fbpx
Wrestling Headlines
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
    • HEADLINES
  • NEWS
    • WWE News, WWE Rumors and Spoilers
    • AEW News and Rumors
    • IMPACT Wrestling News and Rumors
    • ROH News and Rumors
    • NJPW News
    • MLW News
    • NWA Wrestling News
  • RESULTS
    • WWE Raw Results
    • WWE Smackdown Results
    • WWE NXT Results
    • WWE 205 Live Results
    • WWE PPV Results
    • WWE House Show Results
    • AEW Results
    • IMPACT Wrestling Results
    • IMPACT PPV Results
    • Ring of Honor Results
    • NJPW Results
    • MLW Wrestling Results
    • NWA Results
    • Lucha Underground Results
    • Indy Wrestling Results
  • COLUMNS
    • Hustle
    • Between The Flips & Fists
    • Sir Sam’s Court
    • The Brand Extension
    • Donovan’s Digest
    • El Gringo Loco
    • Tim Rose Jr
    • Imp’s Adventures
    • Doctor’s Orders
    • Cool Points
    • Column of the Month
    • LOP Hall Of Fame
  • PODCASTS
    • Imp’s LOP Radio Adventure
    • Kingdom of Honour
    • LOP Aftershock
    • All Night Long Wrestling Podcast
    • Quick and Painless Pro Wrestling Podcast
    • The Legacy Series
    • The Doc Says
  • FORUMS
  • CONTACT
Wrestling Headlines
No Result
View All Result

Home » COLUMNS » LOP Hall Of Fame » Wrestling Headlines Hall Of Fame 2021: “Macho King” Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, Wrestlemania VII

Wrestling Headlines Hall Of Fame 2021: “Macho King” Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, Wrestlemania VII

by J Cool
April 16, 2021
in LOP Hall Of Fame
A A
5
Savage at left, stands with his hands on his wrestling pants with referee Earl Hebner behind him pointing at the Ultimate Warrior whose arms are lifted up as he cries out to the sky.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Wrestlemania VII:
“Macho King” Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior

Inducted by JCool
Follow @JCoolWH

The first “Career-Ending Match” in Wrestlemania history.

Despite all of the criticisms that exist against the personal and professional reputation of the man we know as the Ultimate Warrior, much of that is set aside when his Wrestlemania VII match against Randy Savage is brought up. This match ranks in both wrestlers’ top 5 WWE matches of all-time; for Savage, it’s probably #2 after his match with Steamboat, and for Warrior, it’s #1 or #2, compared to his Mania VI match against Hogan.

Match Ratings

If we’re talking top matches in Wrestlemania history, with story, drama, emotion and the actual match being amongst the criteria, this one has got to be top 10.

Is this a bias point of view, having been a kid when this match happened, or does it hold up with other critics and fans? Here are a select few ratings from across the World Wide Web:

WWE: #15 on its list of the 35 best Wrestlemania matches
“The Doc” Chad Matthews, author of “The Wrestlemania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment”: 5 stars
WON (Dave Meltzer) rating: 4 ¼ stars
Cagematch.net: 8.45 rating, as voted on by their site visitors
WWORDuke of cagesideseats.com argued it would be worth re-evaluating as a six-star match
Geekiverse calls it “absolutely the top highlight of Wrestlemania VII, bar none”.

Honestly, there are many, many reviews of this match, all of them quite positive, owing praise to Savage for carrying Warrior, or expressing how emotional the post-match reunion between Savage and Miss Elizabeth was. The match happened during a time in WWE history where long-term booking was the norm, instead of the exception. It benefitted from not having to compete with short attention spans, cultivated by 6-8 hours of weekly TV and monthly PPV’s and special Network events. In 1991, wrestling fans didn’t have the access to reality TV, behind the scenes interviews and programs, and weekly spoilers. If the same match were to happen today, fans would already have the opportunity to know if a career was actually ending, and whose career was more likely to end. Heck, fans would probably have known Miss Elizabeth was coming back.

Why This Match Stands The Test of Time

The “career-ending” stipulation gave this match a gravitas that should have made it the ‘Mania main event, if not for the preference of Vince McMahon to try and capitalize on a Gulf War (US vs. Iraq) that ended months earlier than anticipated. For all of the recent criticisms of fans who think the WWE Championship should always be defended in the main event of the evening, I offer this match as the first legitimate non-title match where there is a general consensus it should have been last.

Savage vs. Warrior checks off all of the boxes for what pro wrestling is all about. There’s a clear cut good guy to cheer and bad guy to boo. Savage is accompanied by one of the most effective villainous valets in the business in Queen Sheri. The two wrestlers have legitimate storyline animosity stemming from Savage’s desire to return to the title picture he thought he rightfully deserved. He cost Warrior the championship only a few months prior at the Royal Rumble. There is a fresh stipulation and it affects both wrestlers evenly, not just one wrestler who might have to quit or leave if they lose.

A Storytelling Masterpiece

It’s also just a great match. Savage and Warrior wrestle at a slower pace that was fairly rare for Warrior because of the type of energy for which he was known. He was used to quicker matches, limited offense and not a whole lot of ring psychology. Savage could do it all and was a master in-ring performer, and that night, his job was to make Warrior look amazing. He and Sheri succeeded with that goal, so much so that Warrior withstood 5 of Savage’s patented top-rope elbow drops and still kicked out.

