Greg Valentine - What Macho Man Randy Savage Was Like to Wrestle
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- čas přidán 23. 04. 2021
- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine talks about his matches vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage at both WrestleMania and WCW Nitro. Enjoy this exclusive new shoot interview from Title Match Network, live in Las Vegas.
Streaming now 📺 TitleMatchNetwork.com
Timecodes:
00:01 Friendship with Macho Man
00:30 Memories of the Poffo family (Angelo, Lanny, Randy)
00:50 Matches vs Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 4
01:40 How the heel leads the match
02:30 In-ring psychology
03:27 Second return run to WCW in mid 90s
03:55 Wrestling Savage & Lex Luger on Monday Nitro, losing gracefully
04:05 Working WCW Saturday Night events
04:30 Starting out on the independents, leaving the company
05:25 When I Wrestled The Giant (aka Paul Wight in AEW) on Nitro
Produced by us in Feb 2021, this is our first ever solo shoot interview with Hall of Fame legend, Greg Valentine. - Zábava
Watch More Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (2021)
Streaming Now 📺TitleMatchNetwork.com
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These interviews are fantastic, so much respect for "the hammer" hearing from him.
Greg and honky-tonk man are the only ones that will give the real story without sounding bitter .or making themselves out to be more than they weren't, I think it's no coincidence that they tagteamed for a bit
in every interview Greg the Hammer never bad mouths any wrestler ... he was a great heel ...
Old School all the way!
Randy and Ricky killed WM3!
A real bad arse doesn’t need to talk bad about nobody, they are all show and less about idol chatter; only a weak man needs to talk big!.... *Imo*
Yes, I have noticed there are many of the other greats from back in the day who like talking down at least about someone. I guess some people are more likely to have personality clashes with others, but it sounds like Greg is one of those guys who just gets along well with everybody because he himself is a lovely guy who sees the best in others. Proper old-school class act from the golden age of wrestling.
He seems like a very humble man
Man, the Hammer, reading the crowd and improvising the match--that's performing. Incredible hearing this insight.
This man will be 70 years old this year. LEGEND💪
Dont look a day over 80
He hasnt aged at all....
@@K....D.... to be fair he was born looking like he was 45. Lol
This man will make 90 and still have a head full of blonde hair and a good hairline.
Greg Valentine is like that grandfather who talks about “the war” but despite the hardships he tells you about how much he appreciated the experience. You get the impression that you can sit and talk with him for hours.
That's my impression as well.
Yeah..so much genuine character he belongs in a villian/ heel role once more in a Quentin Tarantino film..
Mr Wolf 2.0..?
And, just like my grandfather, if you ask them if they've killed anybody ( everyone asks their grandfather that), they'll never talk about it.
Very positive guy always puts people over in interviews. He was a great worker also. Respect.
o yes. cuz he put scott steiner over ..
to be fair. he did say nice stuff about rick.
Not Sting lol
@@SandowMovesets he just said he couldn’t work. He said he was a great guy though.
@@musicbizmoriarty Scott Steiner sucks. He's roided up all the time and hasn't been able to wrestle in twenty years. He also can't cut a promo.
@@martinputt6421 Scott was disliked by many wrestlers for sure. At one point he was over big time and he could really work , but his body has literally been destroyed by his use of performance enhancing substances and he seemed to become a real menace to many other wrestlers.
This guy was a huge part of my childhood. One of the great heels of all time.
He had a good mentor. Amazing no one asks him about his dad's influence on him.
@@teller1290 Or Stu Hart.
Right! The whole Henin stable really. But now those are the guys I want to be like LOL
Hes very good. A top worker
Always loved the hammer. As a kid, I never knew why I liked him because most of the time he was the bad guy but I loved how he wrestled. I'm a huge flair mark as well. Flair is the one who got me into wrestling. But love Greg Valentine as well.
Hammer is the best ever story teller in and out of the ring. Thanks Greg
i liked my reply so much i posted to a comment
Agreed
Always LOVED the Hammer!
Greg Valentine was one of the hardest workers in wrestling. Love the stories!
Savage was everything a wrestler should be. RIP to the one and only Macho Man.
He passed away on my birthday not far from where I live.
@@dr.floridamanphd that's sad news to get on one's birthday. Do people still leave any flowers or tributes on the spot where he died?
@@georgesalgado8783, not that I’m aware of. It’s a busy highway.
Fuck yeah he was !
"I am The Cream, Oh Yeah"
-Randy "Macho Man" Savage
Talent doesn't need a script 👌 😉
Yeah... I long for the day of running 2 spots and holding a rest hold for 5 minutes because they already got the fans' money...
@@SmithCommaBenjamin I’d take that any day over a contrived gymnastic routine. Based on how many people used to watch wrestling compared to today..... it’s clear which got more eyes watching.
