The Mega Powers
Encyclopedia
The Mega Powers were a tag team
in the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) and World Championship Wrestling
(WCW). The Mega Powers consisted of Hulk Hogan
, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
with Miss Elizabeth
(at the time Randy's wife, though portrayed on-screen as his girlfriend) as their valet
. As of today, two-thirds of the Mega Powers are deceased as both Elizabeth and Savage have died.
. Savage was in the middle of a fan favorite
turn when he sought to win the Intercontinental Championship
from The Honky Tonk Man
. When Savage hit his diving elbow drop finisher on Honky Tonk for the pin, The Hart Foundation
(who at the time were villains
, all three managed by Jimmy Hart
) came in and attacked Savage, getting Honky Tonk disqualified.
When Honky Tonk shoved Miss Elizabeth
, who was trying to stop them, she ran away to the backstage area; meanwhile, Honky completed his attempt to break his guitar over Savage's head. Shortly afterward, Elizabeth returned with Savage's former rival Hulk Hogan, at the time WWF Champion
, who came and saved Savage from the assault. Afterwards, Savage extended his hand in friendship to Hogan, who accepted and the three paraded around the ring with their hands adjoined. Their alliance solidified Savage's change into a fan favorite, which had been brewing for weeks as fan support grew for him. Later that night, Hogan stated that the combination of "Hulkamania" and "Macho Madness" may become the most powerful force in WWF history.
, after Hogan helped Savage win the WWF Championship in a 14-man tournament. The tournament was made after Hogan lost the belt to André the Giant
at The Main Event on February 5, 1988. Andre promptly sold the belt to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
, causing WWF President Jack Tunney
to strip André of the belt.
Hogan and André were both given byes in the first round of the tournament, fought to a double-disqualification in the quarterfinals. This had the side effect of giving Ted DiBiase a bye in the semifinals. Ultimately, Savage and DiBiase met in the final match of the tournament. The "Million Dollar Man" did all that he could to take out Savage (including the constant interference of André, who was acting as DiBiase's second for this match) but he couldn't keep him down. Savage eventually went to Elizabeth, whispering something to her. She ran backstage, as the fans were trying to figure out what was going on.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth reemerged with Hogan. André and DiBiase seemed shocked by the turn of events. Hogan got revenge on DiBiase by hitting him in the back with a steel chair while André had distracted the referee by preventing Savage from getting to the ropes while locked in DiBiase's Million Dollar Dream. Savage was able to hit his diving elbow drop finisher and got the three count. After the match, they celebrated as a group.
A few months later, with Hogan on leave of absence from the WWF and Savage feuding with DiBiase over the title. DiBiase and André attacked Savage during an interview segment, prompting Savage to challenge the two to a tag team match versus him and the partner of his choosing, which was accepted. Savage then revealed that his partner would be the returning Hogan. They let all wrestling fans know that they have become The Mega Powers and that they would meet André and DiBiase at SummerSlam
.
". Jesse "The Body" Ventura
, a longtime supporter of Savage's but a longtime adversary of Hogan's, served as referee for this match. The match didn't go as planned for the Mega Bucks. Elizabeth exposed her assets in skimpy panties after stripping off her skirt to the heels, resulting in the Mega Powers coming back to win the match. Ventura counted but stopped at two because he hesitated, so Savage forced the three-count.
for "extra inspiration." In the latter instance, Elizabeth's safety was endangered by Akeem and his allies, Slick
and The Big Boss Man
when Big Boss Man grabbed Elizabeth and placed her in handcuffs; before Big Boss Man could use his nightstick to strike Elizabeth, Savage ran out and made the save. While Savage showed concern for Elizabeth, he disregarded Hogan, who was still reeling from being attacked by Haku and Akeem.
