Born Randy Poffo in Sarasota, FL, professional wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage actually began his athletic life as a minor league baseball player on teams including the Cardinals and the White Sox, then moved into wrestling alongside his brother Larry. He spent successive years working his way up through the ranks of various wrestling federations; Larry and Randy occasionally worked as a tag team, but also went head-to-head against one another from time to time, and indeed, Randy's first two big breaks materialized in the form of an ICW Title victory against Larry and a defeat of Jerry Lawler in the ring, which granted Savage the title of Southern Heavyweight Champion.
Savage attained greatest leverage, however, via his involvement in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the management of his late wife, "Miss" Elizabeth Hulette; in that venue, the wrestler racked up a series of defeats against opponents including Tito Santana, Lex Luger, Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, and others. After netting the WWF heavyweight title, he eventually left for the WCW amid a contractual dispute and won the heavyweight bout there as well. In that venue, Savage was particularly successful in the creation of the nWo (or New World Order in professional wrestling). Savage's various WCW opponents included Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, Bret Hart, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. One particularly memorable and colorful series of events involved Savage's ongoing battle-of-wills with Kevin Nash.
Unlike fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan (with whom he often jostled), Savage kept his distance from Hollywood for many years, but by the mid- to late 2000s moved into acting roles. These included a performance as Bone Saw McGraw in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), guest participation in the series Mad About You and Family Guy, and participation in season seven of VH1's reality series The Surreal Life, opposite Dabney Coleman, Carrot Top, and others. In 2008, Savage provided a voice for the family-friendly animated feature Bolt, alongside John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, and others. Savage died in a car accident in 2011.
