Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo , ( November 15 , 1952 – May 20 , 2011 ) , better known by his ring name " Macho Man " Randy Savage , was a professional wrestler who achieved prominence in the World Wrestling Federation and later World Championship Wrestling . Savage is known to wrestling fans and non - fans alike for his distinctively deep , husky voice and his trademark loud , drawn - out cry of " " Ohhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh ! " " , made even more popular by a series of Slim Jim ads . For much of his tenure in the WWF , he was managed by Miss Elizabeth , to whom he was married on December 30 , 1984 . Early career . Born in Columbus , Ohio , Randy was a minor league baseball catcher in the St . Louis Cardinals farm system prior to his wrestling career . He injured his natural throwing shoulder at one point , so he learned how to throw with his left arm instead . He is a second - generation professional wrestler ; his father Angelo Poffo was a well - known wrestler in the 1950 s and 1960 s , who was featured in " Ripley ' s Believe it or Not " for his ability to do sit - ups for hours on end . Randy ' s brother Lanny Poffo had a moderately successful career as a wrestler too , under the ring names Leaping Lanny Poffo and The Genius . In the early 1980 s , Angelo Poffo ran the " outlaw " ICW promotion in the mid - American states that featured his sons Randy and Lanny . The promotion competed with Jerry Lawler ' s Memphis promotion ( later the USWA ) . Savage dated Debbie Combs for five years while they were working for ICW . Eventually , the Poffo promotion disbanded , and Randy and Lanny entered the Memphis scene ; while there , Savage feuded with Lawler over the AWA Southern Heavyweight title , and he and Lanny battled The Rock ' n ' Roll Express ( including one notably infamous match on June 25 , 1984 in Memphis , where Savage injured Rick Morton by piledriving him through the timekeeper ' s table , which led to the Express winning by disqualification due to Savage ' s action ) . Later in 1984 , Savage would turn face and become allied with Lawler against Jimmy Hart ' s First Family , only to turn heel on Lawler again in early - 1985 and resume their feud over the Southern title , which ended when Lawler beat Savage in a loser - leaves - town match on June 8 , 1985 in Nashville , Tennessee . World Wrestling Federation 1985 - 1994 . In June 1985 , Savage signed with Vince McMahon ' s WWF and soon became a top heel ( wrestling villain ) . Savage made an appearance on " Tuesday Night Titans " where the established WWF managers all made their cases to offer their services to Savage ( including Bobby Heenan , Jimmy Hart , and " Classy " Fred Blassie ) . Weeks later he debuted and was touted as the " number one free agent , " and " the man who is demand . " That night he revealed his choice of manager to be the lovely Miss Elizabeth . He made his pay - per - view debut at " The Wrestling Classic " on November 7 , 1985 , where he defeated Ricky " the Dragon " Steamboat among others on his way to finishing runner - up to Junkyard Dog in a sixteen - man tournament . Intercontinental Championship . He eventually beat Tito Santana to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship at the famed Boston Garden in 1986 by using an illegal steel object stashed in his tights . Early on in his WWF career , Savage also won a count - out victory over his future tag - team partner WWF Champion Hulk Hogan ( although the belt did not change due to the countout ) , and was engaged in brutal feuds with Bruno Sammartino and George " the Animal " Steele . WrestleMania III . Savage wrestled in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest matches in North American wrestling history when he faced Steamboat at " WrestleMania III " in front of 93 , 000 people in the Pontiac Silverdome . The match was the culmination of a long and bitter feud ( which saw Savage " crush " Steamboat ' s larynx ) between the two and featured tremendous athleticism and in - ring storytelling . After nineteen two - counts , Steamboat pinned Savage to end his near 14 - month reign as Intercontinental Champion . The match was extremely choreographed , as opposed to the " on the fly " nature of most wrestling matches . Savage was a stickler for detail , and he and Steamboat laid out and rehearsed every spot in the match prior to " WrestleMania " , at his home in Florida . It still stands up to the test of time and is cited by such wrestling luminaries as Chris Jericho as their inspiration for becoming a wrestler . The Mega Powers . Savage would turn face ( wrestling hero ) later in 1987 after the fans started cheering him for his exceptional in - ring ability . On " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " in October 1987 he solidified his status as a face when Elizabeth got Hulk Hogan to save him from a beatdown by Jimmy Hart ' s cronies The Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation . As a result , The Mega Powers were born . Hogan and Savage would together rule the WWF for the next sixteen months . WrestleMania IV . Savage achieved his greatest fame during " WrestleMania IV " when he defeated " Million Dollar Man " Ted DiBiase in the final of a tournament for the vacant WWF Championship . Savage would hold the title for a full year before losing it to Hogan at " WrestleMania V " in 1989 . Prior to his " WrestleMania V " match , he turned heel on Hogan , getting jealous of him over Miss Elizabeth . He eventually left Elizabeth as his valet for Sensational Sherri . He adopted the moniker " Macho King " after defeating Jim Duggan for the WWF ' s unofficial " King " title . After the match where he won the honor , Savage proceeded to give Duggan five big elbow drops from the top rope , and Sherri did several splashes from the top to further humiliate Duggan . The " Macho King " . Savage would co - main event SummerSlam ' 89 , where he teamed with Zeus , a character from Hulk Hogan ' s movie , " No Holds Barred " , against Hogan and Brutus Beefcake . In this match , Hogan totally killed off Savage ' s flying elbow after standing straight up after Savage hit it in the centre of the ring . It was one of the biggest ' no - sells ' in the history of wrestling . Hogan has been accused of having performed this " despicable act " out of fear that Savage could be a threat to his position in the company . The Ultimate Warrior . In 1990 , the " Macho King " feuded with the " commoner " Dusty Rhodes , meeting him in a mixed tag team match involving Sherri and Rhodes ' valet Sapphire at WrestleMania VI and a singles match at SummerSlam . After this , Savage got into a feud with The Ultimate Warrior after the Warrior , then WWF Champion , refused to grant Savage the No . 1 contendership , as Sgt . Slaughter already promised , if he were to defeat the Warrior . Savage had sent " Sensational Queen " Sherri out during the " 1991 Royal Rumble " to try and convince the Warrior , and in a face - to - face interview laced with sexual innuendos and gestures , failed to get anywhere with the champion . Outraged , Savage promised revenge , which he sought during the Slaughter - Warrior title match . Sherri goaded the Warrior out of the ring , causing the Warrior to leave and run down the aisle , only to be ambushed by Savage with a clothesline . He followed up by smashing Warrior across the back with a light stand , all done without the referee seeing a thing , of course . Warrior managed to make it back to the ring , where ( after being dominated for several minutes by Sgt . Slaughter ) he rallied and was nearing victory , when Savage and Sherri interfered again . At an opportune moment the King smashed the Warrior on the head with his scepter , costing him the WWF Championship against Sgt . Slaughter . Savage would go on to score several tainted cage - match victories over Warrior , due to the interference of Sherri . WrestleMania VII . This led to a career - ending match at " WrestleMania VII " . Savage lost the match ; even after receiving five consecutive flying elbow drops , the Warrior somehow managed to kick out . After the match , Savage was attacked by Queen Sherri as he lay dejected in the ring . This was too much for Miss Elizabeth , who happened to be in the audience . Elizabeth rushed to Savage ' s aid , fighting off Sherri and reuniting with her one - time love to huge crowd appreciation . The match was ironic seeing as how Savage stayed in WWF after it and the Ultimate Warrior left at Summerslam that year ! That shows that the retirement was only a storyline . Jake Roberts . Savage would return to TV in a non - wrestling role as the " Macho Man " again over the summer with Miss Elizabeth and " propose " to her in the ring , leading to an on - air " wedding " at " SummerSlam 1991 " , dubbed The Match Made in Heaven . It was at this time that Savage was targeted by Jake " The Snake " Roberts , who was by now a dastardly heel . In a memorable feud , Roberts would ambush Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth on their wedding day and later have a cobra bite Savage as the Macho Man lay prone in the ring . Due to fan pressure , Savage would be " re - instated " as a wrestler by WWF president Jack Tunney so that he could do battle with Roberts . The feud was brutal . During the " Tuesday in Texas " pay - per - view , Roberts — after losing to Savage — beat him down , then forced Elizabeth to beg for mercy ; when Roberts was dissatisfied with her , he slapped her hard across the face . Ric Flair . Savage would have another run as WWF Champion , defeating " The Nature Boy " Ric Flair at " WrestleMania VIII " in 1992 , and holding it until September of that year , when he lost it back to Flair at a WWF TV taping in Hershey Pennsylvania . Savage and Flair would later swap the WCW World Heavyweight Championship during their 1995 - 96 feud , making them the only duo to win and lose both the WWF / E and WCW versions of the world title to each other . Shortly before WrestleMania VIII , the Savage - Flair angle was expanded to include allegations by Flair that he had a previous relationship with Elizabeth ; as " proof , " Flair presented photos with himself and Elizabeth in casual situations . The photos were later printed in an issue of " WWF Magazine " . The feud continued after Savage won the WWF Championship , with Flair and " executive consultant " Mr . Perfect playing a voicemail from a woman claiming to be Elizabeth , saying she loved Flair and that she was " waiting at home . " The feud continued for most of the summer , with " WWF Magazine " exposing Flair ' s photos as fraudulent in the July 1992 issue . Late in the summer of 1992 , Savage and Hulette divorced . After the