In 1994, the WWF and an emotional Vince McMahon bid farewell to hall-of-fame wrestler Randy Savage. On March 29, the Macho Man ends a 16-year estrangement from the wrestling circuit with his appearance in THQ’s WWE All-Stars.
Savage, by far the most requested performer in THQ’s wrestling titles, will be a featured character in WWE All-Stars, the over-the-top body-slamming arcade-action title. He last appeared in a WWF or WWE video game in 1994, in WWF Royal Rumble for the Genesis.
On November 7 of that year, he and McMahon, the WWF boss, had been unable to come to terms on a new contract, and Savage left for the competing WCW series. It was a total breakup. Except for a DVD highlight collection in 2005 that featured his past performances – hosted by others and without any commentary from Savage – he has not been featured in anything under a WWE/WWF brand between then and now.
It seems the two sides have patched up whatever rupture was caused by Savage’s defection to the WCW, under whose flag he last appeared in a video game in 2004. A line of WWE toys by Mattel will soon feature the Macho Man as well.
Wrestling fans have pined to see Savage in a video game for years, but evidently his presence in a WWE game was a nonstarter until now. With Savage back in the fold, THQ filmed this classic-style promo – evidently ad-libbed throughout with all of his catch phrases, just like the days when he was Intercontinental Champion, Mean Gene Okerlund was to his right with the mike, and Miss Elizabeth was on his left arm.
Leave a Reply