At the 1988 Survivor Series
, Hogan and Savage captained a team that faced a five-member squad headed by Big Boss Man and Akeem (whom by now were being billed as the Twin Towers). Hogan and Savage eventually won the match (last eliminating Haku; Big Boss Man and Akeem had been counted out and disqualified, respectively); during the post-match posing, Hogan again began acting friendly toward Elizabeth, visibly annoying Savage. In a post-match interview, pro-heel
commentator Jesse Ventura interviewed Savage, playing up Savage's growing anger regarding Hogan's behavior toward Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth was not the only reason Hogan and Savage had issues with each other during their stint as a team. At the 1989 Royal Rumble
, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage in the Royal Rumble match when he went to put out Bad News Brown
(with whom Savage was having a concurrent feud). The two appeared to make amends at the behest of their manager, but Savage was clearly upset after the event (which was ultimately won by Big John Studd).
Things came to a full boil on NBC's prime-time special, The Main Event, when the two wrestled The Twin Towers. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring. Savage was thrown onto Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious. Hogan saw what happened and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. When Elizabeth was revived, she implored a distraught Hogan to return to the ring to help Savage, who had been left to fight the two gargantuans on his own for several minutes.
Hogan eventually called for the tag, but Savage, who was furious with being abandoned during the match, slapped Hogan in the face. After some choice words to a confused Hogan, he took his World Title belt, and stormed back to the locker room. Hulk Hogan defeated The Twin Towers by himself. After the match, Hogan went to check on Elizabeth. Macho Man was back there too, who was caught in mid-tirade yelling to Elizabeth that as world champion he was tired of taking a backseat to both Hogan and Elizabeth in the Mega Powers pecking order. Upon Hogan's arrival, Savage turned his frustration to him, accused Hogan of trying to steal Elizabeth from him, and manipulate the belt away from him. Hogan implored Elizabeth to try and talk some sense into him before Savage attacked him by hitting him in the face with the title belt, sealing the end to their partnership and beginning their feud.
, which Savage eventually accepted. Most of the leadup to the match involved two things: the first being Savage showing (heavily edited and out of context) footage to prove that Hogan "lusted after" Elizabeth, after which Hogan would respond by showing the footage in its proper context and with explanation; and the question of whose corner would Elizabeth be in. Elizabeth ultimately announced she would be in a neutral corner.
On April 2, 1989, Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, decided to settle the score at WrestleMania V
for the WWF Championship. Although Elizabeth was stationed in her "neutral corner" for the match, she was eventually ejected from ringside after too many complications were caused by her attempting to assist both men at different points in the match. After an even match between both, Hogan eventually prevailed after kicking out of a Savage's diving elbow drop before "hulking up" and executing the leg drop to become WWF Champion for the second time.
The two would continue their feud in the months following WrestleMania. Savage would replace Elizabeth with a new manager, Sensational Sherri
and align himself with Hogan's monsterous co-star from the movie No Holds Barred, Zeus
(actor Tom Lister, Jr. in-character as his movie character). This extension of the angle would culminate at SummerSlam
when Hogan and Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake
(with a return appearance by Elizabeth) would defeat Savage and Zeus in the main event, and a December 1989 cage match between the two teams during a pay-per-view event entitled No Holds Barred: The Match, The Movie.
Savage and Hogan would meet one last time for a WrestleMania V rematch on the February 23, 1990 edition The Main Event with Heavyweight Boxing Champion James "Buster" Douglas as the guest referee. Hogan would come out victorious yet again with Savage knocked out by Douglas post-match.
again in 1991 and reunite with Elizabeth. Since his career ended with Wrestlemania VII
, Savage became an announcer, and while he generally supported the Faces, he would make subtle potshots at Hogan. Later that year, Hogan was a guest on Paul Bearer
's Funeral Parlor interview segment. When Hogan was attacked by The Undertaker and Ric Flair
, Savage and Roddy Piper
saved Hogan from the beating. While this did not officially reunite the Mega Powers, they had (in storyline
) become amicable (if not friends) again.
Savage and Hogan both competed in the 1992 Royal Rumble, but in terms of storyline the two more or less did not cross paths for the rest of either wrestler's tenure with the company (Hogan left the WWF in 1993, Savage in 1994).
Hogan and Savage's real life friendship unraveled in 1992 when Elizabeth filed for divorce against Savage. In an interview with Radio WWF in 1993, Savage discussed the divorce, openly blaming Hogan and his wife for turning Elizabeth against him.
