Success Is Not An Accident

Let's start with entrance music, 'Pomp and Circumstance.' Otherwise known as the graduation song, a theme which exudes prestige and achievement. He approached the ring wearing a colorful sequin robe, and this music blasting throughout the entire arena. His hilarious promos coupled with his outrageous character, and unique appearance, were enhanced by his superior technical wrestling ability. He was the 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. This article is a tribute to him, and the role he played in my life.

As stated in WWE home video, 'Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story.' Former professional wrestler, Angelo Poffo, regularly quoted the title of this article to his two sons; 'The Genius' Lanny Poffo, and the 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. The documentary chronicles the life and times of Randy Savage. It was recently revealed that Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, class of 2015. 000OOOooohhh YYYeeeaaahhh!!!

The documentary is narrated primarily by his brother, Lanny Poffo, and his mother, Judy Poffo. However, several wrestling legends and superstars also join in and share personal recounts with the 'Macho Man.' These never heard before stories from Randy's childhood, and pro wrestling career, are riveting.

As described in the documentary, Randy was a meticulous perfectionist, and the DVD is as detail-oriented as Randy is claimed to have been. The documentary covers Randy's passion for baseball and his 3-year stint in the minor league. It also provides a comprehensive review of Randy's pro wrestling career.

If you are a fan of pop culture like I am, then you will certainly take away from Randy's vintage appeal. You don't have to be a fan of pro wrestling to enjoy the Randy Savage story. I watched the video with family members and friends who aren't fans, and by the end of the video, they were all quoting Randy's famous catch phrases.

Currently, the video is unavailable on the WWE Network. The DVD is available in standard or blu-ray format, and comes in your choice of a 2, 3, or 6-disc special edition set. The documentary runs roughly 1 hour and 34 minutes. I purchased my copy using Amazon instant video, which too is an option. On a scale of 1 - 10, I rate this video a 10/10.

In my childhood, I accumulated a lot of toys. Over the years, my mother gave most of them away. However I recently found a few she set aside as keepsakes. Macho Man was one of my heroes growing up. As seen pictured above, he was also my 'wrestling buddy.' Upon hearing news of his induction to the WWE Hall of Fame, I began to recall distinct macho memories from my youth.

Throughout the 80's and 90's my uncle owned a chain of video stores. My dad used to take my older brother and I there, and we used to race to my uncle's 'Sports and Special Interests' section. There, we'd search various VHS cassettes for the latest 'WWF Coliseum Video.' Macho Man was on the cover of most of them.

My uncle often got tickets to live wrestling events, whenever WWE came into town. This may have had something to do with his relationship with Coliseum Video retailers. May not have. Whatever the reason was, this was way before Monday Night RAW, and the monthly PPV events. The novelty of attending a live wrestling show in those days was much more of an epic occasion, and sometimes, my uncle would take us.

The truth is, my entire family was into wrestling back then. But my older brother, cousin, and I were the biggest fans. When we heard that my uncle scored tickets to watch WrestleMania V being broadcast closed circuit, we erupted in electrifying elation. The main event was billed, 'The Mega Powers Explode.' It was a title match between current WWF World Heavyweight Champion, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage and 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan. At the time, none of my friends on the playground really knew who they wanted to win the match. But I did, I wanted Savage to pin Hogan, 1-2-3.

What I didn't know was that my uncle only had 3 tickets to watch WrestleMania V at the University of Maryland's, 'Cole Field House.' I was 7 years old when my electrifying excitement pulled to an immediate screeching halt. Time stood still as I was told, 'Sorry Raj, but you're not going.'

I felt like I was watching my brother and cousin celebrate in slow motion. I felt myself turning a little cold as I watched them cheer in their happiness. As they shared jumping high-fives with huge smiles on their faces, my eyebrows dropped, and face began to frown. Destroyed by the news, I did what I did best back then, I started to cry. However, crying was restricted in my household, and macho madness ensued...

After they left, I got back up, and decided to order the PPV at home on my own. I thought, 'the Macho Man doesn't need Hulk Hogan or Miss Elizabeth, and I don't need them either.' I used my brute strength to pick up my parent's yellow pages, and I had a seat in the kitchen. I placed the old bulky copy on my lap, and started cold-calling away on my parent's touch-tone phone. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't order the PPV. We didn't even have cable back then, so my attempts were futile to begin with. Next, there was no way I was getting permission to use my parent's credit card. What was I thinking? I was trying any and everything possible to not have a can of whoop-ass opened up on me for crying. So I went towards my pain and sadness seeking hope. It worked. In doing so, I stopped crying.

I was wrapping up my last cold call of the day when my older brother and cousin got home. They were happy to spill the beans and tell me everything that happened in the PPV. This was before the internet, so the following day at school, I was the only kid with results from WrestleMania V. I conveniently left out details from my cry-baby fit, but sang like a canary when my classmates asked me what happened in the main event. I told everyone to wait until recess to find out who won the main event, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan. I enthusiastically told everyone the story on the playground animated, the same way my older brother and cousin told me.

Watching classic Randy Savage matches enlightened me to the unspoken benchmark, which he has set for Superstars today. A lot of Randy's moves are still in use, and his character's charisma has inspired many of today's most popular Superstars. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat at WrestleMania III still is arguably the greatest match of all time, 28 years later. Just let that soak in a little...

I'd like to think that the aura surrounding how a 'Macho Man' is supposed to act, is what encouraged me to stop crying on that unforgettable Sunday afternoon. April 2, 1989, WrestleMania V, 'The Mega Powers Explode!' To me, this is why Randy Savage is a legend. Then. Now. Forever.

R.I.P. Randy Mario Poffo A.K.A. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage

(November 15, 1952 - May 20, 2011)