10 Best Randy Savage WCW Matches

Today is May 2, so I'm sure if you're reading this today you're likely drinking a protein shake (or a delicious glass of Teremana Tequila) and planning on watching The Rundown in honour of The Rock, who turns a year older today.

Alternatively, perhaps you're going to make a citizen's arrest or eat an enemy's dog in honour of the late Ray Traylor, AKA The Big Boss Man, who was also born on this day.

Me, however, I'm looking back fondly on the WCW career of Randy Savage, who made his last appearance for the promotion on an episode of Thunder taped on May 2, 2000.

The Macho Man had been gone from WCW for some time due to creative differences, but made a one-off and totally bizarre return during a 41-man battle royal, then immediatley disappeared again to record a rap album and fight Peter Parker.

I'm a huge fan of Savage and, while his WWE golden years are untouchable, his WCW work is mostly compelling, too. Yes, even 1999 midlife crisis Macho Man, with his ludicrously inflated physique, leather pants and gaggle of girlfriends.

Some ex-WWE guys went to WCW during the Monday Night Wars to coast and cash a big paycheque at the expense of Ted Turner, but not Randy. He was a proper difference maker and, when motivated, was still capable of producing a great match.

Having been phased out and stuck behind a commentator's desk in his final WWE days, it felt like Savage had a point to prove and needed to show his former employer that there was still something left in the tank.

He did that many times and had several great matches for Eric Bischoff's organisation, the following ten of which are arguably (in no particular order) some of the best.

10. Vs. Bret Hart - Slamboree 1998

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The generally held belief is that Bret Hart's WCW run was a massive mismanaged disappointment.

On the whole, that's true, but people tend to overlook some of the better stuff he was in involved in. Like this match with Savage from 1998's Slamboree.

The Hitman hadn't been in the company long (so his soul was still intact) and enjoyed working with the Macho Man, so this was a spirited affair. The two had wrestled a couple of times previously in WWE, but never in the semi-main event of a pay-per-view, and this felt like a big time clash of strong personalities, helped by Roddy Piper being enlisted as special guest referee.

Bret and Randy were both older and more worn down than they had been when they met in the years before, and this relied more on brawling and theatrics than technical nous and finesse.

Hart controlled Savage by working the knee methodically, dictating the pace, while Macho Man - who was at this stage in the nWo Wolfpac and feuding with Hogan's black-and-white crew - valiantly battled through the pain and made select comebacks.

In the end it all, sadly and rather predictably, degenerated into the typical shenanigans that plagued WCW main events of the era, with Miss Elizabeth and Hogan getting involved, Bret decking Piper in the back of the head with brass knuckles and a weird DQ finish.

It's probably skippable if you're not a huge fan of either guy (and if you're not I'll have to ask some serious questions), but the bulk of the work is good and, even at half-speed, Randy Savage versus Bret Hart is something to savour.

9. Vs. Lex Luger - Nitro (December 4, 1995)

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Back to the early days of WCW Nitro now, when the show may have only clocked in at an hour in length but that didn't stop the company from putting on some major, pay-per-view worthy main events.

On the December 4, 1995 edition of the show, Savage defended his WCW World Heavyweight Title against Lex Luger, the winner to meet Sting and Ric Flair in a triple-threat match at Starrcade.

The Total Package was right in the middle of things at this point, acting the heel but still aligned with real-life best friend Sting in an interesting dynamic for the time. The rejuvenated Macho Man, on the other hand, was the champ and having a stellar run of matches that proved WWE may have been short-sighted in putting him out to pasture when they did.

This was another good one, as they got plenty of time and were able to tell their story, which mainly revolved around Savage working over Luger's shoulder, which Lex sold well.

It eventually spilled to the outside and, as both men were tiring, the ref was bumped, meaning Randy couldn't get the victory following his flying elbow.

Cue Ric Flair, then Hulk Hogan, then a disappointing disqualification. It was an ending you could see coming a mile away, but it (and the post-match) certainly worked for the storyline and helped add more tension to the simmering situation with Savage, Hogan, Luger and Sting.

WCW are probably the only company in the world which wouldn't book Luger and Sting versus The Megapowers on the back of the angle so, naturally, they didn't.

8. Vs. Ric Flair - Superbrawl 1996

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Always a winning combination, Randy Savage and Ric Flair met many times in WCW and the results were never less than enjoyable.

When the two squared off at 1996's Superbrawl, 'Mach was defending his WCW World Heavyweight Title inside a Steel Cage. Flair had Woman in his corner, while Savage had Miss Elizabeth in his.

The Nature Boy began proceedings by hitting on Liz and trying to goad Savage and then, just a couple of minutes into the match, took advantage of the No DQ rules by decking the referee for no apparent reason.

