The Case
Meet the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, one of WWE's more controversial
superstars. Savage begun his career at WWE in 1985, and for the next ten years,
he would snatch important titles, stir lots of trouble, and go head to head with
legendary wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and many
more. The crazy dude with the dark voice and the silly costumes had quite an
exciting wrestling career, and WWE: Macho Madness—The Randy Savage
Ultimate Collection highlights his best matches. Let's get the madness
started:
Disc One
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs.
Rick McGraw at Prime Time Wrestling in 1985
The first match of this
massive collection is that of Savage's WWE debut, which he successfully pulled
off in 1985 against Rick McGraw. Even though Savage spends at least half of this
12-minute matchup stirring up the crowd with his arrogant poses and multiple
ring exits, he gives audiences a good first look at what he's capable of,
including the perfect execution of his signature move, the big elbow drop from
the third turnbuckle. Good start!
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ricky "The
Dragon" Steamboat in 1985
Savage's 11-minute encounter with Steamboat
is a solid one, with The Dragon delivering a couple of high-risk maneuvers and
submission moves, while Savage stays on the defensive but occasionally pulls off
a few powerful moves. While this match is not Savage's greatest, it sure offers
fans a good look at his physical flexibility as an athlete. It's quite an
entertaining battle, actually.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage in a WWE
Championship Match in 1985
Savage received a title shot pretty early in
his WWE career, and his battle against the popular Hulk Hogan turned out to be
decent enough. At 7 minutes, it's rather short, but both Hogan and Savage do
whatever it takes to pump up the crowd. As far as the wrestling action is
concerned, both athletes offer a variety of powerful moves that eventually keep
this one fast-paced enough.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Tito Santana in an
Intercontinental Championship Match in 1986
This 10-minute championship
match is quite amusing, with Savage using all sorts of dirty tricks to weaken
his opponent and win the Intercontinental title. Interesting to notice also is
the wrestlers' increased use of high-risk maneuvers, which obviously boosts the
match's overall pacing.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Bruno Sammartino in an
Intercontinental Championship Match in 1987
At 6 minutes, this one is
pretty short, thanks to Savage's way of luring his opponents out of the ring and
scoring victories via count-outs. It's not exactly an intriguing battle, but
Sammartino's eagerness to dictate the pace of the match and his ability to fire
up the crowd still make it a halfway decent matchup.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ricky "The
Dragon" Steamboat at WrestleMania III in 1987
What a fantastic battle
this is! Savage and Steamboat deliver an incredibly action-packed title match,
complete with bold moves and incredible determination. At 14 minutes, this one
is neither too short nor too long, showing the explosive crowd in Pontiac and
the viewers at home what exciting pro wrestling is really about.
• Honky Tonk Man vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage at The
Main Event in 1988
Savage really goes on the offensive in this one, and
that's quite unusual. Still, at 10 minutes, this battle delivers enough action,
with both Honky and Randy switching between fast moves, strong kicks, and some
slower, submission holds.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. "Million Dollar
Man" Ted Dibiase at WrestleMania IV in 1988
This matchup is for the
WWE title, and at 8 minutes, it's an intriguing battle, with Savage and Dibiase
keeping the fans on their feet for most of the battle. The presence of Andre the
Giant and Hulk Hogan at ringside stirs things up a bit as well. All in all, this
is a fair PPV fight.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. "Million Dollar
Man" Ted Dibiase in a Steel Cage Match in 1988
This time, the action
takes place inside a steel cage, and that means the wrestlers can't just leave
the ring to take a break. Consequently, this matchup remains heated until its
quite surprising end. With a bunch of solid matches behind us, let's quickly
move on to the second disc.
Disc Two
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage &
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant & Ted Dibiase at SummerSlam in 1988
The
Megapowers are on fire in this tag team battle, and Hogan and Savage deliver
plenty of well-coordinated team maneuvers that should get every wrestling fan
excited enough. It's quite a long matchup at 14 minutes, but not one minute is
boring. It's quite an electrifying fight indeed.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Hulk Hogan at
WrestleMania V in 1989
With the reign of the Megapowers coming to an end,
Savage and Hogan get to face off at a major WWE event. Clocking in at 16
minutes, this vibrant match gives both superstars the opportunity to once more
demonstrate their ability to offer their fans an exciting show. While Savage
returns to playing it safe by going on defense, Hogan remains hot on his tail,
giving the crowd every reason to go nuts and help make this big battle a
memorable wrestling match.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Randy "Macho King" Savage in a WWE
Championship Match in 1990
Almost a year later after the previous
confrontation, Savage and Hogan meet again, and the action we get to see inside
the ring is as energetic as ever. Sure, we know their routines and we sure know
their signature moves, but the shows they put on time and time again are exactly
the kind of matches audiences and viewers used to love. Again, Hulk and Savage
deliver a fine battle that deserves its safe spot in this collection.
• Randy "Macho King" Savage & Queen Sherri vs.
Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire in a Mixed Tag Team Match in 1990
This is more
a goofy match than it is a serious battle, but it is fun to watch nonetheless.
The whole thing remains rather predictable throughout, but watching Sapphire
battling Queen Sherri turns out to be quite amusing. This is by far not the most
intriguing match of this collection, but it provides a light break from the more
traditional style of the previous matches.
• Randy "Macho King" Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior in a
Retirement Match in 1991
This 20-minute epic fight between Savage and the
Ultimate Warrior is easily one my favorite matches on this three-disc set. Not
only does Savage offer a darn solid show, but he also pulls off a whole series
of big, bold high-risk maneuvers, including a bunch of his impressive elbow
drops. The same goes for Warrior, whose expertise in the ring turns this matchup
into a wrestling extravaganza.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Jake "The
Snake" Roberts at This Tuesday in Texas in 1991
Clocking in at 6
minutes, this battle between Roberts and Savage is by far less surprising or
intense than its predecessors. I won't go as far and say it's a bad match, but
it lacks the intensity of the others. That said, both athletes still deliver a
well-coordinated show, but now that the standards have been set so high, it's
pretty tough to beat them.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ric Flair in a WWE
Championship Match in 1992
Disc Two ends with an 18-minute clash between
Savage and the legendary Ric Flair. Flair's hair and Savage's costume make for
enough first-class entertainment value already, but watching them face off in
front of a huge crowd at WrestleMania VIII is quite an exhilarating experience.
Much like Savage's match against the Ultimate Warrior, this title match is
stuffed with a variety of maneuvers and holds, qualifying as yet another classic
wrestling match that belongs onto this set.
Disc Three
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs.
Shawn Michaels in a WWE Championship Match in 1992
The Macho Man runs into
the Heartbreal Kid in this 16-minute title match, and the two wrestlers give
their audience in England quite the show. Savage and Michaels both deliver a
technically clean fight, pulling a series of impressive maneuvers that keep the
matchup flowing at a high pace.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage & Bret Hart vs. Ric
Flair & Shawn Michaels in 1992
To be honest, not much can go wrong if
you've got four great wrestlers competing in one ring at the same time (unless
WWE writers screw up big time, of course), and this intense tag team battle is
yet another fabulous pick for this selection of Savage highlights. Flair and
Michaels may be in on more team action than their opponents, but each of these
athletes gives his best via a selection of powerful moves.
• Yokozuna vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage on Raw in
1994
Considering the big difference in weight between Savage and Yokozuna,
this is a silly match one should take even less seriously than others. Still,
both athletes work together quite well for 9 whole minutes, and even though this
battle isn't as fast-paced, it's nonetheless quite enjoyable to watch. It's by
no means a waste of time.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ric Flair in a Lifeguard
Match in 1995
The last four matches on this disc briefly highlight
Savage's career at WCW. In this first battle, he goes head to head with Ric
Flair in a Lifeguard Match. It works just the same as a Lumberjack Match, only
the action takes place on the beach at WCW's Bash at the Beach. With
wrestlers placed all around the ring, of course, Savage doesn't have any
opportunities to play his defensive game and take a break by leaving the squared
arena. Consequently, this 14-minute battle remains intense from start to finish.
It's not as great as Savage's earlier encounter with Flair, but it's certainly
not among the worst matches.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ric Flair in a WCW
Championship Match in 1996
Savage and Ric Flair meet once again, but to be
honest, this title match is not necessarily that special. Clocking in at 8
minutes, it's rather short and seems quite insignificant as well. That's really
all I have to say about it.
• Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page in a
Falls Count Anywhere Match in 1997
DDP and Savage in a Falls Count
Anywhere Match? Count me in! Indeed, this 17-minute battle travels all around
the arena, with Savage and Page delivering kicks and blows mostly while they
take the action outside the ring. As soon as they get the action back into the
ring, however, they both offer us a showcase of their best signature moves, and
to be honest, it's darn entertaining to watch.
• Kevin Nash & Sting vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage
& Sid Vicious at Bash at the Beach in 1999
Luckily, this collection
goes out with a blast. This final 12-minute tag team match really delivers the
goods, as four of WCW's greatest go head to head in a rare and exciting tag team
match for the main title.
WWE: Macho Madness—The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection also
includes a bunch of extras diehard Savage fans will certainly appreciate.
Besides several vignettes such as Savage's wedding to Elizabeth or the
coronation of Macho King, the special features on these three discs also include
plenty of hilarious interviews that serve as a refreshing encore.
All the matches are presented in full frame, and the quality of picture and
sound work just fine. Older matches obviously don't look as great as more recent
ones, but that's no big deal, really.
With WWE: Macho Madness—The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection,
WWE has released yet another fantastic three-disc set.Nearly all of these
matches are incredibly entertaining, and the selection does great justice to the
vibrant career of Randy Savage. If you're looking to boost your wrestling DVD
collection, don't miss out on this one. It's a must-have!