decree was finalized late that summer , Savage issued a statement that was printed in " WWF Magazine " revealing that he and Elizabeth were no longer together , and thanking the fans for their support through the years . The publication of Savage ' s statement marked , at the time , a rare acknowledgement of the wrestlers ' private lives for both the WWF and its flagship publication . Savage continued with the WWF for two more years , and except for the statement in WWF Magazine , his divorce from Elizabeth was neither referred to nor figured into any of Savage ' s future feuds . The Ultimate Maniacs . He formed a tag team with The Ultimate Warrior , but nonetheless defended the title against his partner at " SummerSlam 1992 " . The team was known as The Ultimate Maniacs . Razor Ramon had injured Savage ' s knee during a title match against Flair , ultimately costing him the match and the title . Savage backed Warrior to be the man to dethrone Flair . Savage and Warrior were scheduled to face Flair and Ramon in a tag team match at that year ' s " Survivor Series " . Warrior left the WWF weeks before the event was to take place , so Savage chose Mr . Perfect , executive consultant to Flair , as his partner to replace Warrior . Perfect turned face and teamed with Savage . The duo defeated Flair and Ramon via a disqualification . Color commentatory . When " Monday Night Raw " began in January 1993 , Savage served primarily as a color commentator , wrestling only occasionally against characters such as Doink , The Repo Man , and Crush . Savage appeared alongside Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan to broadcast " WrestleMania IX " in 1993 . He seemed to be overly enthusiastic during the WrestleMania IX broadcast , especially during the opening bout between Shawn Michaels and Tatanka . He can be heard exclaiming random thoughts out of context as well as having slurred speech . Some speculate that Savage may have been intoxicated during the broadcast due to the fact that he seems to ' sober up ' throughout the pay - per - view . His constant screaming of the phrase ' WrestleMania IX , the Roman Colliseum ' leave critics wondering what was actually wrong with Randy . He also defeated Crush in a " Falls Count Anywhere Match " at " WrestleMania X " . Savage also made periodic appearances in Jim Cornette ' s Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion in fall 1994 . His final WWF pay - per - view appearance was at " SummerSlam 1994 " where he served as host . He left the WWF in November . World Championship Wrestling 1994 - 1999 . Randy signed a $ 6 million contract with WCW , joining his " friend " Hulk Hogan , who was feuding with the 3 Faces of Fear and the Dungeon of Doom . Savage resumed his rivalry with Ric Flair during this time . During the 1995 WCW United States Championship tournament ( created when former champion Leon White ( Vader ) was stripped of the belt for attacking WCW on - air Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel ) , Savage interfered in Flair ' s match vs . young Alex Wright , attacking Flair and causing Wright to get disqualified , setting up a tournament semifinal match where the winner would face the winner of the Sting / Meng match for the United States Championship at The Great American Bash that June . Savage and Flair ' s match never took place , as Savage and Flair brawled in the backstage area prior to the bell ringing . They were both eliminated from the tournament , and had their own match in the main event of the Bash , which Savage won . Later on that year , during part of the storyline where Arn Anderson and Ric Flair turned on each other , Flair ( in looking for a partner to take on Anderson and Brian Pillman in a tag match ) tried to recruit Savage to be his partner . However , remembering the rivalry ( and how Flair had attacked Savage ' s father , Angelo Poffo , during their rivalry ) , he refused , telling Flair point blank to " get the hell out of here ! " On November 26 , 1995 at " World War 3 " , Macho Man won the WCW World Title by winning the 60 - man three - ring battle royal . He lost the title to Flair a month later . Macho Man won the title back a month later but lost the title back to Flair another month later . In January 1996 , he would bring Elizabeth with him into WCW as his valet once again . Elizabeth turned on Savage in his last title loss to Flair . Thereafter , Flair claimed that Elizabeth had given him a sizable amount of Savage ' s money , taken in their divorce settlement , and which Flair used to set up a " VIP section " at Monday Nitro events . Flair and Savage continued to feud through the Great American Bash in June 1996 . In July 1996 , the nWo was formed when Hulk Hogan turned on Savage and joined The Outsiders , a tag team of former WWF wrestlers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall . After their inception , one of their main enemies became Macho Man himself . At " WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 " , Macho Man faced Hogan for the WCW Title but lost when the rest of the nWo interfered . After months of abuse from the nWo , Savage joined them at SuperBrawl in 1997 , when he helped Hogan defeat Roddy Piper in a rematch from their Starrcade match the previous year . He also reunited with Elizabeth , who had joined the nWo several months earlier . He began feuding with