Normally I would give an introduction to "Macho Man" Randy Savage but there's nothing I can say about him that hasn't already been said about him to the point where WWE doesn't go out of their way to promote & acknowledge him yet he's still remembered as one of the biggest names in wrestling history despite that. Now based off reading other's reviews first, somethings need to be understood before thinking about purchasing this DVD. Randy Savage & WWE haven't been on good terms with each other in almost 15 years since he left for WCW (with the exception of one interview in WWE magazine back in 2003) so you can't expect Randy Savage to give commentary to his career on this set. Also anyone who knows how WWE operates when it comes to a DVD documentry, all you have to do is watch the DVD sets of Ultimate Warrior & Monday Night War to see that WWE will rewrite history to bury you if you aren't on good terms with the company so be happy they didn't do one here. Matt Striker & Maria host this DVD & eventhough they can get annoying at times, it's nice that those who were actual fans of Randy Savage & Elizabeth did this set as...again, knowing the situation between Savage & WWE...you shouldn't expect this DVD to get the Eddie Guerrero/Hulk Hogan treatment of superstars talking about their favorite Savage moments. You need to take all of this into concideration before even thinking about buying this DVD set..
Matches Include:
WWE Debut vs. Rick McGraw - This was Randy's debut match here that showcased how Savage just had that natural charisma that seperates a wrestler from a superstar as you saw a fan showcase just how much natural heat Savage had within' the first 5 mins.
("Prime Time Wrestling" July '85)
vs. Ricky Steamboat - This was more of a mini-preview of their future classic match at WrestleMania as this was past paced & both men worked well with each other.
("Boston Garden" Dec. '85)
vs. WWE Champion Hulk Hogan - As Striker would point out before the match, Savage was main eventing Madison Square Garden & engaged in a feud against the WWE Champion within' 6 months of this WWE career...that's saying something. The match itself was a short match & nothing special past the historical factor of where Savage's career was at that time.
("Madison Square Garden" Dec. '85)
vs. Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana - The beginning push to the top for the "Macho Man" as as you saw how good of a workers both Savage & Tito were at this time. Great solid wrestling match between two great workers.
("Boston Garden" Feb. '86)
[Also available on "History Of Intercontinental Championship"]
Intercontinental Championship Match vs. Bruno Sammartino - A short match that was nothing really special.
("Boston Garden" Jan. '87)
Intercontinental Championship Match vs. Ricky Steamboat - Let's be honest here, I can try to summerize this match but words wouldn't do it justice & what hasn't been said about this match that hasn't been said for over 20 years. This was the match that stole the show at WrestleMania III, this was the match that was an inspiration to so many wrestlers today like Chris Jericho, and is still known as one of the greatest matches of all time.
(WrestleMania III)
[Also available on "History Of Intercontinental Championship" & "WrestleMania III: Championship Edition"]
Randy Savage vs. Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man - This was the conclusion of the feud that turned Randy Savage babyface & actually formed the "Mega Powers" team with Hulk Hogan. This wasn't the wrestling quality that you got on their Saturday Night's Main Event match months earlier (which was on the SNME DVD) but was a very entertaining match between both men.
("The Main Event" Feb. '88)
WWE Championship Tournament Final vs. Ted DiBiase - Why it took so long for this historic match to come to DVD, I'll never know but anyways this was the finals of the first WWE Championship tournament. Andre The Giant was in Dibiase's corner while Savage had Elizabeth & later Hulk Hogan in his corner and this was one of those matches that was more about setting up future storylines & taking into concideration that Dibiase & Savage wrestled multiple matches before this one, this was still a good quality match between both men...so good that current WWE stars like the Matt & Jeff Hardy reference this match when talking about being wrestling fans as kids.
(WrestleMania IV)
WWE Championship/Steel Cage Match vs. Ted DiBiase - This was the better quality match between the two as they went out there & wrestled without the other involvement from those like Hogan & Andre. It wasn't a bloody violent cage match but still a good quality encounter...and watch out for the end when a fan completely unexpected got involved towards the end.
