Randy Savage It is today one of the greatest wrestling legends. But once, like everyone (and as none) he was just a young dreamer (and controversial). The “male man” began his career in the early 1970s in the territories owned by the National Wrestling Alliance Under his real name, Randy Poffo, or also calling The Spider or Jim Pride.
► ICW vs. CWA
Ending the decade, next to his brother Lanny Poffo and his father Angelo Pooffo They presented the world International Championship Wrestling. A promoter today extinct (1978 – 1984) that It was considered “illegal” by not being affiliated with the aforementioned NWA and that also carried out events in direct competition with this.
The Poffo collided particularly with the continental affiliated Wrestling Association commanded by Jerry “The King” Lawlerwhich also operated in Kentucky, state where ICW was born, in addition to Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana and Arkansas. A battle that of both companies that led its two main stars to collide.
► Randy Savage vs. Jerry Lawler
To learn more details we are going to Ancient Lawler's statements a WWE.com.
“What happened was that Randy Savage, his brother Lanny Poffo and his father Angelo Poffo had the idea of starting a small promoter. When you are on the lowest step of the stairs, you usually think that the way of getting attention is to try to take advantage of those already established. Well, what Randy did and his group was to start throwing challenges. Randy Savage came out and said: 'I'm going to fight Jerry Lawler this Saturday night in Lexington!'. Of course, I was never going to be there. I didn't even know that was happening. Then, Randy went out to the ring and said: 'Can they believe this? Jerry Lawler is a coward! ' That was his philosophy to make a name. “
The member of the Hall of Fame of WWE Remember that Savage came to appear at home:
“I said something like: 'That is my house!' I sincerely thought that guy was crazy. So I kept silent, thinking that eventually he and his little group would disappear.
“But he had become so personal among us that we knew that was going to sell tickets. That was always our philosophy: 'Personal affairs sell tickets.' There were still many resentments, since we felt that they were competing and trying to get into our business, while these ICW boys only tried to survive and eat. The hatred between us had so much credibility in the eyes of the public that we did not even make too much promotion for our first fight. “
“Randy and I went to Lexington and almost exhausted the enclosure, something unthinkable at the RUPP Arena. We did it as if it were a real fight (Shoot), with an ICW referee and one of ours, I think Paul Morton, to be fair. After everything that had happened, I suppose I was somewhat worried if we could work together, but we never had problems. ”
“I have listened to many fighters later that Randy was very paranoid with his fighting and that he wanted to plan everything in advance. But with me it was never like that. It was intense but relaxed, very easy to work. I think we had very good struggles. He was so extravagant and entertaining, even as rude, that over time people began to support him. In those days, you listened to the public and you gave him what he wanted. Randy was 'hot' again, teaming with me. I always enjoyed working with him. As for intensity, he was one of the best, and people believed in him. ”
► Randy Savage vs. Bill Dundee
This dispute had as another of its protagonists the then fighter of Cwa Bill Dundee. This tells this Jim Cornette. It turns out that Dundee had the words “male man” in his meshes and a fighter named Candi Devine went to tell him to Randy Savage, who appeared with a group of friends at the American Fitness Center gym to address Dundeewho reacted like this:
Savage started calling Dundee. When Dundee saw that he was overcome in number, and thinking about what Randy Savage could do, he tried to calm the situation saying something like: 'Hey, wait. Let me save my backpack in the trunk … '. And that's when he took out his damn gun!. But then Savage grabbed her and hit her. He hit his head and broke his jaw.
This would be a version since Dundee himself shared another at the time:
«Randy ran and gave me a punched right in my eye. We were shooting on the ground like two old women, and then everything stopped. There was only Randy, but the other two were there, and they had their trucks parked in the hill with all the crew inside. So I thought that if I got into the back of my car, I would restore order ».
According to He took out his gun and pointed to Angelo Poffo and got both Randy and the others to calm down.
► What happened next?
Subsequently to this scene, The ICW was falling little by little. Remember it Jerry Lawler:
«I think the reality was that it was very, very difficult and very expensive to try to manage a small promoter like that, and they were about to break simply because they did not have enough money to move forward. So they called us and told us: 'What if we try to collaborate a little or at least have a great rivalry between our two companies?'«.
In 1984, International Championship Wrestling closed its doors and their goods passed to Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. Taking advantage that the public already knew the fierce rival An unforgettable confrontation with “The King” that catapulted him to stardom worldwide.
