Matt Bishop’s Mania Moments will take a look at the top 28 moments in WrestleMania history as we lead up to WrestleMania 28 on April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
No. 26 – Randy Savage and Elizabeth reunite
The event: WrestleMania VII
Where: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles
The moment: Randy Savage loses match, reunites with Miss Elizabeth
When WrestleMania VII rolled around in 1991, “Macho Man” Randy Savage had been a bad guy for more than two years after turning on Hulk Hogan prior to WrestleMania V. During that time, he dumped his long time manager Elizabeth in favor of Sensational Sherri and feuded with the likes of Hogan and Dusty Rhodes before getting involved with WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior. In fact, things got so heated between the two that, after Savage cost Warrior the title at Royal Rumble, the two men met in a match with both their careers on the line.
The two battled back-and-forth until Savage got Warrior in a prone position in the center of the ring. He went to the top rope and landed his patented flying elbow drop for the fifth time, the same one he used to win the WWF Championship with at WrestleMania IV. But instead of the referee hitting the mat three times, Warrior kicked out after two, much to the shock of Savage and Sherri and to the delight of the fans in attendance.
The two would give each other everything they had, each kicking out of each other’s finisher. Warrior would fire up, hit three big shoulder tackles and pin Savage with one foot on his chest, ending his career in the process.
This turn of events did not please Sherri, as she entered the ring to berate Savage for losing. Eventually, she attacked him. This would bring Elizabeth out from the stands, where she was watching the match, to run off Sherri. Once she was gone, Savage and Elizabeth stared each other down before tearfully embracing one another, bringing the crowd to its feet. Savage would put Elizabeth on his shoulder and walk around the ring.
The moment even got the best of legendary heel announcer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan for a bit, as he exclaimed, “Look around! Everybody behind us, in the whole ringside area, are crying!” He would go on to regain his credibility by calling Savage a “big softie” after he held the ropes open for Elizabeth.
Why it was important: This set Savage up on a run where he proposed to and married Elizabeth at SummerSlam, eventually got reinstated, and went on to win his second WWF Championship by defeating Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII.
This one truly stands the test of time and shows you how much real emotion could be had in professional wrestling. There just aren’t moments like this any more. People in the audience were legitimately crying. Kids and adults alike. How many times can you say that these days?