Rumor has it that, Savage gave Hogan a black eye with a punch, a few days before Wrestlemania IX
.
into signing Savage, whom was increasingly unhappy with his diminishing role in the WWF. In his initial appearance on WCW Saturday Night
, Savage made reference on air to his love/hate relationship with Hogan and was ambiguous as to where his allegiance was. He aided Hogan at Starrcade 1994 and shook his hand, signalling their alliance. Initially called "The Monster Maniacs" (presumably for legal reasons), Hogan and Savage teamed on January 25, 1995 at Clash of the Champions
to battle Kevin Sullivan
and The Butcher
. On March 24, 1996 at Uncensored, The Mega Powers reunited to take on eight opponents in a Doomsday Cage Match. The opponents were "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair
, Arn Anderson
, Kevin Sullivan
, "The Total Package" Lex Luger
, The Faces of Fear
(The Barbarian and Meng), Z-Gangsta
, and The Ultimate Solution. They were known as the Alliance to End Hulkamania
. At Clash of the Champions on January 23, 1996 from Las Vegas, Nevada
, the duo lost to Ric Flair
and The Giant
.
on July 7, 1996. This time, it was Hogan who turned heel. Hogan came out seemingly to save Savage and Sting during their match with The Outsiders (Scott Hall
and Kevin Nash
) Hogan double-crossed Savage and Sting, dropping the leg on Savage three times, then forming the New World Order
. WCW decided to work Hogan's and Savage's old real life feud into the storyline, going as far as having Hogan state that if Savage is going to accuse him of his divorce from Elizabeth, then he "doesn't need someone as ungrateful as 'The Macho Man' as a friend." Later that year, the former friends faced off at Halloween Havoc for the World Heavyweight Championship
. Savage almost had Hogan beat, but thanks to Ted DiBiase and the Giant, Hogan retained the title and the nWo brutally beat Savage. Savage's ex wife, Elizabeth, who was aligned with the Four Horsemen
at the time, begged Hogan to stop hurting Savage, who she still cared deeply about. She covered his unconscious body to prevent anymore beatings and was spraypainted along with Savage.
in the rafters, showing no alliance to either WCW or the nWo for a while. At SuperBrawl, Savage appeared ringside for the match between Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
. Savage became a villain by slipping Hogan a pair of brass knuckles when the referee's back was turned. Hogan used the weapon en route to his very first pinfall victory over Piper, and after the match, Hogan and Savage brutalized Piper together. The pair would team often, sometimes with the Outsiders, in tag matches with Savage now wearing similar wrestling attire to Hogan. However, in late 1997, after Hogan lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Sting, friction popped up between Savage and Hogan again, this time over who the leader of the nWo was. A brief feud between Savage and fellow nWo member Kevin Nash
ended when they forged an alliance when they realized Hogan was playing them against each other to keep them away from chasing the WCW Championship. The feud came to a fever pitch when Savage took the title from Sting, only to have Hogan take it from him the next night. After that, the nWo split into two factions, with Hogan spearheading nWo Hollywood
and Savage co-founding the nWo Wolfpac
with Nash. The Outsiders split shortly after when Hall turned on Nash and joined up with nWo Hollywood.
's Impact!
television show, Hogan met with "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal
in his office. Lethal, whose character is inspired by Savage, made reference to the Mega Powers, placing himself in Savage's place as Hogan's partner. They even did the "Mega Powers handshake" at the end of the segment.
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF) and World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW). The Mega Powers consisted of Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
with Miss Elizabeth
Miss Elizabeth
Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late...
(at the time Randy's wife, though portrayed on-screen as his girlfriend) as their valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
. As of today, two-thirds of the Mega Powers are deceased as both Elizabeth and Savage have died.
World Wrestling Federation (1987–1989)
The alliance between Hogan and Savage began at the October 3, 1987 taping of Saturday Night's Main EventWWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event is a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It aired occasionally from 1985 to 1992, under the World Wrestling Federation banner on NBC in place of Saturday Night Live. It returned to the air on March 18, 2006, in an 8 EST time slot...
