The following is part two of a Torch Talk interview I conducted with Lanny Poffo on January 16, 2015, the week his late older brother “Macho Man” Randy Savage was announced for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame. In this installment, he explains how he helped Randy get over his nervousness on interviews and how the “Oh, yeah!” catchphrase came to be Randy’s go-to line.

Question: In 1994, Randy tried to leave the WWF for WCW and there has been talk of tension afterward because Vince McMahon felt resentment afterward. Is that true? And what about rumors of an issue between Randy and Stephanie?

Lanny Poffo: Randy, after Elizabeth left him, he got a little down-hearted, okay? He felt he couldn’t really give 100 percent in the ring anymore. So he went into the announcers’ booth. It was Slim Jim and the announcing. He was basically all talk and no go. And then he was doing the commentary and he is noticing how great Shawn Michaels is. Randy was never satisfied with anything. He always wanted more, better, better, and more. When he had that great match with Ricky Steamboat, it always bothered him that he was never able to have another match with anybody as good as that.

He had raised the bar too high and, let’s face it, some of the reason that match was great is Ricky Steamboat’s great, too. They clicked. They were two phenomenal athletes in total harmony and there was no need for a screwjob finish because Randy gladly gave up the Intercontinental belt. Sometimes you need cooperation from your opponent in order to make the match good. If you notice the other guy doesn’t like you or has ulterior motives, let’s face it, there was a personality conflict between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Some people don’t like Shawn Michaels, but nobody can say that wasn’t a great worker.

Randy wanted to have a two year feud with Shawn Michaels. Specifically he wanted to drink. He opened up a bottle of champaign, pour for himself, pour to Shawn, drink to his success, then take the bottle over and break it over his head and start a two year feud with Macho Man against Shawn Michaels. Randy had elaborately planned every phase of it, ending it at WrestleMania after two years when Randy would try to have a match with Shawn Michaels even better than the match with Ricky Steamboat. And lose to Shawn and retire to the announcers’ table for the rest of his life. They said, “That’s a great idea, but unfortunately we’ve having a youth movement and the best thing you can do is stay on the microphone.” Randy said, “Oh, yeah, I didn’t know I was elderly, but I think I’ll get a second opinion.”

He called up Eric Bischoff and he leaves. Here’s the thing they didn’t talk about on the DVD. He took Slim Jim with him to WCW. Does anybody remember that? I bet that got over like, uh, I don’t think that got over (with WWE). The thing is, Randy actually went to the NASCAR when Slim Jim was racing. He did that on his own. He bought his own plane ticket. He got to know those guys and they loved him. And he loved them. And he went over the call of duty for Slim Jim, so when it came up he was leaving for WCW, he actually took Slim Jim with. That is quite a thing there. That’s not just a moral victory, that’s a financial victory for WCW.

END OF FREE PREVIEW... Okay, now let’s talk about Stephanie. First of all, it’s a question for Stephanie because Randy and I were very close...

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[Lanny Poffo photo credit Mike Lano (c) PWTorch]

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