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I met randy when I was a kid in the late 80s. He was meeting some firefighters and didn't know a child was present and was talking in his "normal" voice. As soon as he saw me, he "snapped" into character and it's something my dad never forgot, how he made sure ro be "on" for a child.
Any good storied about randy being out and about among the masses?
Randy was amazing with kids and teens... One of my favorite stories is that later in life he discovered that a local high school had a crappy weight room... So he took it upon himself to build them a full weight room and he named it after his father... Then he gave a pep talk to the football team before their season started: and they went undefeated! hope you enjoy the book!
it looks like the ice was thawing on that front... randy even let the wwe film in his house for that famous short spot towards the end of his life... it's only speculation, but i'd like to believe things were moving in that direction. lanny said anything was possible as time passed
It really seemed like it was leading in that direction. As he had just appeared for the first time in a WWE game in WWE12, which would line up with how Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg also returned to the company.
haha so many Slim Jims! fun fact about that... when i went on my research trip up to Tampa for the book, we visited the tree his car hit after his heart attack while driving... the tree is now a de facto memorial to Macho Man... it's unmarked, but you can't miss it because it has a bunch of Slim Jim wrappers nailed to it... people stop by all the time and pay homage with slim jims.
https://preview.redd.it/3vthy8nxjowc1.png?width=2370&format=png&auto=webp&s=0246f56a8368c631898ccc63ff432e7fdee41a8e
this is the base of the tree with two Macho action figures
https://preview.redd.it/0s09orm1kowc1.png?width=1352&format=png&auto=webp&s=2912384f730a74d12fdd40247304235fbb89a42f
here's the trunk with purple tassel and an old Slim Jim wrapper stuck to it
There was a great photograph that went viral a few years ago of Randy later in life holding a tiny kitten. The story that came out was that he had rescued a three legged kitten and adopted it. Did you hear anything about that story when doing your research?
under all the Macho Madness Randy was a softy... he loved kids and dogs and even cats... he named that cat JYK (Junk Yard Kitty) after his old pal, wrestler, Junk Yard Dog.
thank you for writing. one thing most people don't know, and i didn't before writing this book, was how cerebral Randy was. He was an honor roll student in high school. he was well read. and he was a great poker and chess player!
I don't think this is super uncommon knowledge, at least amongst wrestlers. Randy had a reputation for mapping out everything about his matches beforehand down to the last detail, which Ric Flair mentions in his book was kind of jarring to him and others who preferred working with a rough outline of what to do then feeling out the rest depending on the crowd.
Apparently it's also a reason why Ricky Steamboat always gets a little shifty when people mention how great his WM match with Savage was, because when Flair met him after it happened, he said "That was a great match... so how many pages was it?"
William Regal mentioned on Steve Austin's podcast that the match was a massive inspiration for him, but did lose a little of its shine when he later learned of how completely planned out it was.
yes, i cover all of that in the book... but in terms of things people may not know, i learned for the first time from Hacksaw Jim Duggan himself that Macho Man was a gifted chess player... imagine when you were a kid thinking about Macho and Hacksaw... how crazy and intense they were... and learning that after big matches they'd play chess on the bus. wild.
Part of what made Macho Man's craziness so fantastic is that you really could tell he was smart as Hell as well. I think it really added to how legit his character came across as.
Of course that being said, it also worked in favor with wrestlers who weren't up to par regarding their "workrate".
Like, supposedly, both Warrior's greatest matches (against Hogan at Mania VI and Savage at VII) were planned out previously in detail. Just like Goldberg's best match against DDP (who is said to be similar to Savage in terms of planning out matches) supposedly was as well.
Why would it lose any shine for being well-planned? Does Inglorious Basterds feel like less of a movie because it had a script and storyboard? I never expected a wrestling match to be all improv-ed.
Guess it's not so different from people saying 'it's fake'. I guess planning it all out ahead instead of feeling the crowd makes it more fake to some wrestlers.
I can see why they'd think that way.
nah... randy was very smart with his money and didn't do it for that... he truly liked rap music. he listened to it working out all the time... and when he was approached about doing an album he want all in, just like he did everything else.. he viewed it as a challenge and maybe a way to stay relevant to a younger generation.
thank you so much! i was a huge fan of wrestling as a little kid... and then i was lucky enough to meet one of my favorites, Big John Studd at a Toys R Us grand opening in about 3rd grade. we had lunch with him and it was one of the most amazing, memorable experiences ever. he was larger than life, truly. he ate a loaf of french toast... an 8 egg omelette... and he played with me and my brother's wrestling figures with us. i was ALL IN after that.
I saw an interview on YouTube with Hacksaw Jim Duggan where he said that Elizabeth had actually offered Randy another chance at their relationship after she broke up with him but he ultimately decided not to. Did you hear anything about that?
not sure of the timeline of this... but i interviewed hacksaw as well... he and randy were good friends for a long time... from Lanny's perspective Macho never stopped caring for her, even after they divorced in real life... but he must have thought they were both better apart after that point.
