Why was Randy Savage so popular?

The news of Randy Mario Poffo’s passing today brought a lot of sadness to the wrestling world.

Randy Savage was better known to wrestling fans and fans of meet-in-stick form as “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

According to TMZ, Savage had a heart attack while driving with his wife Lynn Payne on Friday, May 20. He then lost control of his vehicle, veering across the concrete median into oncoming traffic and hitting a tree.

Why was Randy Savage so popular?

Randy Poffo began his career as a wrestler with his father and brother, and progressed across the southern states, hopping from one wrestling federation to the next.

Randy wasn’t given the name Randy Savage until he joined Georgia Championship Wrestling, where he was nicknamed by wrestling legend Ole Anderson.

In February 1986, Savage defeated Tito Santana for the Intercontinental title, kicking off a year-long reign.

Bruno Sammartino, George “The Animal” Steele, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts were among those who challenged him for the championship.

While these fights were beneficial to Savage’s career, it was the one in which he lost the belt that propelled him into the spotlight.

At WrestleMania III, Savage battled Ricky Steamboat in a match that has gone down in wrestling history as one of the best.