Wrestlers Who Couldn't Stand Randy Savage

"Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of the most colorful, entertaining, and divisive wrestlers in the 1980s and '90s. The star — who was most often donned in big sunglasses, a colorful cowboy hat, and plenty of tassels on his ring jacket — wowed crowds in WWE and WCW, even when he turned to the dark side and joined the New World Order. Love him or hate him, Savage was a legendary figure in the wrestling world.

Born Randy Poffo, the future "Macho Man" went from a baseball career in various teams' farm systems, to breaking in to the wrestling business in 1973 during a baseball off-season. He was signed to WWE in June 1985 and his career took off almost instantly, with the star winning the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship in February 1986, with Miss Elizabeth, his real-life love, at his side as his manager. He won the World Heavyweight Championship in March 1988 and held on to the belt for a little over a year. At the time, he also wrestled alongside fellow legend Hulk Hogan as The Mega Powers, starred in a wrestling wedding to Miss Elizabeth, became the legendary face of Slim Jims for decades to come, and forged a legendary career in and out of the ring before making the jump to WCW in December 1994. This is where he effectively ended his career, outside of a brief return to wrestling in 2004.

"Macho Man" died in May 2011 at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack while driving near his home. Prior to his death, he had settled things with a few people he had heat with behind-the-scenes, but there were wrestlers and promoters alike who just didn't like "Macho Man" at the height of his success.

The legendary Andre the Giant apparently had an issue with Randy Savage for a simple, yet annoying, reason. Andre and Savage were peers for years within the wrestling industry, with both stars at the top of WWE's Rock 'n' Wrestling era in the '80s. Despite the fact they were two of the top stars in the company, the pair didn't just get along before Andre's passing in 1993.

According to Savage's brother, the late Lanny Poffo, Andre didn't like his brother because he would go out to the ring slathered in baby oil, which was the look of the body guys at the time in the company to highlight their physiques.

"The reason was, [imitating Andre] 'Baby oil' ... Randy's answer was, 'Yeah, your gimmick is being a giant. My gimmick is baby oil,'" Poffo explained during his interview. Poffo said he asked his brother why he wouldn't just make an exception for Andre and not use baby oil during their matches. Poffo said that Savage just told him, "F*** you." He said his brother never backed down from Andre, and for that reason, along with the baby oil, they never got along.

Andre the Giant's daughter had a different reason for why her father didn't like Savage, however. She explained that Andre had no tolerance for wrestlers who used steroids, and said Andre disliked Savage for that reason. Despite their differences, they pair met multiple times throughout the '80s and feuded over the WWE Championship in 1988.

Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage shook up the wrestling world when they teamed together as the Mega Powers. However, it seemed like Savage's paranoia, especially about his relationship with Miss Elizabeth, got in the way of their friendship. Elizabeth was Hogan's manager for a time, as well as her former husband's, and the pair even feuded over her affection as part of a storyline, but it apparently didn't sit well with "Macho Man." According to Hogan, the ill will started during a live event in Paris. 

Hogan said there were no steps by the ring at the show, and he helped Elizabeth by hoisting her up to the apron with his hands under her armpits. He said that Savage apparently took it the wrong way, thinking Hogan was touching his wife inappropriately. "The Hulkster" went on to describe a scene backstage, where the men apologized to each other.

In 2020, Hogan confirmed that he and Savage buried the hatchet before his passing. Hogan said the pair ran across each other at a doctor's office in Tampa, Florida, where he and his then-wife were sitting in a waiting room, when they heard Savage come through the door. Hogan said Savage greeted him and they started chatting. The legend confirmed that their interaction was around three or four months before Savage died. Hogan said they spoke on the phone a few times after, and he had invited Savage to a barbeque and the pair got back on track. Despite their on again, off again friendship, Hogan inducted Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame three years after his death, in January 2015.