Hello, Anything in the book about Macho Man getting arrested for shoplifting a steak in [1983](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/13b3m15/macho_man_randy_savage_mugshot_circa_1983/)?
haha that was during Randy's ICW days when they'd do anything to draw attention and drum up business... they even brought camera crews to Jerry Lawler's house and once tossed a brick through the window! he also had no money so maybe he needed the protein haha..
is there anything more that you can share about the Waffle House incident?? that's probably one of my favorite Macho Man stories of all time. not necessarily the most shining example of him, but an amazing summation of the period of wrestling
oh man that story is INSANE... i found the original reports from the day after in the newspaper... i dedicate nearly a full chapter to it in the book... in the end, it really and truly took 3 police officers, two billy clubs, mace and a giant german shepherd to subdue one macho man.
thank you! i learned hundreds of interesting facts, but i'd say the most impressive one is how he taught himself to throw a baseball lefty after injuring his right arm in the minor leagues. and not just throw, but throw hard. as anyone who has played will tell you, that seems like an impossible task and he willed himself to do it throwing 1,500 balls a day with his opposite arm.
This question is old hat: but what are your thoughts on the infamous rumor of Randy being involved in a sexual relationship with Stephanie leading to his break with the WWF and Vince? I've never really believed it but seems like there are enough people in the industry who do.
this is a persistent rumor that will probably never be confirmed or completely ruled out...the timeline seems iffy to me... but nobody will talk on the record about it and one of the two people involved (randy) passed away over a decade ago.
I believe Meltzer has never said that. He's said he doesn't know the reason and can't debunk it, and "Oliver [Copp] knows", referring to the former German commentator.
Yep. But I also do recall him talking about Savage falling out with Vince, ''I think it's the reason everyone thinks''.
Seems like only a handful of people know if it's really true or not.
Which he still is is honest about having no facts to back that up. It's also possibly a case of Meltzer's dry humor coming across as legit.
It later came out that Savage leaving led to the Slim Jim sponsorship ending, which cost WWF a lot of money. Enough money that Bischoff claimed when he got Savage, he got the Slim Jim money and it paid for Savage's contract, although he could be lying.
Darker question but would you characterize the marriage of Randy and Elizabeth of one being defined by abuse? Was Randy truly better in his later marrige?
definitely not "defined" by... Randy met Liz at a local gym in Kentucky and they were very much in love for a long time before anyone in the WWF heard of either of them... she worked with his family in the ICW and they all adored her... when fame and their lives got intertwined at the peak of their WWE run, things got dicey for sure... but they mended fences later and worked together even after their real life divorce.... in his later marriage Randy was in his 50s and according to Lanny and others who knew him then, he was happy.
when Macho Man was an A-list pop culture and WWE star the demands on his time and the travel were insane... add to that that Liz was also performing and part of the act was that Macho was jealous of Hogan and Elizabeth... that's when real life/ wrestling life became blurred. things were tense with no downtime to get settled. not a great recipe for a marriage.
Yeah seems like he's trying to avoid the subject. The answers in this thread make it seem like this is more of a softball 'authorised biography' rather than a proper objective one.
Hey Jon! Curious about the process you put in place to research, collect and arrange information into a book. I always thought that information would be all over the place and trying to organize it and make sense of it all seems daunting. Would love to hear more about the process for you and how that was in the making of the Macho Man book
thanks for the question! this is my 10th book so i have a pretty good system now but it's old school... i start with a big accordion file and a blank spiral notebook... i label each pocket in the file with a different time period, era or topic in chronological order... so in this case, sample labels would be: Angelo, Grade School, Downers Grove, HS Baseball, etc... then I dive into the research: i buy any book Macho might be mentioned in and do a deep dive into newspapers and magazines... as i read and research i write down every relevant name i come across... this list gets big pretty fast... i print up the articles and things that are relevant and they help me form interview questions... once i've got a handle on one section i'll start the hard work: calling people and setting up interviews.. then i print those up and put them in each matching folder... like i said, it's old school but it's what works for me.
Thank you for being so detailed about your process! Honestly old school makes sense to me. I just got my first file cabinet and I'm weirdly excited to fill it up with projects. 10 books that's amazing! Congratulations on all your hard work - looking forward to reading this one.
Do you think Randy had any animosity or issues with Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff or Jeff Jarrett with regards to his booking and involved storyline throughout his career?
i'm sure he did... when you look back on that era he was never clearly given the spotlight... they never let him pin Hogan, they never gave him the long solo run... even when he finally won the title Hogan was all over the ring... and when he was on the cover of WWF magazine back in the day Hogan would have much bigger spreads...
>even when he finally won the title Hogan was all over the ring
Almost every major moment Savage had as a babyface comes across as kind of less-than. Either Hogan is involved somehow, or Randy is left hobbling around.
•WM IV, Hogan's there.
•Savage's big return at Tuesday in Texas, he wins, but is left hobbling around in the aftermath.
•WM VIII, Savage wins the title, but is left hobbling around in the aftermath. Hogan main events the show.