@@SmithCommaBenjamin look at the state of the business today 😂
But his best match with Steamboat was scripted by them from starting bell to three count so when done right by the talent it can work fine. Just when the Vince Russo of wwe try to write a match it falls apart
Greg Valentine is a very articulate storyteller. He's virbalage relates so well that the fans understand
He has an incredible memory wrestling for so many decades.
The Hammer he still looks great, guys like this mean a lot to us old guys lol
Greg makes total sense when it comes to adlib. You can tell when things are all orchestrated it takes away from the kayfabe
No u can't stinky pants
None of the interviews I listened to compare to Greg's. Classy, great memory, knowledgeable, unwilling to talk others down. A legend with classic and dignity. God bless the Hammer!
Love it that Hammer wears shades inside. The man oozes cool.
They probably have lighting on him for video purpose, hence, da shades.
Maybe hes hung over
As many have already stated, Greg Valentine was not only one of the best, he doesn't involve himself in any of the bullshit that so many other wrestlers do. Class act. He doesnt need to disrespect other people to put himself over. One of the greatest of all time! Thank You, Mr. Valentine. Nobody ever did it better.....
Greg you are a great role model!!🙏👍😀❤
The blonde hair...
Tells me...
Everything I need to know.
WOW! The HAMMER vs. TITO SANTANA!!! CLASSIC FEUDS!!!! #RESPECT
If macho man wrestled at Wrestlmania IX he would lose to a Repo Man or Skinner via count out! Probably to Repo Man since they fueded during 1993s' Royal Rumble! (The battle of the mans: repo man v macho man.) Eat dat becky lynch mob!
I still remember the match when Tito won the Intercontinental belt from Valentine. It was a cage match and when Tito won, Valentine was so pissed he bashed the belt against the cage to fuck it up (it eventually was replaced to a new one that everyone that is familiar with (worn by Shawn Michaels, Ultimate Warrior, Savage, etc.)) I was so mad as a kid when I saw that. He was that good of a heel and a very solid wrestler.
That Cage Match that Greg had with Tito Santana was Great
Lol
I respect him more now that I realize how OG he was. Back in the day I didn’t care too much for him.
I didn't like what they did with him later in his career, but as a little kid back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, watching WWF on tv, Greg The Hammer was one of my favorite bad guys. One of the first guys I ever saw that used the Figure 4 as a trademark finisher too.
for real
It’s the truth, I didn’t appreciate him much as a kid!
@BKK I think they just mean they made him a tag team sidekick rather than the main guy if he way in a tag team (see Rhythm & Blues), or they simply used him as someone to put up & comers over in the same way they did with guys like Tito Santana or Coco B Ware.
I disagree, somewhat, though I feel where they're coming from. I think Vince valued guys like Greg, Tito & Coco. If he didn't, they would have been cast out long before they got to that point. He clearly thought they were dependable, and still had enough about them to hang in there at some level, and they could always be given to a promising young guy as a tag-team partner to make sure they don't go too far off the rails, like a mentor figure.
When you're old, the best you can reasonably expect is to be used in this way. Not everyone can be like Hogan or Flair, or 'Taker.
@@thegreathadoken6808 Those are 3 of my favorite wrestlers!
While not the most excitable man, he was one of the most reputable, least cartoonish, when in WWF. Without guys like him, wrestling is dead to me.
Agreed. While there is a way to use cartoony guys, it's too much when they're ALL cartoony. There needs to be solid, tough workers to provide some contrast.
@J Bossman kinda worked for me since at least it had something to do with his real life. I believe he was actually a prison guard in Georgia. I.R.S was ridiculous since the name Mike Rotunda was already well known. Repo Man was definitely a cartoonish psychotic, but he didn't do it as well as George Steele.
@J ya, there were a few duds in that era but later on when The Undertaker showed up, that was a shot in the arm for sure. He was menacing and showed no mercy, one of the better and more believable characters back then imho.
Love the Hammer. One of my favorite heels. I remember his feud with Rugged Ronnie Garvin
I remember that too. One of the funniest moments was when Ronnie Garvin became a ring announcer and had to introduce Greg the Hammer Valentine. Was one of the funniest segments on TV. This was after they had the retirement match which Garvin lost, so ended up becoming a referee, got fired from that, and came back as a ring announcer.
Ive heard other wrestlers say Macho was so smooth that after a match it barely felt like he even touched you.
Seems like a real humble guy! Always hated him as a kid because he did his job so well! The more I watch these videos the more I appreciate the insight and psychological aspect of pro wrestling.
Savage is my pick as the greatest wrestler I’ve ever seen.
Valentine gives a hell of an interview. This guy has TONS of stories!
Great interview segments with the “Hammer” Valentine. He was one of the best of all time, and very well spoken.
What?
“The Hammer “ is feelin’ NICE in this interview. 💊 👍
Very well spoken?
Jeezus, we could use more guys like this. That’s why wrestling today is just one mess of high spots. They treat the ring like a fucking trampoline. No one knows how to work, and tell a story anymore.
