History Beckons the Macho Man

This entire blog was started on a very Macho whim. After years of having wrestling on in the background while doing other stuff, I thought "Why in the world do I still follow this?". And it was a pretty fair question, because I certainly seemed to steam at a lot of what I saw. I don't believe myself to be a masochist, so why did I keep watching this show that only makes me sigh and roll my eyes? And so, as many people do, I turned to YouTube to remind myself what I liked about wrestling.

Again and again, one guy kept popping up and that was the Macho Man Randy Savage. Whether it was the confetti-throwing hippie in his territorial days, or the neon robes and insanity of WWF, or even the seen-it-all veteran in WCW, he entertained me. I went out and bought the WWE's Randy Savage collection release and upon watching was flooded with memories of growing up and I found myself caring about this frowned upon and oft-abandoned form of storytelling.



It's pretty tough to admit you like wrestling. It's kind of like getting dressed for a big job interview, shined shoes and all, and then starting off by telling them you believe in Santa Claus. It's kind of viewed as this 'kid thing'. A lot of people have stories of watching wrestling with their mom or dad and then somewhere the little switch flips and they say "oh, this fake stuff" and toss it off with a knowing laugh. Stupid wrestling, right? But somehow the myth keeps perpetuating itself.

Savage was one of those figures that everyone knew. He was the face of one of wrestling's largest booming periods. And most of all, he was a character. As children, seeing this guy in glittering robes, tie-dye, spouting out these lucid catchphrases and absurd concepts, it was enthralling. It brought out the inner-showboat. It was awesome. Whether he was giving Ricky Steamboat his 'Cup of coffee in the big time' or informing Mean Gene of his crooked moustache, the man had a way with words.



And of course, he had the iconic Flying Elbow Drop that probably was responsible for more children's hospital visits in the 80's than any other ailment. He was a tremendous athlete and without a doubt brought the high flying style to the largest audience and in doing so inspired legions of those who are now wrestling today.

Savage was recently making his way back in to the mainstream wrestling fold. It seemed that the hatchet was buried between Vince McMahon and himself and his name was finally popping up in the WWE on a regular basis once again. He was even a character in the most recent video game release, WWE All Stars. Undoubtedly, this was leading to a Hall of Fame induction in a year or two, and I am deeply saddened that now it will be a posthumous honour. I know he would have had one hell of a speech to give.

To bridge that gap from child to adult, we have to grasp these silly things; playing Barbie's with your mom, fishing with your dad. And we hit our rebellious years and it's "Pshh, Barbie" or "Ugh, FISHING!". And it's funny that, just like your parents did for you, you find yourself relating with children through those same scorned methods.

Wrestling was one of those things that I could relate with with my parents. I'm sure my Mom could care less about Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Adam Bomb, but she drove me to Evansville and she sure acted like she did. My dad would always tell me stories about Ric Flair, the Hangman and yes, Randy Savage.

A lot of people today were reminded of the fun they had and maybe the elbows they dropped growing up. Maybe they love wrestling every bit as much as when they were a kid, or maybe they haven't seen it in years, but it's good to know that people remember Randy Savage, and he'll be that bridge that someone needs.



History Beckons the Macho Man. Dig it.