. Savage was in the middle of a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
turn when he sought to win the Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
from The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
. When Savage hit his diving elbow drop finisher on Honky Tonk for the pin, The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation referred to several teams or stables in the World Wrestling Federation , usually consisted of members or close friends of the Hart wrestling family from Canada....
(who at the time were villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, all three managed by Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
) came in and attacked Savage, getting Honky Tonk disqualified.
When Honky Tonk shoved Miss Elizabeth
Miss Elizabeth
Elizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late...
, who was trying to stop them, she ran away to the backstage area; meanwhile, Honky completed his attempt to break his guitar over Savage's head. Shortly afterward, Elizabeth returned with Savage's former rival Hulk Hogan, at the time WWF Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, who came and saved Savage from the assault. Afterwards, Savage extended his hand in friendship to Hogan, who accepted and the three paraded around the ring with their hands adjoined. Their alliance solidified Savage's change into a fan favorite, which had been brewing for weeks as fan support grew for him. Later that night, Hogan stated that the combination of "Hulkamania" and "Macho Madness" may become the most powerful force in WWF history.
Formation (1988)
The Mega Powers officially formed as a tag team at WrestleMania IVWrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 27, 1988 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey....
, after Hogan helped Savage win the WWF Championship in a 14-man tournament. The tournament was made after Hogan lost the belt to André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
at The Main Event on February 5, 1988. Andre promptly sold the belt to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
, causing WWF President Jack Tunney
Jack Tunney
John "Jack" Tunney was a Canadian wrestling promoter. Tunney was known worldwide for his appearances on World Wrestling Federation television as the promotion's figurehead president, suspending wrestlers, stripping them of titles, and ordering matches...
to strip André of the belt.
Hogan and André were both given byes in the first round of the tournament, fought to a double-disqualification in the quarterfinals. This had the side effect of giving Ted DiBiase a bye in the semifinals. Ultimately, Savage and DiBiase met in the final match of the tournament. The "Million Dollar Man" did all that he could to take out Savage (including the constant interference of André, who was acting as DiBiase's second for this match) but he couldn't keep him down. Savage eventually went to Elizabeth, whispering something to her. She ran backstage, as the fans were trying to figure out what was going on.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth reemerged with Hogan. André and DiBiase seemed shocked by the turn of events. Hogan got revenge on DiBiase by hitting him in the back with a steel chair while André had distracted the referee by preventing Savage from getting to the ropes while locked in DiBiase's Million Dollar Dream. Savage was able to hit his diving elbow drop finisher and got the three count. After the match, they celebrated as a group.
A few months later, with Hogan on leave of absence from the WWF and Savage feuding with DiBiase over the title. DiBiase and André attacked Savage during an interview segment, prompting Savage to challenge the two to a tag team match versus him and the partner of his choosing, which was accepted. Savage then revealed that his partner would be the returning Hogan. They let all wrestling fans know that they have become The Mega Powers and that they would meet André and DiBiase at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1988)
SummerSlam was the first annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was produced by the World Wrestling Federation and took place on August 29, 1988 in Madison Square Garden, located in New York, New York. The pay-per-view was created to help the company compete against rival...
.
Tag team debut (1988)
Their debut match as a tag team was at SummerSlam in 1988. They went against André the Giant and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase in a match billed as "The Mega Powers versus the Mega BucksMega Bucks
The Mega Bucks was a professional wrestling tag team that competed in the World Wrestling Federation in 1988. The team, consisting of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and André the Giant, was formed in a storyline that saw DiBiase purchase André's contract from fellow manager Bobby Heenan...
". Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
, a longtime supporter of Savage's but a longtime adversary of Hogan's, served as referee for this match. The match didn't go as planned for the Mega Bucks. Elizabeth exposed her assets in skimpy panties after stripping off her skirt to the heels, resulting in the Mega Powers coming back to win the match. Ventura counted but stopped at two because he hesitated, so Savage forced the three-count.
