On Wrestlemania weekend, a look at baseball players in wrestling
By Sean Sylver
Classic
Macho Man Randy Savage
By my measure, the greatest combination of skill and charisma in wrestling history, the Macho Man (real name: Randy Poffo) spent time in the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox farm systems before becoming a world-famous grappler. A catcher by trade, Savage eventually moved to the outfield and fashioned himself into a fine power hitter, finding himself near the top of the Florida State League in homers and RBI in 1974.
Savage’s perfectionism and competitiveness in the ring have been well-documented. Well, how’s this – after suffering a severe injury to his throwing shoulder in a home plate collision, he spent an entire winter learning to throw with his other arm.
Thinking of that home plate collision, it’s terrifying to think of the Macho Man, who popularized the diving elbow drop as a finishing maneuver, tearing around the bases.