The issue of “Macho Man” Randy Savage not being part of the WWE Hall of Fame has been a contentious issue among wrestling fans for several years now, but that argument was put to rest on Monday night when WWE announced Savage for their 2015 Hall of Fame class.
Many thought the day would never come, as WrestleMania weekend went by, year after year, without any announcement of Randy Savage being inducted to the Hall. The WWE made their Hall of Fame induction ceremony a major part of WrestleMania weekend in 2004, and eight ceremonies happened during Savage’s lifetime without his induction.
Wrestling fans often blamed Vince McMahon for the exclusion of Savage from the Hall of Fame, and there is definitely something to be said for that. Dave Meltzer writes this week in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that McMahon could not even be approached about the Savage topic for several years. However, Randy Savage himself is also one of the reasons for the induction not happening during his lifetime, as he reportedly wouldn’t consider going into the Hall of Fame without his brother Lanny Poffo and father Angelo Poffo being inducted with him (which is how the WWE inducted the Von Erichs).
The turning point on the Randy Savage Hall of Fame debate came last year, when the WWE released a career retrospective DVD and Blu-ray with the cooperation of the Poffo family. Given the fact that McMahon had inducted several wrestlers that he formerly had bitter disagreements with (Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Ultimate Warrior) in the past, the video project created an opening for a possible induction of Savage.
McMahon was asked, point blank, by Steve Austin on the Steve Austin Show podcast whether or not Randy Savage would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, to which McMahon responded, “Absolutely.” McMahon did not give a time frame, however. Part of working out the arrangement came down to the Poffo family, and Meltzer notes this week in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Lanny (as well as Savage’s wife Barbara and mother Judy) decided the time was right for the induction this year. Lanny reportedly believes that Randy’s fans wanting the induction overrides Savage’s wish to not go into the Hall of Fame without his family, since the Macho Man’s fans created his stardom. McMahon, Meltzer notes, wanted to induct Randy, but he didn’t want to induct the rest of the family with him.
The decision to have Hulk Hogan induct Savage was made by Lanny Poffo. The Hogan announcement surprised many, as the two wrestler’s had a rocky relationship that was borderline hate at different times. According to Meltzer, Lanny picked Hogan because he believes that two men really loved each other. Hogan claims that he and Savage made amends before his death, and although Hogan has a tendency to exaggerate stories, this claim is believed by many.
[Image via WrestlingNews.co]