After losing the WWF Championship, Savage continued his feud with Ric Flair. He and The Ultimate Warrior, who had become allies after SummerSlam and were known as The Ultimate Maniacs, were scheduled to take on Flair and Razor Ramon at the 1992 Survivor Series, but plans changed when Warrior once again left the company. His spot in the match was filled by “Mr. Perfect” Kurt Henning. Savage would begin to wrestle less after Survivor Series, and when Monday Night Raw premiered in 1993, he was the lead color commentator for the ground breaking show. Despite competing less, Savage was one of the last two men in the 1993 Royal Rumble match, but came up just short when he was eliminated by the winner Yokozuna. WrestleMania IX would be the first time Savage would be present at the big show, but not compete. Instead he sat ringside with Jim Ross and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, providing commentary for the show. Savage had no problem stepping aside and letting the new generation get their shine, but when Vince McMahon started getting a little too used to the idea of Savage behind the announce booth instead of in the ring, he wasn’t happy. Macho Man had indeed lost a step or two inside the ring, but he was still superior to many performers on McMahon’s roster, and his character had already reached iconic status. In an attempt to embrace the youth movement, while still trying to be a contributor, Savage came up with a story line that would have satisfied both his hunger to continue wrestling, and McMahon’s need to establish younger stars. Unfortunately his idea was never used and the wrestling world missed out on what could have been a classic rivalry.
Randy Savage vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. It practically sells itself, and it would’ve actually happened had Macho Man had it his way. Savage hadn’t been too happy about being strictly a commentator, and had pitched the idea to Vince McMahon for a long feud with up and comer Shawn Michaels. The feud was to have a slow intricate build and span 2 years before finally culminating at WrestleMania, with Michaels retiring Savage and sending him to the announce booth for good. It would’ve been the perfect ending to the Macho Man story, and it would’ve given Shawn Michaels even more credibility, being the man who ended such a legendary career. Common sense says both men would have benefited greatly from the proposed feud, and the company would’ve certainly benefited financially from it too, but it inexplicably didn’t happen.