Diamond Dallas Page and Kimberly . When Hogan failed to recapture his " nWo " Title from Sting , it was Savage ' s turn , and he got his shot at " WCW Spring Stampede 1998 " . Hogan tried everything he could to make sure that Savage would not win the title because Hogan felt that he was the only nWo member who should be World Champion , since he was the leader of the stable . With the help of Nash , however , Savage beat Sting for the belt . The following night on " WCW Monday Nitro " , Hogan faced Savage for the championship . For a while it looked like Hogan had Savage beat , but for the second consecutive night , Nash came to Savage ' s aid , powerbombing Hogan . Savage tried to capitalize , but an interfering Bret Hart attacked Savage and preserved the victory for Hogan . After that , Savage joined with Nash and others to form the nWo Wolfpac , a split from Hogan ' s group , which became known as nWo Black and White or nWo Hollywood . For nearly a year , Randy Savage took a hiatus from the company due to an injury . When Macho Man returned , he came back with a new look and new attitude and also brought with him his then 22 - year - old girlfriend Gorgeous George as a valet . His first action was as the guest referee in the WCW world title matchup at Spring Stampede 1999 , which was won by Diamond Dallas Page . For a short time after , Randy would interfere in DDP ' s matches to make sure that Page kept his World Title ( for reasons unknown and never explained by WCW ) , but when Kevin Nash won it at " WCW Slamboree 1999 " , Savage went after the title himself . It was around that time that Madusa and Miss Madness joined Macho Man as his other two valets ; together they were known as Team Madness . At " WCW Great American Bash 1999 " , Sid Vicious returned to WCW and helped Macho Man attack Kevin Nash . This led to a tag team between Kevin Nash and Sting against Randy Savage and Sid Vicious , in which whoever pinned Nash ( including Sting ) would win the World Title , at " WCW Bash at the Beach 1999 " . Savage won the WCW title for the fourth time when he pinned Nash but lost the title again to Hollywood Hogan the next night , when Big Sexy interfered and powerbombed Macho Man ( in a reversal of the situation from the previous year , where Nash had attacked Hogan to help Savage keep his title , albeit unsuccessfully ) . After that , Team Madness slowly started to disband as Madusa and Miss Madness started fighting each other because they blamed the other for Savage ' s title loss . Savage soon fired both of them . and started a feud with Dennis Rodman and defeated Rodman at road wild 1999 . He eventually joined the Millionaire ' s Club with Hogan , Jim Duggan , Flair , DDP , and other popular veteran wrestlers . When Vince Russo came to WCW and Savage ' s WCW contract expired , Savage and George left WCW and never returned . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling 2004 . Savage made his return to wrestling for TNA at " TNA Victory Road 2004 " and feuded against Jeff Jarrett , Kevin Nash , and Scott Hall . At Turning Point 2004 he teamed up with Jeff Hardy and A . J . Styles to defeat the Kings of Wrestling ( Jeff Jarrett , Kevin Nash and Scott Hall ) . The main event of Final Resolution 2005 was going to be Jeff Jarrett and Randy Savage for the NWA Title . Savage ' s plan was to win the belt and then drop it back to Jarrett at the next pay per view . When TNA Management didn ' t like the idea Savage left because neither party would budge . Post - Wrestling Career . In 2005 , Savage told a Missouri newspaper that he can ’ t wrestle right now because of " health concerns , " as he had apparently injured his back . Jakks Pacific tried to sign him up for the Classic Superstars line up only to be denied by Vince McMahon , despite the fact that he allowed them to sign a number of wrestlers on bad terms with WWE , including The Ultimate Warrior ( signed twice by Jakks ) , Bruno Sammartino , and even Bret " the Hitman " Hart . Savage remains one of the few big stars who hasn ' t signed up with Jakks for a figure . Outside of the ring . Music career . Savage had pursued a career as a rap artist ; his debut album " Be a Man " was released on October 7 , 2003 . His album was met with scathing reviews ; according to a review by Dan Aquilante of the New York Post , his album " " defies the laws of physics by blowing and sucking at the same time . " " Another critic described the vocals as sounding like " Nick Nolte after a whiskey and sandpaper binge . " The title track of the album was intended to make fun of Hulk Hogan . Television . When Phil Hellmuth did an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio recently , he said that Savage will be on the next season of VH1 ' s " Surreal Life " along with Playboy Playmate Tina Marie Jordan and rock musician Peter Steele . This has been verified by Savage himself in a press release , though VH1 has not released the official cast list yet . Death . TMZ reported that " Macho Man " Randy Savage died in a car accident in Florida 20 May 2011 morning . TMZ spoke to Savage ' s brother , Lanny Poffo , who revealed that Savage had suffered a fatal heart attack whilst driving his car in Tampa , which caused him to lose control and crash into a tree . Randy Savage was 58 years old and had celebrated his one - year anniversary with his wife Lynn the previous month .