This was much more of a fight than most of their other matches from this era, as they took full advantage of their enclosure and the personal nature of the rivalry.

Flair dominated, wearing Savage down before Randy made his comeback and busted his opponent open. Flair bleeding in a cage match? I am as shocked as you are!

I'm also shocked by Slick Ric getting his backside out before being crotched on the top rope. It may be a blood feud for a major world title, but that doesn't mean we can't have some arse comedy, right?

After some more scrapping (and mooning), Liz shockingly betrayed her man and handed Flair a shoe, which he used to become a 13-time World Champion.

Ignore the lapse in logic of a high heel getting the job done after twenty minutes of the two men fighting and throwing each other into and off the cage, and just enjoy the work from two of the greatest to ever do it.

7. Vs. Sting - Spring Stampede 1998

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The Macho Man met WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting in the main event of 1998's Spring Stampede, as he looked to wrest the gold back into the camp of the New World Order.

This No Disqualification match was the first significant meeting between the two icons and, given the stakes, situation and where both men were in their careers, it was never going to be the out-and-out classic that it could have been years earlier.

Rather, this was a big, meandering brawl, but a good one that was carried by the star power of both men.

They went walkabout early, destroying the ranch set while the Stinger utilised the hay bales as a weapon - which, as Tony Schiavone rightly pointed out, can be very abrasive.

Savage took over after Sting missed a Stinger Splash and met the guardrail, bringing it back inside for a short while before the action again spilled to the ringside area. Randy resorted to dirty tactics, but couldn't get the job done and eventually bumped referee Charles Robinson.

From there, Liz got involved, a chair came into play, Hogan stuck his leather handbag of a face in the mix and, at the end of it all, it looked like the man in the face paint might walk away from it all with the title still in his possession after hitting a Scorpion Deathdrop.

It was not to be, though, Kevin Nash and his Jacknife Powerbomb intervening and ensuring that Savage walked away with the belt.

Regrettably, Randy picked up an injury in the bout and dropped the title to the Hulskter the very next night on Nitro.

6. Vs. The Giant - Nitro (December 18, 1995)

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One of the great things about Randy Savage was his versatility and ability to work with any opponent, regardless of size, gimmick or style.

That trait came in handy when the Macho Man clashed with The Giant in the WCW World Title main event of the December 18, 1995 Nitro.

Not only was Paul Wight so much bigger, he was also sorely lacking in experience, learning on the job as he went along. He'd been put straight into the title picture because of his look and, luckily, had a trusty ring general in Savage to show him the ropes.

Thankfully, they kept things simple, with every move and mannerism serving a purpose and helping to tell their story. It was good versus evil, brute force versus resilience, strength versus veteran instincts.

The Giant dominated with power moves and looked to have Savage beaten, but took a risk with a very athletic top rope splash and there was no water in the pool (so to speak).

Randy hit the big elbow, but the seven-footer emphatically kicked out - a rarity - and hit a huge dropkick. In a novel spot, Giant went to hit a suplex on the exposed floor, but Savage got caught up in the ropes and evaded it, the big man taking the brunt on his back.

The Chokeslam should have won it, but guess who decided to make his presence felt? I'll give you a clue; it rhymes with 'Bulk Logan'.

A cop-out finish, yes, but the match is surprisingly engaging and showed the potential of The Giant, who put on the best performance of his young career (thanks to Savage).

5. Vs. Diamond Dallas Page - Halloween Havoc 1997

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The high point of Randy Savage's WCW run was undoubtedly his programme with Diamond Dallas Page.

In DDP, Savage found not just someone who was beginning to catch fire and really get over, but a kindred spirit who likewise enjoyed mapping his matches out well in advance, right down to the tiniest details.

The perfectionist Savage had himself been doing that for years (much to the chagrin of some of his co-workers), so putting the two together meant that, at the very least, they'd be on the same page and know exactly where they were going out there.

Where they were going at Halloween Havoc '97 was a Las Vegas Sudden Death (Last Man Standing rules) match, which was billed as the co-main event.

There was no warming up here as they immediately started brawling on the floor, the intensity level rarely dropping for the duration of the contest. The action spilled into the crowd, then onto the stage where the two men did their best to wreck the spooky set, though neither could their opponent down for a ten count.

Back to ringside for more brawling, with Savage using the stairs to his advantage before commandeering a television camera, which backfired when Page booted it back into his face.

Liz and Kimberly got involved, DDP hit some sort of rudimentary version of a Style Clash, but missed a Diamond Cutter. He survived the ensuing flying elbows and hit the cutter proper, but the ref was down and an obviously fake Sting (it was Hogan behind the mask) came out and hit Dallas with his bat, finally putting him down for ten.