Nowadays, kicking out of finishers is the norm. A main event match doesn’t end without multiple near-falls after finishers. In 1991, finishing moves were exactly what they should be: moves that finished the match. Both Savage and Warrior kicked out of each other’s finishers, which stunned the crowd and enhanced the rising action in a unique way. Add to that the cutscenes of Miss Elizabeth in the crowd, watching the drama unfold, and there are multiple levels on which to enjoy this match.

Speaking of Miss Elizabeth, her reunion with Savage after the match was THE feel-good moment of Wrestlemania VII and, maybe even the decade. There were tears shed by many fans in attendance, and watching on pay-per-view that night, at the sight of WWE’s most famous and beloved couple returning to one another. And with that moment of Elizabeth rushing into the ring to stave off Sheri’s abusive berating, Savage had the opportunity to become a fan favourite again. All was forgiven of the Macho King, now that he had reunited with his queen.

So, it is my pleasure to induct this fine example of 1990s pro wrestling greatness into the WH/LOP Hall of Fame.

Wrestling Headlines.com welcomes Savage vs. Warrior, from Wrestlemania VII, into the Hall of Fame class of 2021.

Related Links: WWF: The Legacy Series – Wrestlemania VII

LOP Hall of Fame column archives

RECENT POSTS

WWE SmackDown Preview for Tonight: Big Title Unification Match, Hell In a Cell Build, More

Vince McMahon Reportedly Puts Penthouse Up For Sale

Big Update on WWE PLE Matches for Roman Reigns

Tickets On Sale Today For AEW Dynamite In Duluth, GA and Worcester, MA

Updated Card for Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary PPV

Nick Khan Taking Over Stephanie McMahon’s WWE Duties?, More Backstage Notes on McMahon’s Time Away

Previous Post

Wrestling Headlines Hall of Fame 2021: Harley Race

Next Post

WWE SmackDown Plans Changed?, Backstage News on Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

COLUMNS

AEW Dynamite Viewership and Key Demo Rating for Final Episode Before Winter Is Coming

Can’t Knock The Hustle: Jumping Ship (To WWE, To AEW & Everywhere In Between)

May 18, 2022
Credit: Muscle & Fitness

Can’t Knock The Hustle: Who The Next Wrestler-Turned-Actor Should Be (No, Not That Guy)

May 11, 2022
WWE WrestleMania Backlash Results 5/8/22

Can’t Knock The Hustle: WrestleMania Backlash 2022 Running Diary

May 8, 2022
Wrestling Headlines All-Time Fantasy Draft

Wrestling Headlines All-Time Fantasy Draft

May 6, 2022
Possible Spoiler for Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 Show

Can’t Knock The Hustle: NXT 2.0 Is A Failed Experiment

May 4, 2022
AEW and NJPW Supershow “Forbidden Door” Confirmed On Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, NJPW President Takami Ohbari Appears

Can’t Knock The Hustle: Matches That We Need At Forbidden Door

April 27, 2022

PODCASTS

ANLWP: The Week in AEW

ANLWP: The Week in AEW

April 18, 2022
WWE WrestleMania

WH Aftershock: WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 2

April 4, 2022
WWE WrestleMania

WH Aftershock: WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 1

April 2, 2022
AEW Dynamite Review

WH Radio AEW Dynamite Review – CM Punk To Become AEW Champion?

March 24, 2022
AEW Revolution

WH Aftershock: AEW Revolution 2022

March 6, 2022
WWE Royal Rumble

WH Aftershock WWE Royal Rumble 2022

January 29, 2022

HOME

Wrestling Headlines

ABOUT US

WrestlingHeadlines.com is your daily source for pro wrestling news headlines. Our coverage includes WWE, AEW, IMPACT, NJPW, ROH, MLW and more. Formerly Lords of Pain (LOP), we have been publishing WWE news and rumors since 1998! We are an independent news outlet and are not affiliated with any wrestling promotion.

FOLLOW US

Home | News | Results | Columns | Radio | Contact | Privacy Policy

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
    • HEADLINES
  • NEWS
    • WWE News, WWE Rumors and Spoilers
    • AEW News and Rumors
    • IMPACT Wrestling News and Rumors
    • ROH News and Rumors
    • NJPW News
    • MLW News
    • NWA Wrestling News
  • RESULTS
    • WWE Raw Results
    • WWE Smackdown Results
    • WWE NXT Results
    • WWE 205 Live Results
    • WWE PPV Results
    • WWE House Show Results
    • AEW Results
    • IMPACT Wrestling Results
    • IMPACT PPV Results
    • Ring of Honor Results
    • NJPW Results
    • MLW Wrestling Results
    • NWA Results
    • Lucha Underground Results
    • Indy Wrestling Results
  • COLUMNS
    • Hustle
    • Between The Flips & Fists
    • Sir Sam’s Court
    • The Brand Extension
    • Donovan’s Digest
    • El Gringo Loco
    • Tim Rose Jr
    • Imp’s Adventures
    • Doctor’s Orders
    • Cool Points
    • Column of the Month
    • LOP Hall Of Fame
  • PODCASTS
    • Imp’s LOP Radio Adventure
    • Kingdom of Honour
    • LOP Aftershock
    • All Night Long Wrestling Podcast
    • Quick and Painless Pro Wrestling Podcast
    • The Legacy Series
    • The Doc Says
  • FORUMS
  • CONTACT

Home | News | Results | Columns | Radio | Contact | Privacy Policy