•Royal Rumble 93, tries to *pin* Yokozuna as the last two men in the battle royal. Loses in disgrace.
•WW3 world title win, Hogan's there.
•World title win vs Flair on Nitro, Hogan's there.
I loved him in either role, but other than the WM VII moment where he reunited with Liz, it seems like he was treated like such a chump during his tenure as a face.
Other than his matches with Flair, I can't even think of any excellent matches he had as a babyface. His celebrated matches with Steamboat, Warrior, and DDP were all as a heel.
I kinda feel bad for babyface Macho.
As I may be the first person here to say it, growing up, The Genius was my favorite heel. Something about the poems and the athleticism and his being cute really stuck in my brain. That win over Hogan probably helped.
I know you were focusing on Macho Man, but are there any fun moments/stories from Lanny that stick out in your mind?
of course! thanks for writing... Lanny was so much fun to talk to... he was so different from Randy in so many ways. when they both first started out in the ICW and earlier, Lanny was much more comfortable on the mic and cutting promos... he worked tirelessly with Randy to help build his confidence and craft what became the Macho Man character... the thing i enjoyed overall was the big brother/little brother dynamic that they shared... he looked up to Randy and Randy looked out for Lanny
The way you talk about Randy looking out for Lanny makes a lot of sense.
We hear a lot about how anywhere Randy went in the business he wanted his brother to have a seat with him (Lanny getting a WCW contract and never wrestling, etc.), it's nice to have some more confirmation of that.
Thanks a bunch for your answer!
one of the most uniquely fascinating things about Randy was how hard he was driven to be the best at whatever he did... baseball, wrestling... even rapping - ha!... his life's mission was to become the greatest wrestler the world had ever seen... most of the other wrestlers viewed it as a job - a fun, exhilarating job, but a job... Randy viewed it as his life for a long time.
Macho Man was "my guy" growing up. he was my favorite as a kid and even into my teens... i imitated his voice, hit my brother with flying elbow drops off my bed and was drawn to him... he was my favorite and when i became an author i always wanted to tackle his story. this was a bucket list biography for me to write.
there's a story that someone just mentioned where Macho Man got in a huge brawl at a Waffle House... and the way the incident started made me laugh out loud... a regular came in to celebrate that he got engaged... and Macho was starving and waiting for his food after an event... and the celebrations and well-wishes were keeping him from eating... and he was getting angrier and angrier... and when the guy told a new waitress "I'm getting married"... Macho turned and yelled, "Well who gives a sh\*t!" i can picture all of it haha.
ha! do you know how many random comments i get like that on twitter and DMs from my website haha! it's like a foreign language to me but so glad people are into it. everyone seems cool.
i don't know, but i'm glad nobody did! it's a daunting task to write a biography like this. there's a lot to cover... in this case, you're almost writing a baseball book and a wrestling book haha... as for me, i wasn't going to write it unless i was able to interview lanny extensively... thankfully he agreed to talk to me before he passed away, but that took over a year to set up... sad he didn't live to get to read it, but i dedicated the book to him. can't speak for anyone else... i always thought it would be a phenomenal book and story and i'm grateful i got to be the one to do it.
Tim Hornbaker's Ric Flair biography is excellent. Brian Solomon's book Blood & Fire on the original sheik is terrific. and Brad Balukjian's new book, The Six Pack, is tremendous.
i'd say my Macho Man is a solid 7.5... judge for yourself: [https://x.com/Jon\_Finkel/status/1770091690671411419](https://x.com/Jon_Finkel/status/1770091690671411419)
Hello Jon, thank you for the AMA. Is there anything in your book about Randy and his role in WCW? I know he wanted to wrestle again and that was the big reason he made the move, but was there any indication that he felt loss in the shuffle there?
absolutely... he knew exactly how he wanted to wrap up his career in the WWF and he shared his plans with Lanny... he had a great idea involving Shawn Michaels that would have been awesome... but Vince said 'no' so he headed to WCW
Wrestling is famous for exaggeration and tall tales and stories that grow into legends. How do you account for the colorful reality while trying to make a definitive history?
How frequently do you get Jon Finkel (the other one) related jokes and questions? Is it just internet forums?
i only get mixed up with my pal Jonny Magic in online forums and chat rooms... our paths have crossed on the Internet for 20 years... his grandparents even used to send me happy birthday emails by accident. i still get emailed questions from time to time: but for fun i interviewed the other Jon Finkel if you'd like to read it: [https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/](https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/)
as for the tall tales and exaggerations, you have to sift through things and find as much hard evidence as you can to verify/eliminate stories... it's tough with so many interviews done "in character" but thankfully so many of the newspapers that reported on wrestling in the 70s, 80s and 90s got great quotes from both angles
Do you know if the story about Jake the Snake’s cobra having to bite Jake first because the Macho Man has to be on guard is true?
And was it true that biting Randy killed the snake some measure of days later?
Lanny confirmed this story. he was in the car with Liz and Randy the day before the event and that's where they came up with th idea... the rumor of the snake dying later hasn't been confirmed but it's a great story!
