Could Macho Man have been promoted bigger than Hogan?

[The Rick Jericho]

If he stayed in the WWF in 1994? Vince was deadset making him the "Babe Ruth" of the WWF. So say Hogan still leaves, Macho stays with the company all the way through the Attitude Era. And Hogan either never returns or still returns in 2002.

With the WWF machine behind him and his legacy not including the WCW. How much bigger of a big deal would they make Savage?

I could possibly see him challenging for #1 because he could hang with Austin and Rock during the attitude era. Honestly, the WWE would probably make him the greatest WWE superstar of all-time if he never left.

[rnrk supports BLM]

They needed the complete reimagining of their format and presentation that came with the Attitude Era to get anyone up to par with peak Hogan, IMO. I don't know if Savage could've lead that kind of reinvention, though he could've done well in that kind of setting.

I could see him with a role similar to Undertaker in the late '90s, where he was still a top name and a big part of the main event scene, but a step behind Austin and Rock as the hot young trailblazers headlining the new era.

[cornettesracket]

Jan 8, 2020 19:38:35 GMT -5 The Rick Jericho said:

If he stayed in the WWF in 1994? Vince was deadset making him the "Babe Ruth" of the WWF. So say Hogan still leaves, Macho stays with the company all the way through the Attitude Era. And Hogan either never returns or still returns in 2002.

With the WWF machine behind him and his legacy not including the WCW. How much bigger of a big deal would they make Savage?

I could possibly see him challenging for #1 because he could hang with Austin and Rock during the attitude era. Honestly, the WWE would probably make him the greatest WWE superstar of all-time if he never left.

Im just imagining the matches he'd have against HBK in 1996/97 and if he had the feud with HBK that he had with DDP in WCW(my favourite macho man feud in WCW) ? Oh man what could have been.

[BorneAgain]

Jan 8, 2020 19:45:04 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

They needed the complete reimagining of their format and presentation that came with the Attitude Era to get anyone up to par with peak Hogan, IMO. I don't know if Savage could've lead that kind of reinvention, though he could've done well in that kind of setting.

I could see him with a role similar to Undertaker in the late '90s, where he was still a top name and a big part of the main event scene, but a step behind Austin and Rock as the hot young trailblazers headlining the new era.

Agreed. Honestly I get the sense that Vince was keen on having Savage in the role of the legendary figure competing on very special occasions; Randy was not going to be put in the role of major star appearing week to week in the Raw era no matter how much he wanted to be.

[The Rick Jericho]

Jan 8, 2020 19:47:17 GMT -5 cornettesracket said:

Jan 8, 2020 19:38:35 GMT -5 The Rick Jericho said:

If he stayed in the WWF in 1994? Vince was deadset making him the "Babe Ruth" of the WWF. So say Hogan still leaves, Macho stays with the company all the way through the Attitude Era. And Hogan either never returns or still returns in 2002.

With the WWF machine behind him and his legacy not including the WCW. How much bigger of a big deal would they make Savage?

I could possibly see him challenging for #1 because he could hang with Austin and Rock during the attitude era. Honestly, the WWE would probably make him the greatest WWE superstar of all-time if he never left.

Im just imagining the matches he'd have against HBK in 1996/97 and if he had the feud with HBK that he had with DDP in WCW(my favourite macho man feud in WCW) ? Oh man what could have been.

In 1996/97 he would have the following feuds as:

Heel: Michaels, Hart, Austin, Shamrock, Sid, Undertaker, Del Wilkes, Marc Mero, Ahmed Johnson

Face: DX HBK, Mankind, Triple H, Rock, Jeff Jarrett, Brian Pillman (OH GOD WHAT COULD'VE BEEN), Goldust (Bring Liz into the feud with Marlena), Owen Hart, British Bulldog.

WWF 1996-97 would've been even better with Macho on the active roster.

[Wieners=$$$]

"Suck it, YEeahh! Dig it!"

Savage was still fire in '94, and could've been used to get over many of the New Generation's top stars.

Savage in '97 was still great, and could've been used to get many of the Attitude Era's top stars.

Savage in the Hogan role would have worked better in the New Generation, but it still would have been such a hard sell, when Vince was dead set on creating new, young talent at this time.

Watching OSW's WMX review, it was hard to hear that Vince blamed Macho for his match/feud against Crush(brah) ending on a botch. I would have loved to have seen Macho in '94 WWF than Piper in '94 WWF.

[auph10imitated]

Randy Savage still had what it takes, we saw it in WCW. All it would have taken was a heel turn at the right time and an image make over in timing with the changing times. If you think about it..

Savage staying seemed to indicate he would have some involvement in the Bret/Owen/Bulldog/Neidhart/Backlund feud. He saved Lex Luger from Bob Backlund in his final appearance and was teaming with Bret on House Shows against Owen & Neidhart.

He could have been an opponent for Backlund at Mania, but that wouldnt make a lot of sense as it wouldnt have done either any favours really where had he faced Owen at Mania not only would the match be great he could have put him over.

By mid 1995 they were crying out for heels, it would have been the perfect time to turn him heel. (although I would have turned Razor first)

Or you could have turned him heel in 1996 as an opponent for Shawn Michaels which is exactly what he wanted. Then by 1997 turning his look into nWo style Savage he would have fit right in the Attitide Era. He was negotiating to come back in late 1996 anyways.

