Top 10 WWE heel turns of all time

7. Randy Savage

Randy Savage snaps and attacks Hulk Hogan

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t know much about the Golden Era of WWF. I’m from Generation Z and I won’t pretend to know how well the Hulk Hogans and the Randy Savages and the Ultimate Warriors and the Andre the Giants came off to fans at that point. But even I can’t deny the significance of this feud in WWE’s illustrious history, which is why it deserves to be in the top 10.

Everything was over the top in the then WWF. I’m sure anyone telling the kids to say their prayers and take their vitamins wouldn’t be received as well as Hulk Hogan was back in the day. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage both have to go down as two of the greatest of all time. Hogan may be more well known in the industry but the hardcore fans know how much of a legend the Macho Man truly is.

Hulk Hogan was the face of the company and the biggest star. Randy Savage was the only one close to the Hulkster when it came to sheer star power. Hogan was a showman, Savage was a worker. Their rivalry was like two gods going against each other, it was like Superman vs. Batman. This feud between Savage and Hogan has only ever been replicated by The Rock and Steve Austin, the two biggest names in the industry going at it.

But at first, the gods were friends. Their combined star power was so much, they were literally called the Mega Powers. Their feud was classic Golden Era wrestling, cartoonish and stupid in all the right ways.

Hogan was becoming a little too close to Savage’s real-life wife and valet, Miss Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Hogan celebrated a little too hard after every match, with Savage increasingly getting visibly annoyed. It all boiled down to a tag match between the Mega Powers and the Twin Towers (I know, right?), i.e., Big Boss Man and Akeem. Savage accidentally knocked Elizabeth out and Hogan carried her to the back, leaving Savage alone. Elizabeth was revived and urged Hogan to go back and help Savage, but it was already too late. Hogan wanted a tag, Savage, who was the WWF champion at the time, slapped Hogan and walked away with the belt. Hogan then won the match singlehandedly, of course.

The feud that followed was equally cartoonish and stupid. Savage showed some edited footage that proved Hogan lusted after Elizabeth, but Hogan showed the actual footage to defend himself. The two men met at the iconic main event of WrestleMania 5, in which Miss Elizabeth acquired a “neutral” corner, whatever that means. Hogan kicked out of Savage’s Elbow Drop, hulked up, and got the win and the title.

The feud would continue with Hogan’s new movie, No Holds Barred becoming a background theme. Savage aligned himself with Zeus, the villain in the movie No Holds Barred. Apparently, he was a villain in real life too. Hogan and Brutus Beefcake defeated Savage and Zeus in the main event of Summerslam that year. The same match happened in a cage with Savage again being on the losing end. Hogan and Savage then had a match with boxer Buster Douglas as the referee. Savage would lose that match too and get knocked out by Douglas in the post-match angle.

Well, one thing’s for sure, Vince didn’t believe in 50/50 booking back then. The Golden Era, am I right?