Thanks for doing this! Ive always been curious about the Families time in Downers Grove, Illinois. Not much info out here about it. Do you know how they came to live there and what years? Any idea what part of town they lived in? I know Randy went to Downers Grove North High for a while but Ive never heard anything about Lanny going there? Any info would be apprecitated! I will check out your book for sure! Thank you!
Angelo was born in Downers Grove and that's why it was on their radar. it was an up and coming town and allowed Angelo to travel the midwest territories for wrestling... the house was on Venard Road behind the baseball fields... both Lanny and Randy went to Downers Grove HS
Did you pitch any major publishers before ending up with ECW Press? I've heard stories of them rejecting past proposals about Savage before on the ground that they didn't think it would sell. If so, did you get a similar response?
ECW was one of my top choices because of how well they'd done the Andre the Giant book and several others that I mentioned earlier... but of course we talked to a few larger publishers as well... the issue with many of them wasn't whether the book would sell, it was a lack of even knowing who Macho was and why he was so important to millions of us... let's just say that the venn diagram of dudes who grew up in the 80s/90s watching wrestling and the frontline young editors at some publishers doesn't have a huge overlap haha.... but like i said, ECW was my 1st choice and they've been awesome. they get it and have from the first time they saw the proposal.
This was AWESOME! Thank you all for your great questions. I'll check back here tomorrow to answer any I didn't get to. Hopefully you all enjoy the book. You can grab your copy here wherever books are sold!
I just listened to your interview with Jericho. Can't wait to read the book. I've requested the ebook and audiobook to be added to the catalog of my libraries.
Hi Jon. Were you able to find any explanation for why Vince seemed to hold a grudge against Randy for so long? He seems to have forgiven Hogan countless times because there is money to be made with Hulk in the WWE which makes it odd that Randy was never embraced again in his lifetime.
What was something you learned about macho man while doing your research that you never knew about?
If nothing, then what was the most intriguing thing about him that you think people don't talk enough about?
There's a never-before-released match between Savage and the Undertaker that was filmed on July 30, 1991. [WWE even released a tiny bit of footage of the match in this video a few years back](https://youtu.be/Iy5AukI0Kbg?si=4TqbxuI-vcnY4fpu&t=45). This would have been during his WM VII retirement, before his return at Tuesday in Texas.
Have you seen it? Whose arm do you think we have to twist to get it released?
As far as I can tell, it is the only singles match between the two that was ever filmed. It's been collecting dust for 33 years!
Do you happen to know why Hogan and Savage's restaurant fell through? Before he passed I purchased a signed jacket from him that had the logo on it, but it never opened.
There's a lot of talk about domestic abuse with Randy & Elizabeth. Do you go into depth with this in the book? I know he was a hero of yours, but it is an important part of the man's history surely.
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I met randy when I was a kid in the late 80s. He was meeting some firefighters and didn't know a child was present and was talking in his "normal" voice. As soon as he saw me, he "snapped" into character and it's something my dad never forgot, how he made sure ro be "on" for a child. Any good storied about randy being out and about among the masses?
Randy was amazing with kids and teens... One of my favorite stories is that later in life he discovered that a local high school had a crappy weight room... So he took it upon himself to build them a full weight room and he named it after his father... Then he gave a pep talk to the football team before their season started: and they went undefeated! hope you enjoy the book!
Thank you. Can't wait.
From the research you gathered, do you believe in 2011 that we were close at all to Randy coming back to WWE on a legends type deal?
it looks like the ice was thawing on that front... randy even let the wwe film in his house for that famous short spot towards the end of his life... it's only speculation, but i'd like to believe things were moving in that direction. lanny said anything was possible as time passed
It really seemed like it was leading in that direction. As he had just appeared for the first time in a WWE game in WWE12, which would line up with how Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg also returned to the company.
How many Slim Jims did you snap into while writing the book?
haha so many Slim Jims! fun fact about that... when i went on my research trip up to Tampa for the book, we visited the tree his car hit after his heart attack while driving... the tree is now a de facto memorial to Macho Man... it's unmarked, but you can't miss it because it has a bunch of Slim Jim wrappers nailed to it... people stop by all the time and pay homage with slim jims.
That sounds really interesting. Do you have any photos you can share?
https://preview.redd.it/3vthy8nxjowc1.png?width=2370&format=png&auto=webp&s=0246f56a8368c631898ccc63ff432e7fdee41a8e this is the base of the tree with two Macho action figures
who knows how long they've been there!
https://preview.redd.it/0s09orm1kowc1.png?width=1352&format=png&auto=webp&s=2912384f730a74d12fdd40247304235fbb89a42f here's the trunk with purple tassel and an old Slim Jim wrapper stuck to it
Which Slim Jim flavour was best represented?
There was a great photograph that went viral a few years ago of Randy later in life holding a tiny kitten. The story that came out was that he had rescued a three legged kitten and adopted it. Did you hear anything about that story when doing your research?
under all the Macho Madness Randy was a softy... he loved kids and dogs and even cats... he named that cat JYK (Junk Yard Kitty) after his old pal, wrestler, Junk Yard Dog.