Though he lost, the match and performance elevated DDP in the eyes of the fans while simultaneously showing that Savage still had much to give as a featured performer.

4. Vs. Ric Flair - Nitro (June 17, 1996)

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Outside of his series with DDP, the best thing that Randy Savage probably did in WCW were his plethora of matches against old nemesis Ric Flair.

The two clashed many times in singles, tags and multi-man affairs, on both pay-per-view and, many times, free TV.

Lucky Monday Night War viewers because, when both were motivated, they could offer up a match on Nitro that was often the best thing on either show that week.

Such was the case on June 17, 1996 when the two had a wild and manic brawl.

Savage was ultra-intense here. Like, even more than usual, if you can imagine that, and he beat Flair from pillar to post to catering table, before drenching him in champagne in the frenetic early period.

He missed a big dive to the floor and hit the rail, though, giving the Dirtiest Player in the Game a reprieve and chance to work him over.

Again and again, Savage showed real fire and made his comebacks aggressively, while Flair gleefully bumped and flew around for him. The ref was knocked down, Savage hit a couple of big flying elbows and disposed of an interfering Chris Benoit, but ultimately feel to the Horsemen numbers game and Mongo's deadly Halliburton case.

You can't go wrong with any Flair/Savage Nitro match, but few could equal the energy and heat of this one.

3. w/Sting & Lex Luger Vs. The Outsiders - Bash At The Beach 1996

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Understandably overshadowed by the big reveal at the finish, the main event of the 1996 Bash at the Beach is still a grand match before Hulk Hogan saunters out and does the unthinkable.

The WCW trio of Savage, Luger and Sting were attempting to get rid of the supposedly invading Outsiders, who decided to start the match at a numerical disadvantage, with the promise of the mysterious 'third man' showing up at any moment.

Luckily for Hall and Nash, Luger got taken out early when a Stinger Splash went awry, evening the odds. This was also a clever piece of storytelling, as there was always the possibility that The Total Package was faking and that he was in fact the third man.

Now down to a standard tag match, the dynamic worked much better and Macho Man was the glue holding it all together, whether he was selling a beating or waiting on the apron for a hot tag.

The tension built and the heat grew until Randy came in and cleaned house, before a low blow put him down and Hogan came down to complete the business-changing turn. It made sense that Savage was the one that Hogan dropped the leg on, given their history.

The whole presentation of the formation of the nWo, from the build, to this match, to the post-match promo, was expertly done.

2. Vs. Ric Flair - The Great American Bash 1995

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A quite poor 1995 Great American Bash needed to be saved by Randy Savage and Ric Flair, who clashed in the headliner.

It had been a really weak show up to that point, with few highlights. Luckily, Macho Man and the Nature Boy had their working boots on and did their best to salvage the situation, despite their match not being for a title or having a strong storyline leading into it.

The only added flourish was Savage being accompanied by his dad, former wrestler and promoter Angelo Poffo, because the event coincided with Father's Day.

Well, these two stalwarts don't need much reason to put on a clinic and the combination of their styles is one that never gets old. They took the fans - who were hot for the match and giving favourable reactions to be both guys - on quite a ride.

The work is good (as you'd expect) with both guys doing their schtick, but the ending is odd, as Angelo's cane is stolen by Flair who uses it to clobber Savage for the pin.

And then there's...nothing. No wild post-match brawl or angle. The match and the show just kind of end.

Like I said, it's an odd way to end a major pay-per-view, but it's a dependable match if nothing else and a main event in any arena.

1. Vs. Diamond Dallas Page - The Great American Bash 1997

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Two years after the Flair match and Savage was main-eventing the Bash once again, though this time he was a villain and doing so against his dogged rival, Diamond Dallas Page.

DDP had scored an upset over Macho Man at the prior month's Spring Stampede (also worth seeking out), and Savage was out for revenge in this Falls Count Anywhere scrap.

As usual, the two men went at full tilt from the off, with Page jumping the rail and surprising Savage before the bell rang. He didn't hit the Diamond Cutter but did nail a big plancha and a series of clothesline, including a big one off the top.

Savage gains some control but, invariably, it breaks down into a big, old-fashioned brawl as they hit each other with everything they can get their hands on and destroy the set, as they were want to do.

From there its just chaos (or madness, since Savage is involved) as referees get piledriven and Scott Hall does a run-in, hitting the Outsider's Edge to give Randy the opportunity to hit the flying elbow (concussing Page in the process) and get his win back.

Another strong addition to their sterling series, Savage and Dallas did themselves proud when the spotlight was on them.