[Ben Wyatt]

I've always considered his feud with DDP to be his last great work before time and injuries did him in. So, for the sake of this question, I'm going to use sometime in '98 as his cutoff.

If they committed to him as a wrestler, I could see a heel turn and a feud with Diesel over the title (which immediately makes Diesel's reign that much better), before moving on to feuds with any of Bret/HBK/Razor. It's hard off the top of my head to fill in from late in 96 until 98, but the end game, in my mind is Austin going over him as a final torch passing at Summerslam 98

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

The great thing about Randy's character is that it fit in well with the cartoony world of the 80s but also could be more realistic when necessary. For what seems like a one dimensional character, he had a lot of flexibility so he definitely could have continued being a Hogan-level star for a few more years. At the very least, he could have continued to be a huge attraction even if he wasn't in the title picture.

[Deleted]

Well, a big part of why he left is that he came up with a plan to work & put over HBK for the WWF title in 95-96. So we'd have had Savage as WWF champion if this reality had indeed been ours.

He probably woulda stepped back after that, playing a higher midcard role and maybe eventually sulking back into the 1994 role that forced him out (but he would've had those last few years to tide him over, and probably enough pro-WWF energy to be a big locker room part of them beating out WCW).

His role in the Monday Night Wars would've been interesting, as the WWF locker room apparently took it real hard when he walked out.

[The Thread Barbi]

Jan 8, 2020 20:25:17 GMT -5 Wieners=$$$ said:

"Suck it, YEeahh! Dig it!"

Savage was still fire in '94, and could've been used to get over many of the New Generation's top stars.

Savage in '97 was still great, and could've been used to get many of the Attitude Era's top stars.

Savage in the Hogan role would have worked better in the New Generation, but it still would have been such a hard sell, when Vince was dead set on creating new, young talent at this time.

Watching OSW's WMX review, it was hard to hear that Vince blamed Macho for his match/feud against Crush(brah) ending on a botch. I would have loved to have seen Macho in '94 WWF than Piper in '94 WWF.

On a side note, I didn't exactly see Bret and Shawn as "New Generation" in the mid-90s. Just tag guys starting to excel as singles who had been there as long as Savage.

[DiBiase is Good]

Jan 9, 2020 15:58:21 GMT -5 The Thread Barbi said:

Jan 8, 2020 20:25:17 GMT -5 Wieners=$$$ said:

"Suck it, YEeahh! Dig it!"

Savage was still fire in '94, and could've been used to get over many of the New Generation's top stars.

Savage in '97 was still great, and could've been used to get many of the Attitude Era's top stars.

Savage in the Hogan role would have worked better in the New Generation, but it still would have been such a hard sell, when Vince was dead set on creating new, young talent at this time.

Watching OSW's WMX review, it was hard to hear that Vince blamed Macho for his match/feud against Crush(brah) ending on a botch. I would have loved to have seen Macho in '94 WWF than Piper in '94 WWF.

On a side note, I didn't exactly see Bret and Shawn as "New Generation" in the mid-90s. Just tag guys starting to excel as singles who had been there as long as Savage.

I was just thinking about that last point, I think Bret was in the WWF a good year before Savage. I actually can’t off the top of my head name any “New Generation” worker who’d been continuously with the company longer than Bret

[Wieners=$$$]

Jan 9, 2020 16:16:46 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Jan 9, 2020 15:58:21 GMT -5 The Thread Barbi said:

On a side note, I didn't exactly see Bret and Shawn as "New Generation" in the mid-90s. Just tag guys starting to excel as singles who had been there as long as Savage.

I was just thinking about that last point, I think Bret was in the WWF a good year before Savage. I actually can’t off the top of my head name any “New Generation” worker who’d been continuously with the company longer than Bret

Bulldog?

EDIT: Yeah, he was on and off by then, nevermind.

[The Thread Barbi]

Jan 9, 2020 16:16:46 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Jan 9, 2020 15:58:21 GMT -5 The Thread Barbi said:

On a side note, I didn't exactly see Bret and Shawn as "New Generation" in the mid-90s. Just tag guys starting to excel as singles who had been there as long as Savage.

I was just thinking about that last point, I think Bret was in the WWF a good year before Savage. I actually can’t off the top of my head name any “New Generation” worker who’d been continuously with the company longer than Bret

Just had a look at the top stars of the 80s until new generation-

Savage - born 1952
Hogan - born 1953
Piper- born 1954
Bret - born 1957
Warrior - born 1959
Nash - born 1959
Scott Hall- born 1958
Shawn Michaels - born 1965
Yokozuna - born 1966

Given that most of them were born in the 50s, with Bret being Savage's junior by only 5 years, and oddly enough, two years senior to Warrior, who was seen as the anointed successor to Hogan, it's hard to buy into the marketing tagline of "New Generation ", and even more baffling as to Savage's treatment in that era.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Absolutely not. Nobody could have been.

[Zen411]

There is an interview between macho and vince right before wrestlemania x. Savage was wearing all black and no sunglasses. He had an intensity that hadn't been really seen since the Roberts feud. It was the right look and attitude that would have made him succeed in the next few years.

I think the neon cowboy look and commentator role made it hard to take him seriously. Vince was actively trying to discredit him as a wrestler and move on. I wish they had gone with the more serious and intense randy savage for longer. His experience would have been very valuable in those struggling years.

[hassanchop]

If Savage stayed to 96, could we see the return of the Ultimate Maniacs?