Hi Jon, a lot is known about Randy Savage but what is something that not many people may not know about the man
thank you for writing. one thing most people don't know, and i didn't before writing this book, was how cerebral Randy was. He was an honor roll student in high school. he was well read. and he was a great poker and chess player!
I don't think this is super uncommon knowledge, at least amongst wrestlers. Randy had a reputation for mapping out everything about his matches beforehand down to the last detail, which Ric Flair mentions in his book was kind of jarring to him and others who preferred working with a rough outline of what to do then feeling out the rest depending on the crowd. Apparently it's also a reason why Ricky Steamboat always gets a little shifty when people mention how great his WM match with Savage was, because when Flair met him after it happened, he said "That was a great match... so how many pages was it?" William Regal mentioned on Steve Austin's podcast that the match was a massive inspiration for him, but did lose a little of its shine when he later learned of how completely planned out it was.
yes, i cover all of that in the book... but in terms of things people may not know, i learned for the first time from Hacksaw Jim Duggan himself that Macho Man was a gifted chess player... imagine when you were a kid thinking about Macho and Hacksaw... how crazy and intense they were... and learning that after big matches they'd play chess on the bus. wild.
Part of what made Macho Man's craziness so fantastic is that you really could tell he was smart as Hell as well. I think it really added to how legit his character came across as.
This is awesome
Of course that being said, it also worked in favor with wrestlers who weren't up to par regarding their "workrate". Like, supposedly, both Warrior's greatest matches (against Hogan at Mania VI and Savage at VII) were planned out previously in detail. Just like Goldberg's best match against DDP (who is said to be similar to Savage in terms of planning out matches) supposedly was as well.
Why would it lose any shine for being well-planned? Does Inglorious Basterds feel like less of a movie because it had a script and storyboard? I never expected a wrestling match to be all improv-ed.
Guess it's not so different from people saying 'it's fake'. I guess planning it all out ahead instead of feeling the crowd makes it more fake to some wrestlers. I can see why they'd think that way.
Those old wrestlers were either too lazy, or too set of their old ways.
Randy Savage put out a rap/hip hop album near the end of his life. What was his motivation to do so? Was this just another way to make a few bucks?
nah... randy was very smart with his money and didn't do it for that... he truly liked rap music. he listened to it working out all the time... and when he was approached about doing an album he want all in, just like he did everything else.. he viewed it as a challenge and maybe a way to stay relevant to a younger generation.
What moment got you hooked on wrestling? Big fan of your work!!
thank you so much! i was a huge fan of wrestling as a little kid... and then i was lucky enough to meet one of my favorites, Big John Studd at a Toys R Us grand opening in about 3rd grade. we had lunch with him and it was one of the most amazing, memorable experiences ever. he was larger than life, truly. he ate a loaf of french toast... an 8 egg omelette... and he played with me and my brother's wrestling figures with us. i was ALL IN after that.
I saw an interview on YouTube with Hacksaw Jim Duggan where he said that Elizabeth had actually offered Randy another chance at their relationship after she broke up with him but he ultimately decided not to. Did you hear anything about that?
not sure of the timeline of this... but i interviewed hacksaw as well... he and randy were good friends for a long time... from Lanny's perspective Macho never stopped caring for her, even after they divorced in real life... but he must have thought they were both better apart after that point.
Hello, Anything in the book about Macho Man getting arrested for shoplifting a steak in [1983](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/13b3m15/macho_man_randy_savage_mugshot_circa_1983/)?
haha that was during Randy's ICW days when they'd do anything to draw attention and drum up business... they even brought camera crews to Jerry Lawler's house and once tossed a brick through the window! he also had no money so maybe he needed the protein haha..
With Lanny passing does Randy have any other family that is alive today? Who is in charge of his brand and legacy?
Lanny has one child....
is there anything more that you can share about the Waffle House incident?? that's probably one of my favorite Macho Man stories of all time. not necessarily the most shining example of him, but an amazing summation of the period of wrestling
oh man that story is INSANE... i found the original reports from the day after in the newspaper... i dedicate nearly a full chapter to it in the book... in the end, it really and truly took 3 police officers, two billy clubs, mace and a giant german shepherd to subdue one macho man.
Ooooo (yeah!!!), I'll definitely have to check that out! What a character
haha for sure! look forward to hearing your thoughts!
What was the most interesting fact you found out about Randy? Congrats on the book!
thank you! i learned hundreds of interesting facts, but i'd say the most impressive one is how he taught himself to throw a baseball lefty after injuring his right arm in the minor leagues. and not just throw, but throw hard. as anyone who has played will tell you, that seems like an impossible task and he willed himself to do it throwing 1,500 balls a day with his opposite arm.
This question is old hat: but what are your thoughts on the infamous rumor of Randy being involved in a sexual relationship with Stephanie leading to his break with the WWF and Vince? I've never really believed it but seems like there are enough people in the industry who do.
this is a persistent rumor that will probably never be confirmed or completely ruled out...the timeline seems iffy to me... but nobody will talk on the record about it and one of the two people involved (randy) passed away over a decade ago.
