"Macho Man" Randy Savage

You know Randy Savavge played Bonsaw McGraw in Spider-Man - you also know that Bonesaw is ready. But did you know that one of his first identies in wrestling was a masked man known as "The Spider?" It all comes back around! In 1985, "Macho Man" Randy Savage fixed his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship, thus provoking a rivalry with then-champion Tito Santana. After Savage defeated Santana by a count-out (which did not warrant a title change), the "Macho Man" challenged him again in February 1986 at the legendary Boston Garden. But "Macho Man" made sure that he wouldn't be denied this time. He struck Santana with a foreign object out of the view of the referee, and Savage quickly rolled up a stunned Santana for the pin and the title. Macho Man Randy Savage was a forerunner of today's wrestlers: he was never really a good guy, but he was too popular to really be a complete villain, either; while Hulk Hogan was just flexing and grunting his way through interviews, Macho Man cut promos filled with a manic energy and won crowds over with the personality of a madman; and his moves were a mix of pure strength and high-flying acrobatics. Savage was so ahead of his time that a wrestler working today copying his gimmick fit in just fine. Mattel continues to do a superb job with their WWE figures. Savage is far more ripped on this figure than he ever was in real life - than anyone was in real life - but the body style suits him. When he was coming to the ring, Savage often dressed like a rainbow raped a cowboy, but his in-ring attire was fairly simple - just boots, pads and trunks. This is the classic look, too: yellow boots and orange trunks with white stars on the front and "Macho Man" written on the back. There's sports tape painted on his wrists and hands, and his big kneepads are separate rubber pieces that float over the knees. You could probably get them off with some work, but why would you? They're part of the look. Macho Man is packaged wearing a bandana and sunglasses, but those are removable. The likenes looks more like Randy's brother Lanny: the face is a little too long, not nearly square enough. Perhaps if his eyes were wilder, or his hair were stringier? It should also be pushed back off his forehead for maximum effect. OOooOOooooo yeah! The articulation is very good. Macho Man moves at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists and hands, torso, waist, hips, thighs, knees, boots and ankles. As always, we have to ask why the superhero figures can't move as well as this? The knees are double-hinged, suiting a guy who used several knee drops in his routine, but the elbows are only single hinges; since his finishing move was an elbow drop off the top rope, a deeper bend would have been appreciated. If we could add any one joint, it would be lateral shoulder movement: you know, so he could do a double axe handle. The figure comes with a softgoods T-shirt. It's actually a style that really existed back in the day: a purple shirt with black and white printing, showing Savage's reflection in his glasses, above the words "Macho Man." It closes with velcro in the back, so you don't have to try to wriggle it on over his head. The glasses fit into holes hidden by his hair, and the bandana - another real-life piece of merch - is molded pvc that sits on his head. I actually had one of those bandanas as a kid: it's orange, with purple "Macho Man" lettering all over it. We've got to ask, though: why no Intercontinental Championship belt? There's no belt more closely identified with the Macho Man, and no one wrestler more closely identified with the title. Jakks was never able to make a Randy Savage figure in their Classic Superstars line, which is why it was so exciting that Mattel got him for their WWE Legends. Unfortunately, this figure was subject to a bit of a death tax, since it was released right before he died. A long-awaited figure coupled with a sudden increase in demand? That's a recipe for scalper bait, right there! Macho Man is great if you can get him for retail, but he could be even better with the addition of one key accessory. -- 02/01/12

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