Feuding with The Twin Towers and split (1988–1989)
After SummerSlam, The Mega Powers were on top of the wrestling world. However, the two had an uneasy relationship, particularly when it became obvious Hogan would act friendly and/or overprotective beyond reason toward Elizabeth. On two occasions on Saturday Night's Main Event, Hogan was insistent on Elizabeth appearing at ringside for his matches versus King Haku and AkeemGeorge Gray (wrestler)
George Gray is an American professional wrestler best known as One Man Gang and Akeem "the African Dream".-Early years:...
for "extra inspiration." In the latter instance, Elizabeth's safety was endangered by Akeem and his allies, Slick
Ken Johnson (wrestling)
Kenneth "Ken" Johnson better known to wrestling fans as "Slick - The Doctor of Style", is a former American professional wrestling manager with the World Wrestling Federation...
and The Big Boss Man
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
when Big Boss Man grabbed Elizabeth and placed her in handcuffs; before Big Boss Man could use his nightstick to strike Elizabeth, Savage ran out and made the save. While Savage showed concern for Elizabeth, he disregarded Hogan, who was still reeling from being attacked by Haku and Akeem.
At the 1988 Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1988)
Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, Hogan and Savage captained a team that faced a five-member squad headed by Big Boss Man and Akeem (whom by now were being billed as the Twin Towers). Hogan and Savage eventually won the match (last eliminating Haku; Big Boss Man and Akeem had been counted out and disqualified, respectively); during the post-match posing, Hogan again began acting friendly toward Elizabeth, visibly annoying Savage. In a post-match interview, pro-heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
commentator Jesse Ventura interviewed Savage, playing up Savage's growing anger regarding Hogan's behavior toward Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth was not the only reason Hogan and Savage had issues with each other during their stint as a team. At the 1989 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1989)
Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , and the first one to be held on pay-per-view. It took place on January 15, 1989 at The Summit in Houston, Texas....
, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage in the Royal Rumble match when he went to put out Bad News Brown
Allen Coage
Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
(with whom Savage was having a concurrent feud). The two appeared to make amends at the behest of their manager, but Savage was clearly upset after the event (which was ultimately won by Big John Studd).
Things came to a full boil on NBC's prime-time special, The Main Event, when the two wrestled The Twin Towers. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring. Savage was thrown onto Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious. Hogan saw what happened and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. When Elizabeth was revived, she implored a distraught Hogan to return to the ring to help Savage, who had been left to fight the two gargantuans on his own for several minutes.
Hogan eventually called for the tag, but Savage, who was furious with being abandoned during the match, slapped Hogan in the face. After some choice words to a confused Hogan, he took his World Title belt, and stormed back to the locker room. Hulk Hogan defeated The Twin Towers by himself. After the match, Hogan went to check on Elizabeth. Macho Man was back there too, who was caught in mid-tirade yelling to Elizabeth that as world champion he was tired of taking a backseat to both Hogan and Elizabeth in the Mega Powers pecking order. Upon Hogan's arrival, Savage turned his frustration to him, accused Hogan of trying to steal Elizabeth from him, and manipulate the belt away from him. Hogan implored Elizabeth to try and talk some sense into him before Savage attacked him by hitting him in the face with the title belt, sealing the end to their partnership and beginning their feud.
WrestleMania V: The Mega Powers explode (1989)
Hogan's first response to Savage's actions was to challenge him at WrestleMania for the WWF ChampionshipWWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, which Savage eventually accepted. Most of the leadup to the match involved two things: the first being Savage showing (heavily edited and out of context) footage to prove that Hogan "lusted after" Elizabeth, after which Hogan would respond by showing the footage in its proper context and with explanation; and the question of whose corner would Elizabeth be in. Elizabeth ultimately announced she would be in a neutral corner.
On April 2, 1989, Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, decided to settle the score at WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 1989 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
for the WWF Championship. Although Elizabeth was stationed in her "neutral corner" for the match, she was eventually ejected from ringside after too many complications were caused by her attempting to assist both men at different points in the match. After an even match between both, Hogan eventually prevailed after kicking out of a Savage's diving elbow drop before "hulking up" and executing the leg drop to become WWF Champion for the second time.
