasional series called “Great Moments in Wrestling History.”
One of the moments discussed was one of my favorites of all-time, as bad guy Savage lost a career-ending match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII. Sensational Queen Sheri Martel, his manager at the time, attacked him after the loss. As he was defenseless and shattered, Savage’s on-screen former manager (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth, who had been watching from the crowd, ran into the ring and saved her love, even though he had turned his back on her previously.
Savage was touched by her gesture. You see, he had kicked her to the curb years before as he sank into paranoia and jealousy over her friendship with Hulk Hogan. She had no reason to help him, save for love.
What played out in the ring was the best redemption story in WWE history. Savage went from being the baddest of the bad guys to being embraced by the fans again instantly, as he lifted Elizabeth onto his shoulder and disappeared off into retirement.
Of course, it wasn’t an actual retirement. But the moment felt so real.
He came from a family of professional wrestlers and became the greatest of them all.
His match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at Wrestlemania III was long considered to be the greatest match of all time. His feuds with Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior provided some of the most iconic moments in WWE history.
He became a pop culture mainstay as the celebrity endorser behind Slim Jim (“Snap into a Slim Jim…OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH” is a classic tagline.)
Over the past decade, he had quietly disappeared from the public eye. He remarried just last year (Savage and the late Elizabeth divorced in the mid-1990s) and stood a good chance of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year, according to rumors.
He leaves behind a wife and decades of memories.
Good article Mike! The sad thing is ... Randy and Elizabeth should have BOTH been in the WWE Hall of Fame a LONG, LONG time ago!
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