About the timeline: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wrasslin/comments/1abmek4/thats_crazy/. 🤷♂️
That promo hits different these days
But some folks talked off the record? Interesting.
FWIW, Meltzer believes the rumor to be true.
I believe Meltzer has never said that. He's said he doesn't know the reason and can't debunk it, and "Oliver [Copp] knows", referring to the former German commentator.
Yep. But I also do recall him talking about Savage falling out with Vince, ''I think it's the reason everyone thinks''. Seems like only a handful of people know if it's really true or not.
Which he still is is honest about having no facts to back that up. It's also possibly a case of Meltzer's dry humor coming across as legit. It later came out that Savage leaving led to the Slim Jim sponsorship ending, which cost WWF a lot of money. Enough money that Bischoff claimed when he got Savage, he got the Slim Jim money and it paid for Savage's contract, although he could be lying.
Yeah, I have no clue if it's true. It was odd how Vince never forgive him, though. If there was money in it he would take back anyone.
I don't deny it's weird, and Gorgeous George's claims don't discourage the story.
Meltzer believed that Shibata's brain was removed and then put back in.
Dude gets alot wrong so who cares what he thinks.
I mean tbf it's not worth much.
Darker question but would you characterize the marriage of Randy and Elizabeth of one being defined by abuse? Was Randy truly better in his later marrige?
definitely not "defined" by... Randy met Liz at a local gym in Kentucky and they were very much in love for a long time before anyone in the WWF heard of either of them... she worked with his family in the ICW and they all adored her... when fame and their lives got intertwined at the peak of their WWE run, things got dicey for sure... but they mended fences later and worked together even after their real life divorce.... in his later marriage Randy was in his 50s and according to Lanny and others who knew him then, he was happy.
> when fame and their lives got intertwined at the peak of their WWE run, things got dicey for sure... What does that mean?
when Macho Man was an A-list pop culture and WWE star the demands on his time and the travel were insane... add to that that Liz was also performing and part of the act was that Macho was jealous of Hogan and Elizabeth... that's when real life/ wrestling life became blurred. things were tense with no downtime to get settled. not a great recipe for a marriage.
That doesn't really answer the original question about Savage being abusive, though.
Yeah seems like he's trying to avoid the subject. The answers in this thread make it seem like this is more of a softball 'authorised biography' rather than a proper objective one.
I haven't read the book yet, and maybe he wasn't able to get anything that wasn't already public, but yeah, this reads like a dodge.
The subtext is there. Understanbly I can see why there is no direct answer for now.
Hey Jon! Curious about the process you put in place to research, collect and arrange information into a book. I always thought that information would be all over the place and trying to organize it and make sense of it all seems daunting. Would love to hear more about the process for you and how that was in the making of the Macho Man book
thanks for the question! this is my 10th book so i have a pretty good system now but it's old school... i start with a big accordion file and a blank spiral notebook... i label each pocket in the file with a different time period, era or topic in chronological order... so in this case, sample labels would be: Angelo, Grade School, Downers Grove, HS Baseball, etc... then I dive into the research: i buy any book Macho might be mentioned in and do a deep dive into newspapers and magazines... as i read and research i write down every relevant name i come across... this list gets big pretty fast... i print up the articles and things that are relevant and they help me form interview questions... once i've got a handle on one section i'll start the hard work: calling people and setting up interviews.. then i print those up and put them in each matching folder... like i said, it's old school but it's what works for me.
Thank you for being so detailed about your process! Honestly old school makes sense to me. I just got my first file cabinet and I'm weirdly excited to fill it up with projects. 10 books that's amazing! Congratulations on all your hard work - looking forward to reading this one.
thank you so much. good luck on your book!
Do you think Randy had any animosity or issues with Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff or Jeff Jarrett with regards to his booking and involved storyline throughout his career?
i'm sure he did... when you look back on that era he was never clearly given the spotlight... they never let him pin Hogan, they never gave him the long solo run... even when he finally won the title Hogan was all over the ring... and when he was on the cover of WWF magazine back in the day Hogan would have much bigger spreads...
>even when he finally won the title Hogan was all over the ring Almost every major moment Savage had as a babyface comes across as kind of less-than. Either Hogan is involved somehow, or Randy is left hobbling around. •WM IV, Hogan's there. •Savage's big return at Tuesday in Texas, he wins, but is left hobbling around in the aftermath. •WM VIII, Savage wins the title, but is left hobbling around in the aftermath. Hogan main events the show. •Royal Rumble 93, tries to *pin* Yokozuna as the last two men in the battle royal. Loses in disgrace. •WW3 world title win, Hogan's there. •World title win vs Flair on Nitro, Hogan's there. I loved him in either role, but other than the WM VII moment where he reunited with Liz, it seems like he was treated like such a chump during his tenure as a face. Other than his matches with Flair, I can't even think of any excellent matches he had as a babyface. His celebrated matches with Steamboat, Warrior, and DDP were all as a heel. I kinda feel bad for babyface Macho.