The two would continue their feud in the months following WrestleMania. Savage would replace Elizabeth with a new manager, Sensational Sherri
Sherri Martel
Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri....
and align himself with Hogan's monsterous co-star from the movie No Holds Barred, Zeus
Tom Lister, Jr.
-World Wrestling Federation :Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel....
(actor Tom Lister, Jr. in-character as his movie character). This extension of the angle would culminate at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1989)
SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 28, 1989 in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey....
when Hogan and Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
(with a return appearance by Elizabeth) would defeat Savage and Zeus in the main event, and a December 1989 cage match between the two teams during a pay-per-view event entitled No Holds Barred: The Match, The Movie.
Savage and Hogan would meet one last time for a WrestleMania V rematch on the February 23, 1990 edition The Main Event with Heavyweight Boxing Champion James "Buster" Douglas as the guest referee. Hogan would come out victorious yet again with Savage knocked out by Douglas post-match.
Post-feud (1991-1994)
Savage would turn into a fan favoriteFace (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
again in 1991 and reunite with Elizabeth. Since his career ended with Wrestlemania VII
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California...
, Savage became an announcer, and while he generally supported the Faces, he would make subtle potshots at Hogan. Later that year, Hogan was a guest on Paul Bearer
Percy Pringle
William Alvin "Bill" Moody , better known by his ring name Paul Bearer, is a professional wrestling manager and former wrestler best known for his time in World Class Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation, later known as the WWE.-Early career:He entered the wrestling business in...
's Funeral Parlor interview segment. When Hogan was attacked by The Undertaker and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Savage and Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
saved Hogan from the beating. While this did not officially reunite the Mega Powers, they had (in storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) become amicable (if not friends) again.
Savage and Hogan both competed in the 1992 Royal Rumble, but in terms of storyline the two more or less did not cross paths for the rest of either wrestler's tenure with the company (Hogan left the WWF in 1993, Savage in 1994).
Hogan and Savage's real life friendship unraveled in 1992 when Elizabeth filed for divorce against Savage. In an interview with Radio WWF in 1993, Savage discussed the divorce, openly blaming Hogan and his wife for turning Elizabeth against him.
Rumor has it that, Savage gave Hogan a black eye with a punch, a few days before Wrestlemania IX
WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors...
.
Reunion (1995–1996)
After Hogan and Savage patched up their real life differences, Hogan talked WCW president Eric BischoffEric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
into signing Savage, whom was increasingly unhappy with his diminishing role in the WWF. In his initial appearance on WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
, Savage made reference on air to his love/hate relationship with Hogan and was ambiguous as to where his allegiance was. He aided Hogan at Starrcade 1994 and shook his hand, signalling their alliance. Initially called "The Monster Maniacs" (presumably for legal reasons), Hogan and Savage teamed on January 25, 1995 at Clash of the Champions
Clash of the Champions
The Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by World Championship Wrestling. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event.The first Clash of the...
to battle Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
and The Butcher
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
. On March 24, 1996 at Uncensored, The Mega Powers reunited to take on eight opponents in a Doomsday Cage Match. The opponents were "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
, Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, "The Total Package" Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
, The Faces of Fear
Faces of Fear
The Faces of Fear was the professional wrestling tag team of Sione Vailahi and Uliuli Fifita. Vailahi wrestled as The Barbarian, and Fifita wrestled as Haku in the World Wrestling Federation and Meng in World Championship Wrestling . They appeared together several times in the WWF as part of The...
(The Barbarian and Meng), Z-Gangsta
Tom Lister, Jr.
-World Wrestling Federation :Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel....
, and The Ultimate Solution. They were known as the Alliance to End Hulkamania
Alliance To End Hulkamania
The Alliance to End Hulkamania was a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling in 1996.-History:The Alliance to End Hulkamania was an alliance between the Dungeon of Doom and the Four Horsemen, two of WCW's heel stables, formed in an attempt to get rid of Hulk Hogan...