("Madison Square Garden" June '88)
w/Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant & Ted DiBiase - The first main event at the first SummerSlam...and for those trivia fans, the first of two times Jesse Ventura would be a special guest referee at SummerSlam. All four men worked well together here in what was a really fun tag team match here but this match is mostly remembered for what Ms. Elizabeth did that caused most fans to react the same way those in the ring did.
(SummerSlam '88)
WWE Championship Match vs. Hulk Hogan -This was subtitled as "The Mega Powers Explode." With the workhorse Randy Savage was and how Hogan knew what to do to get the crowd to react to everything he does made for awesome match with inring storytelling that you rarely see in Hogan's matches. Hulk would say later that this was one of the most hardest fought WWE Championship matches and for that era of wrestling, it was.
(WrestleMania V)
[Also available on "Hulk Hogan: Ultimate Anthology"]
vs. WWE Champion Hulk Hogan - This was the conclusion of their long feud between each other with the special referee being the then-boxing champion James "Buster" Douglas who was a last minute replacement for former champion Mike Tyson (boy, he really milked those 15 mins. of fame didn't he?). The match itself was similar to the Savage/Honky match in that he wasn't as great of match quality as their previous televised encounter (WM5 in this case) but was still an entertaining match between both men with Sherri showcasing why she was the perfect compliment to the "Macho King" as Elizabeth was to the "Macho Man."
("The Main Event" Mar. '90)
w/Sherri vs. Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire - We all know how great of a inring workhouse Randy Savage was throughout his career but this match was more about showcasing his "entertaining side" as this was one of those matches that if you took it for what it was, you'll enjoy it. This was a fun mixed tag match with some very comical moments but also a solid inring performance from both Dusty & Savage.
(WrestleMania VI)
[Also available on "The American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story"]
Retirement Match vs. Ultimate Warrior - Without a doubt, Ultimate Warrior's greatest opposition was always Randy Savage & this match is the perfect example as he gave Warrior one of the greatest matches (if not THE greatest match) in his career. This was back in the day when wrestling was still "kayfabe" so you were on the edge of your seat for over 20 mins. not knowing who was going to leave since you really couldn't see either guy away from WWE at that time. The match itself is ine of the top quality matches on this set & in both men's careers but the most memorable moment here is what happened afterwards that led to my personal favorite WrestleMania moment of all time to this day & one of the most emotional moments in wrestling history to the point where people forgot about the match that only happened minutes earlier and you saw the fans in the arena crying tears of joy.
(WrestleMania VII)
[Also available on "Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior"]
vs. Jake Roberts - This was a short match that was non-stop action & intense from start to finish but this was one of those matches that was more about "setting up a storyline" than inring quality here as the aftermath was more memorable than the match itself. Unfortunally, this DVD didn't show the most memorable moment of this encounter of Jake Roberts slapping Elizabeth across the face which made this come off as a dud to me & their match from Saturday Night's Main Event months later would have been a better choice here.
(This Tuesday in Texas '91)
vs. WWE Champion Ric Flair - Savage had a reputation for being one of the wildest men in wrestling & this match was classic "Macho Man" Randy Savage in that regards as it was wild & non-stop action from start to finish & even after the bell. They fought in the ring, out the ring, Flair heavily bleeding and Mr. Perfect, Ms. Elizabeth, and tons of the WWE backstage officials getting involved here with an ending that really made you ask "Who's REALLY the dirtiest player in the game?" in this classic match.
(WrestleMania VIII)
WWE Championship Match vs. Shawn Michaels - This was a rare match back when Shawn Michaels was just a few months into his singles run but by watching the quality performance here, you would think this was the "Showstopper, Icon, Main Event" Shawn Michaels he would later be known for. They two vibed off each other well here in a very competitve match that went close to 20 mins. with both Elizabeth & Sherri getting into the action at one point or another. Makes you wonder why they didn't more with each other after this as this was a lost classic in my eyes & one of the best matches on this set.
("European Rampage" Apr. '92)
w/Bret Hart vs.
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