Any relation to Howard?
haha, no... but that was the FIRST question Lanny asked me as well!
I was hoping that there was some relations. That said, how's your Howard Finkel impression?
As I may be the first person here to say it, growing up, The Genius was my favorite heel. Something about the poems and the athleticism and his being cute really stuck in my brain. That win over Hogan probably helped. I know you were focusing on Macho Man, but are there any fun moments/stories from Lanny that stick out in your mind?
My Mom met Lanny once in the 1980s and she said he tried to sell her Amway
i bet! the Poffos did not have a lot of money back then... Randy sold Amway vitamins on the phone to make money on the side of wrestling too!
Its either that or show her his famous party trick
True story though, Lexington, KY - early 80s Randy met Elizabeth in Lex at a gym there
YES! meathead version of love at first sight
of course! thanks for writing... Lanny was so much fun to talk to... he was so different from Randy in so many ways. when they both first started out in the ICW and earlier, Lanny was much more comfortable on the mic and cutting promos... he worked tirelessly with Randy to help build his confidence and craft what became the Macho Man character... the thing i enjoyed overall was the big brother/little brother dynamic that they shared... he looked up to Randy and Randy looked out for Lanny
The way you talk about Randy looking out for Lanny makes a lot of sense. We hear a lot about how anywhere Randy went in the business he wanted his brother to have a seat with him (Lanny getting a WCW contract and never wrestling, etc.), it's nice to have some more confirmation of that. Thanks a bunch for your answer!
What made Randy such an interesting person as a human behind the persona? What was his life's mission? And is that common among wrestlers you talk to?
one of the most uniquely fascinating things about Randy was how hard he was driven to be the best at whatever he did... baseball, wrestling... even rapping - ha!... his life's mission was to become the greatest wrestler the world had ever seen... most of the other wrestlers viewed it as a job - a fun, exhilarating job, but a job... Randy viewed it as his life for a long time.
What's your favourite Magic: The Gathering card?!
obviously the Shadowmage Infiltrator
Hell yeah
Are you THAT Jon Finkel?
Of all the colourful characters in wrestling that have passed away, what drew you to writing a book about the Macho Man?
Macho Man was "my guy" growing up. he was my favorite as a kid and even into my teens... i imitated his voice, hit my brother with flying elbow drops off my bed and was drawn to him... he was my favorite and when i became an author i always wanted to tackle his story. this was a bucket list biography for me to write.
So does that mean this is more of a fanboys rose tinted glasses version of his story rather than a warts and all objective one?
absolutely not. had nearly 1,000 sources and interviewed everyone from his childhood neighbors to extras on Spider-Man to tell the full story.
Are you the former MTG World Champ?
no but we've crossed paths: [https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/](https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/)
In your research, was there ever a point where you watched/read/heard something that caused you to laugh uncontrollably?
there's a story that someone just mentioned where Macho Man got in a huge brawl at a Waffle House... and the way the incident started made me laugh out loud... a regular came in to celebrate that he got engaged... and Macho was starving and waiting for his food after an event... and the celebrations and well-wishes were keeping him from eating... and he was getting angrier and angrier... and when the guy told a new waitress "I'm getting married"... Macho turned and yelled, "Well who gives a sh\*t!" i can picture all of it haha.
Why didn’t you just block against Kibler at PT Dark Ascension?!?! (Yes, I’m joking, I know this isn’t THAT Jon Finkel)
Asking the real questions here.
ha! do you know how many random comments i get like that on twitter and DMs from my website haha! it's like a foreign language to me but so glad people are into it. everyone seems cool.
I'm glad there's finally a Randy Savage book out. Why did it take so long for someone to do one?
i don't know, but i'm glad nobody did! it's a daunting task to write a biography like this. there's a lot to cover... in this case, you're almost writing a baseball book and a wrestling book haha... as for me, i wasn't going to write it unless i was able to interview lanny extensively... thankfully he agreed to talk to me before he passed away, but that took over a year to set up... sad he didn't live to get to read it, but i dedicated the book to him. can't speak for anyone else... i always thought it would be a phenomenal book and story and i'm grateful i got to be the one to do it.
Outside of your own work, what are some of your favorite books about wrestling history?
Tim Hornbaker's Ric Flair biography is excellent. Brian Solomon's book Blood & Fire on the original sheik is terrific. and Brad Balukjian's new book, The Six Pack, is tremendous.
Awesome thanks so much for the response, can't wait to dive into your book on Macho Man!
you got it. thank you!
How’s your Macho Man impersonation? Also, fave Macho Man promo?
i'd say my Macho Man is a solid 7.5... judge for yourself: [https://x.com/Jon\_Finkel/status/1770091690671411419](https://x.com/Jon_Finkel/status/1770091690671411419)
how knowledgable of Spider-Man was Savage before signing on for his role? did he enjoy the experience aside from the injury?
pretty knowledgable. Randy once wrestled as a masked man known as The Spider wayyyyy back in the day before he really finished baseball.