. At Clash of the Champions on January 23, 1996 from Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, the duo lost to Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and The Giant
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
.
Breakup (1996)
The team broke up again at Bash at the BeachBash at the Beach
Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling . It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994 to 2000. The show centered around a beach theme, with the set around the entrance area for the wrestlers decorated with...
on July 7, 1996. This time, it was Hogan who turned heel. Hogan came out seemingly to save Savage and Sting during their match with The Outsiders (Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
and Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
) Hogan double-crossed Savage and Sting, dropping the leg on Savage three times, then forming the New World Order
NWO
NWO may refer to:*Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research, a scientific research organisation in the Netherlands*New World Order...
. WCW decided to work Hogan's and Savage's old real life feud into the storyline, going as far as having Hogan state that if Savage is going to accuse him of his divorce from Elizabeth, then he "doesn't need someone as ungrateful as 'The Macho Man' as a friend." Later that year, the former friends faced off at Halloween Havoc for the World Heavyweight Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
. Savage almost had Hogan beat, but thanks to Ted DiBiase and the Giant, Hogan retained the title and the nWo brutally beat Savage. Savage's ex wife, Elizabeth, who was aligned with the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
at the time, begged Hogan to stop hurting Savage, who she still cared deeply about. She covered his unconscious body to prevent anymore beatings and was spraypainted along with Savage.
nWo (1997–1998)
After losing to Hogan at Halloween Havoc, Savage went on hiatus. He returned to WCW in January 1997, joining StingSting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in the rafters, showing no alliance to either WCW or the nWo for a while. At SuperBrawl, Savage appeared ringside for the match between Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
. Savage became a villain by slipping Hogan a pair of brass knuckles when the referee's back was turned. Hogan used the weapon en route to his very first pinfall victory over Piper, and after the match, Hogan and Savage brutalized Piper together. The pair would team often, sometimes with the Outsiders, in tag matches with Savage now wearing similar wrestling attire to Hogan. However, in late 1997, after Hogan lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Sting, friction popped up between Savage and Hogan again, this time over who the leader of the nWo was. A brief feud between Savage and fellow nWo member Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
ended when they forged an alliance when they realized Hogan was playing them against each other to keep them away from chasing the WCW Championship. The feud came to a fever pitch when Savage took the title from Sting, only to have Hogan take it from him the next night. After that, the nWo split into two factions, with Hogan spearheading nWo Hollywood
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
and Savage co-founding the nWo Wolfpac
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
with Nash. The Outsiders split shortly after when Hall turned on Nash and joined up with nWo Hollywood.
Millionaire's Club (2000)
In 2000, Hogan and other legends formed the WCW faction known as the Millionaire's Club. During one memorable brawl at the end of a television taping between the Club and their opponents, Savage suddenly ran out and lent the Club his aid, turning the tide and effectively becoming a member after tapping fists with Hogan once the fighting ended. Hogan and Savage had reverted to fan favorite status by this time.TNA parody (2010)
On the March 29, 2010 episode of Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
television show, Hogan met with "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
in his office. Lethal, whose character is inspired by Savage, made reference to the Mega Powers, placing himself in Savage's place as Hogan's partner. They even did the "Mega Powers handshake" at the end of the segment.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Diving elbow drop – Savage
- Atomic Leg Drop (Running jumping leg drop) – Hogan
- Signature moves
- Atomic drop
- Body slam
- Clothesline
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Miss ElizabethMiss ElizabethElizabeth Ann Hulette , best known as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager. She gained international fame from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the manager to the late...
- Miss Elizabeth
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- The Mega Powers were ranked by Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
at # 57 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- The Mega Powers were ranked by Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(1 time) – Savage
- WWF Championship
See also
- Millionaire's Club
- New World Order (professional wrestling)New World Order (professional wrestling)The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
- Team MadnessTeam MadnessTeam Madness was a professional wrestling heel stable in World Championship Wrestling led by Macho Man Randy Savage, that began on April 1999 and ended three months later on July.-Background:...
External links
- The Mega Powers Profile
- Official Website
- WWE Hall of Fame Profile
- Machoman.com - Official Website.