Randy Savage is yet another person that had issues with former WWE executive Vince McMahon, and for a variety of reasons, though it may boil down to Savage betraying his former boss by leaving WWE and jumping to WCW following his contract expiring in 1994. McMahon went as far as addressing "WWE Raw" viewers publicly in November 1994, acknowledging Savage's absence and telling fans they weren't able to come to an agreement on his contract. McMahon ended the speech by thanking Savage for all he had done in the company, and wished him good luck. Savage would appear on WCW television a week later.

Things weren't as cut and dry behind-the-scenes as McMahon made it seem, however. Savage claimed he left WWE because McMahon wanted him to step into a full-time commentary role, which he wasn't ready to do as he didn't want to give up wrestling at the time. Savage believed that McMahon was going for younger wrestlers at the time to kick off a new generation, and all he wanted to do was be in the ring rather than announcing. WWE would parody Savage in their "Billionaire Ted" skits during the Monday Night Wars, but Savage laughed it off in interviews when asked about it.

One rumor that has circulated the internet for years is that Savage had a sexual relationship with a teenage Stephanie McMahon. While the rumor made the rounds after appearing on a message board, Savage's ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Bellars, revealed that Savage admitted everything to her while the pair were using ecstasy. Though she alluded to the relationship, Bellars never clarified what Savage told her.

Another wrestling legend who really disliked the "Macho Man" — to the point of not one, but two, serious real-life fist-fights — was Road Warrior Hawk. While they were kept away from each other on television, the pair fought for the first time at a NJPW show in 1996.

At the show, Savage was in gorilla, waiting to head out to the ring, and at Hawk's own admission, he appeared behind him and attacked his foe. Hawk said he beat the living hell out of Savage. While discussing the incident, Lanny Poffo explained that Hawk might have thought Savage was interested in his wife, which wasn't the case. Poffo said his brother was punched in the face by Hawk, but went right out to the ring to perform. After the match, Savage came back, attacked Hawk, and the two had to be separated.

Hawk and Savage fought again at a Kid Rock concert in Tampa, Florida. Hawk explained that he knew Savage was going to be at the show, and he told security to step in if the two got into a situation. Hawk said he tried to bury the hatchet with "Macho Man," who punched him in the face rather than shake his hand. Hawk pushed him against a wall, and the fight was swiftly broken up. Stephanie Bellars said that Savage came across Hawk at the concert, and the pair started brawling on-sight. She said she even got involved and threw cans at Hawk, then the Road Warrior member's wife stepped in. Bellars said security was around, but no one stopped the fight, even with the women involved.

After the brawl at the concert, Hawk sued Savage for injuring his wife, seriously impacting her hearing. The lawsuit went on for years, and ended only when Hawk died in October 2003. Savage and the Road Warrior never buried the hatchet.

Randy Savage dated and married following his divorce from Miss Elizabeth in 1992, but there was only ever one other woman he brought into the wrestling limelight with him. Stephanie Bellars met Savage while she was dancing at a popular strip club in Tampa, Florida. The pair began dating, and shortly after, she appeared alongsde him on WCW television in December 1998. Bellars made her debut as Savage's manager under the ring name Gorgeous George, even though there was already a famous wrestler who went by that name.

Bellars said that her venture into wrestling was due to her own jealousy, as Eric Bischoff wanted to put Savage with Torrie Wilson as his manager when he made his return to WCW in 1999. Bellars didn't trust Savage and threatened to break up with him, so he told her to step up her game, because she would be the one going on TV with him. The jealousy went both ways, however, and Savage was against letting his girlfriend do more in the company, worried he'd become the Marc Mero to Bellars' Sable, metaphorically. Bellars said that Savage didn't want her to learn how to wrestle because she could go off on her own if something happened between the pair.

Bellars was gone from WCW by October 1999, in part due to her tumultuous relationship with Savage and her inability to handle the lifestyle of being on the road. Shortly after, she decided to leave Savage and focus on raising her son. While Bellars may not have hated Savage in a traditional sense, their tumultuous relationship and his controlling nature may have hindered what could have been a longer career in professional wrestling.