OOOOOHHH YEEAAAHHH!!!! Freak out, freak out, freak out! After years upon years of bad blood, speculation, rumors and being passed over, we can FINALLY say that the King of Macho Madness will take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, it was announced (through spoilers by the way) that "Macho Man" Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. A Hall of Fame without the Macho Man is like the Basketball Hall of Fame without Hakeem Olajuwon. Imagine the Football Hall of Fame without Emmitt Smith. For years, the WWE Hall of Fame has been a laughingstock, because of undeserving names like Drew Carey, Pete Rose and William "Refridgerator" Perry being inducted instead of an Icon like Savage. Now, that void has officially been fulfilled with Savage's upcoming induction. After being practically nailed to the wall by his archrival and confidant Stone Cold Steve Austin on Austin's Podcast, Vince McMahon had no other choice but to be a man of his word and give the people what they so rightfully deserved. Randy Savage was announced as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015 for WrestleMania 31 Weekend at Levi Stadium in San Francisco. Macho Man is a transcendent figure in the history of wrestling and sports entertainment, with his charisma, his recognizable voice, and tremendous generalship inside of the squared circle. Besides Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, Macho Man was one of the first guys that put great detail in his ring attire. They made sure that their threads stood out as much as their performances. Before Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage was the Showstopper. When it comes to being "Mr. WrestleMania", Macho Man was the Dr. J, to HBK's Michael Jordan. During his time, WWF/E was more about the giants (Hulk Hogan, Andre, Warrior). Macho Man broke the ice with his incredible matches, and style. He had the best quality matches at that time. You would never expect Hogan to wrestle for 20-30 minutes. Other than Steamboat, Macho Man could go the distance. Savage carried the Hulkster himself to 20+ minutes at WrestleMania V.
Macho Man's dedication and respect for the business and the fans was evident in his work. His intensity can never be duplicated. Who can forget his storyline with Ricky Steamboat where he crushed his larynx? Or his feud with Jake "The Snake" where he let the snake bite him? Everyone will remember his passion during his match with Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 7, when he hammered Warrior with 5 Elbow Drops. Even his feud with Ric Flair for WrestleMania 8 was legendary over Miss Elizabeth. Savage was a marvel in the ring and unparalleled. Macho Man's reign as the IC Champion gave Hogan's World Title reign a run for its money. After generating great success as the Intercontinental Champion, Vince McMahon and the fans recognized how valuable he could be at the next level. When Hulk Hogan stepped down after a phenomenal run as Champion, Macho Man stepped up to the plate and did not disappoint at all. Everything he did was unique.
Savage's body of work speaks for itself. A former WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE Champion, 4-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 1987 King of the Ring, 1995 WCW World War 3 Battle Royal Winner. If the WWE had the same Hall of Fame induction process as the NBA and NFL (6 years for 1st year eligibility), Macho Man would have been a first ballot induction a long time ago. Sadly, they don't, but instead they run their voting process on petty favoritism, and politics instead of quality and substance.
However, in the midst of the celebration there is also plenty of criticism against WWE for who they have chosen to be Macho Man's presenter for the Hall of Fame. Hulk Hogan has also been announced as Savage's presenter. The reason why this is odd, is because Macho has been on record to say that he disliked Hogan. Savage even made a rap song dissing Hogan called "Be A Man". Others look at it as a way of Hogan being the typical politician and spotlight Hog that he is. From a personal standpoint, it is strange. However, from a career standpoint it is understanable, because of the connection that they have. In the mid to late 80's, Savage and Hogan were the two biggest mainstream stars in wrestling. Their personas were very similar, as both men did great business together. They were inseparable, with their incredible storyline as the MegaPowers. Their explosion at WM V was a great way to end with a bang. With that said, many people like to point at how much Hogan wanted his spotlight. Hogan in many ways, was Macho Man's greatest dance partner, and vice versa. The Hulkster was even the biggest reason why Savage went to WCW. Their relationship was very complicated to say the least.
On the other hand, Ricky Steamboat would have been a great presenter, because of the respect he and Macho Man had for one another. Next to Hogan, Steamboat was Savage's best rival. Next to Flair, Savage was Steamboat's best rival. Their rivalry overall was amazing. The chemistry and timing they had together in the ring was brilliant. They brought the best out of each other. The matches that they had leading up to their epic WM III showdown were great as well. The battle at Pontiac is a match that every wrestling fan must learn about and watch. If not, shame on you. What else needs to be said about this match? This match is among the top of many favorite lists (Including mine). I say Steamboat would have been a safer choice, just because of the mutual respect and without the drama from a guy like Hogan.
This induction will also be very bittersweet, because Macho Man is not alive to accept the honor. In fact, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news about his passing. I had just gotten off from work, and I was driving to Bowie Town Center here in MD. While I was driving, I was listening to SportsTalk 980 when they broke the news. I was stunned in sadness when I heard about it. When I stopped, I called my Dad and told others around me about what happened.
Overall, I believe that this induction raises the value of the Hall of Fame going forward. I give much credit to Triple H for the way he is making the deals happen for these inductions to take place, from Bruno, Backlund, Warrior, and now the Poffo Family. Moving forward, I think that WWE will have no other choice but to become more serious about who they induct, and this is a great step in that direction. Now, Randy Savage will finally be immortalized on the biggest stage of them all during WrestleMania Weekend. It has been a very long time coming, and it is time to enjoy every last second of it. Savage was the Cream of the Crop. One last time: OOOOOHHHH YEEAAAHHH!!!!
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