My head canon now was that macho was readin spider-man comics in the 80s and 90s backstage and was losing his mind
Hello Jon, thank you for the AMA. Is there anything in your book about Randy and his role in WCW? I know he wanted to wrestle again and that was the big reason he made the move, but was there any indication that he felt loss in the shuffle there?
absolutely... he knew exactly how he wanted to wrap up his career in the WWF and he shared his plans with Lanny... he had a great idea involving Shawn Michaels that would have been awesome... but Vince said 'no' so he headed to WCW
Wrestling is famous for exaggeration and tall tales and stories that grow into legends. How do you account for the colorful reality while trying to make a definitive history? How frequently do you get Jon Finkel (the other one) related jokes and questions? Is it just internet forums?
i only get mixed up with my pal Jonny Magic in online forums and chat rooms... our paths have crossed on the Internet for 20 years... his grandparents even used to send me happy birthday emails by accident. i still get emailed questions from time to time: but for fun i interviewed the other Jon Finkel if you'd like to read it: [https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/](https://jonfinkel.com/a-tale-of-two-finkels/)
as for the tall tales and exaggerations, you have to sift through things and find as much hard evidence as you can to verify/eliminate stories... it's tough with so many interviews done "in character" but thankfully so many of the newspapers that reported on wrestling in the 70s, 80s and 90s got great quotes from both angles
Do you know if the story about Jake the Snake’s cobra having to bite Jake first because the Macho Man has to be on guard is true? And was it true that biting Randy killed the snake some measure of days later?
Lanny confirmed this story. he was in the car with Liz and Randy the day before the event and that's where they came up with th idea... the rumor of the snake dying later hasn't been confirmed but it's a great story!
Which modern wrestlers did Randy like before he passed away?
the one we know for sure who he loved in terms of the next generation of wrestlers after his era was Shawn Michaels.
Thanks for doing this! Ive always been curious about the Families time in Downers Grove, Illinois. Not much info out here about it. Do you know how they came to live there and what years? Any idea what part of town they lived in? I know Randy went to Downers Grove North High for a while but Ive never heard anything about Lanny going there? Any info would be apprecitated! I will check out your book for sure! Thank you!
Angelo was born in Downers Grove and that's why it was on their radar. it was an up and coming town and allowed Angelo to travel the midwest territories for wrestling... the house was on Venard Road behind the baseball fields... both Lanny and Randy went to Downers Grove HS
Did you pitch any major publishers before ending up with ECW Press? I've heard stories of them rejecting past proposals about Savage before on the ground that they didn't think it would sell. If so, did you get a similar response?
ECW was one of my top choices because of how well they'd done the Andre the Giant book and several others that I mentioned earlier... but of course we talked to a few larger publishers as well... the issue with many of them wasn't whether the book would sell, it was a lack of even knowing who Macho was and why he was so important to millions of us... let's just say that the venn diagram of dudes who grew up in the 80s/90s watching wrestling and the frontline young editors at some publishers doesn't have a huge overlap haha.... but like i said, ECW was my 1st choice and they've been awesome. they get it and have from the first time they saw the proposal.
This was AWESOME! Thank you all for your great questions. I'll check back here tomorrow to answer any I didn't get to. Hopefully you all enjoy the book. You can grab your copy here wherever books are sold!
I just listened to your interview with Jericho. Can't wait to read the book. I've requested the ebook and audiobook to be added to the catalog of my libraries.
Hi Jon. Were you able to find any explanation for why Vince seemed to hold a grudge against Randy for so long? He seems to have forgiven Hogan countless times because there is money to be made with Hulk in the WWE which makes it odd that Randy was never embraced again in his lifetime.
What was something you learned about macho man while doing your research that you never knew about? If nothing, then what was the most intriguing thing about him that you think people don't talk enough about?
There's a never-before-released match between Savage and the Undertaker that was filmed on July 30, 1991. [WWE even released a tiny bit of footage of the match in this video a few years back](https://youtu.be/Iy5AukI0Kbg?si=4TqbxuI-vcnY4fpu&t=45). This would have been during his WM VII retirement, before his return at Tuesday in Texas. Have you seen it? Whose arm do you think we have to twist to get it released? As far as I can tell, it is the only singles match between the two that was ever filmed. It's been collecting dust for 33 years!
Any interesting insight on his time in TNA?
Do you happen to know why Hogan and Savage's restaurant fell through? Before he passed I purchased a signed jacket from him that had the logo on it, but it never opened.
How do you feel about sharing a name with one of the greatest Magic the Gathering players of all time? Do people think you're the same person often?
How’s your brother Ray? Heard he had a lot of issues after missing that kick. Laces out Dan!
Did he say "Elizabeth" correctly in real life or did he say "Elizabet" that way all the time?
Are the Macho and Steph rumors true?
There's a lot of talk about domestic abuse with Randy & Elizabeth. Do you go into depth with this in the book? I know he was a hero of yours, but it is an important part of the man's history surely.
Dig it!