‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage was one of a kind

The death of one of the most famous pro wrestling stars of the 1980s and ’90s, Randy Mario Poffo — known worldwide as “Macho Man” Randy Savage — sent shock waves thorough the sports-entertainment world Friday.

Savage died in a car crash in Florida when he lost control of his vehicle. The Associated Press cited a Florida Highway Patrol report indicating Poffo’s Jeep went over a raised concrete median divider, crossed over the eastbound lanes and smashed head-on into a tree. Savage was 58 years old.

Savage’s brother and former WWE performer, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, told TMZ.com that Savage suffered a heart attack. An autopsy will be performed.

Savage’s wife, Barbara, suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital.

In the early to mid-1980s, super heavyweights like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant headlined the company.

But with his unique combination of in-ring skills, flamboyant garb, over-the-top charisma — and with his real-life wife at the time, the lovely “Miss Elizabeth,” by his side —- Savage was a breath of fresh air.

At a time when Hogan had a stranglehold on the WWE title in the ’80s, Savage rose to stardom quickly, winning the Intercontinental title in 1986, taking the mid-card championship to another level. He held the title for nearly 14 months, but his reign ended in his classic match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at WrestleMania III in 1987, where they stole the show with Hogan-Andre being the main event. Depending on fans’ taste, the match is still considered by some to be the best match in WWE history.

After Hogan dropped the belt in 1988 after a four-year reign, the company gave Savage the proverbial “ball,” winning the WWE Championship in a 14-man tournament at WrestleMania IV. Savage took advantage of the opportunity, as one report indicates that Savage held the title for 371 days, the sixth longest reign in WWE history. After Savage, no one held the title for longer than a year until John Cena 380-day run began in 2006. Savage’s reign ended when he dropped the title to Hogan in WrestleMania V.

Many credit Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels for paving the way for smaller guys getting more of an opportunity to gain main-event status in the WWE, but Savage may have been the standard-bearer after Hogan’s emergence.

Another factor in Savage’s success, like other all-time greats, is that he was able to portray the good-guy and bad-guy roles, and the late Elizabeth Hulette had a lot to do with that.

The chemistry between the two was so good, it couldn’t be taught. Between Savage’s charisma and Hulette’s facial expressions and classy, meek personality, they were an instant draw.

He began his WWE career, quickly turning off fans with his overjealous boyfriend gimmick. He would be a jerk to Hulette, not allowing her to speak in interviews and threatening any man who would look at her.

But during his babyface turn, his character began to treat Hulette with more respect, stop taking shortcuts to win and gained fans’ support, which led to Savage joining Hogan as the “Mega Powers.”

And speaking of art imitating life, who can forget their on-air wedding billed as “The Match Made in Heaven” at the “Summerslam” pay-per-view event in Madison Square Garden in 1991?

Even after his WWE run, despite sharing the stage with guys like Hogan, Ric Flair, Goldberg, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, Savage was one of the top stars in Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling when the company was on top of the Monday Night cable wars in the 1990s.

But what made Savage stand out most with fans was that no matter whether he was a babyface or heel, the one thing they could expect from “Macho Man” was the unexpected, which made him unique in his time — and a true legend.

With WrestleMania taking place in Miami next year, what better way to celebrate his life and career than inducting him into the WWE Hall of Fame? Ooooo yeah!

For fans who want to relive the great moments and memories of “Macho Madness,” the DVD set “The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection,” which chronicles Savage’s best matches, interviews and segments, is a nice pickup.

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