Yeah man, so different back in the day.. far more entertaining and realistic looking.. now you can easily tell it's all pre-fixed lol its so cringy to watch now. Guys like Hammer were the real deal. They had real craft in the ring
@@HiNRGboy Gimme back those days brother. Some of those guys even really laid them in. I’m not saying they need to work super stiff but damn man, at least TRY and make us suspend our disbelief even a little.
#BOOM👍
Well put
Bret Hart said it best. The problem with today's product is that there is no ring psychology. Back in the 80's, wrestlers told stories with their bodies. The feuds/storylines felt real. Promos were not scripted like you could see today. Wrestlers were given some freedom in developing their character. It was all about two things: Drawing viewers and putting butts in seats.
Greg is such an interesting character. So chill, such a pro, wrestling needs more people like him. I can't see anyone not liking him. Even when he's not fond of someone, he doesn't speak much ill of them and diplomatically avoids the situation, even if he has to lie about it, lol. And was humble enough he put others over, cause he was all about the job and the show and putting out good material. The win or loss didn't matter, he wasn't in it to feed his own ego, he was there for the business and knew that if he did a good job, everyone wins.
People like that, who are just naturals and know the business (any business) and can adapt and change to suit the situation and are chill, are so easy to work with.
I seen Greg Valentine wrestle live back in the day. Greg is a true wrestling legend! One of the best powerbombs I ever seen was Greg Valentines.
When did Greg Valentine do a powerbomb?
You SEEN that, did you? 🤣😂
Perhaps you should try getting really good at English since you will be using it for the rest of your life.
@@kevinkelly1529 what?
Greg is an awesome wrestler and journey man. He has awesome stories and I'm so happy he did well for himself. I had the pleasure of seeing him wrestling back in 95.
I wish he'd talk about his pop.
I wouldn't say he was a journey man
@@ken.f.c.1977 why not?
@J a journeyman is someone who’s done and seen it all. Which Greg has
@@arthurmorgan7086 or even a WrestleMania
WCW Saturday Night was something I watched regularly
First time I saw Greg was back in the early 80s on WWE TV managed by the late, great Grand Wizard of Wrestling. One of the greatest of all time...
Greg The HAMMER Valentine was an excellent villain. He was very believable. He was a cold hearted villain and he did his job well.I loved his style of wrestling.
Greg valentine. A wrestler to be remembered he was a top notch heel fantastic guy good to see him
I've never heard Greg Valentine talk outside of wrestling but have seen a few of these videos. He seems like a great guy.
Yep, all business in the ring and a great man outside the ring. Seems like a humble and appreciative guy who lived an awesome career. And never bad-mouthed anyone, got on well with the other wrestlers
Hammer is a badass. He should have been wwf champion looking back and knowing what I know now. Love this guy.
I don't see it. Who would you have had him beat. Backlund possibly. But I don't see him beating any Champion after that. He got the Tag Title and the Intercontinental
Loved His Matches Especially When He Tag Teamed With Honky Tonk Man Against The Hart Foundation!!!
Valentine hated teaming with HTM! The gimmick didn't fit him.
@@noutheticcounseling5447 It Worked For Me I Just Love The Chemistry Between Rhythm And Blues Against The Hart Foundation!!!
Guys like him made wrestling great.....strait up guy and 100 % legit tuff guy
I liked when him and Rick flair we're tag team partners early eighties maybe late seventys
Hell yeah, Flair and Valentine were some real badasses around 78 and 79. They could really go back then. I'd have put them against any team ever.Love them matches between them and the Anderson bros. They were an awesome team too.
These interviews are absolute gold.
Greg if you read these comments, you are one of a kind. Thank you.
Great seeing Greg Valentine again and it just goes to show you that these guys are real decent guys just doing a job a tough job a very rough living, but they brought a lot of joy to the world. Your mother flashbacks of my childhood hearing him talk good video.
What was so fascinating about Savage, is that he would really plan his matches step by step, yet they seriously never came off that way. Somehow he always knew where the crowd would be before he ever got out there. Like he knew how to lead the crowd into what was coming next, and they would always be where he needed them to be for the next spot. It was a weird sixth sense. And pretty incredible when you think about it, even if it was a really unorthodox way to do it back then.
Macho Man played his part perfectly. A great heel (for the most part lol) but with superior skills in the ring. Technically very accomplished. His elbow drop off the top rope, brilliant. His showboating attitude equally awesome. Having Miss Elizabeth as his manager didn't hurt, either. One of the few wrestlers who could match him move for move was the great Bret Hart. Those two are among my top favorites.
I love hearing the stories of the older wrestlers. Every time The Hammer came into the ring you knew it was going to be a good match!
The Hammer! Hall of Famer. Put some respect on his name.
It's funny all my favorite wrestlers are Heels, but I never ever thought of Greg "the Hammer" Valentine as a Heel. When I seen that Greg was wrestling on any given night, I knew I was about to watch an excellent match. That's just how good Greg's wrestling was, it never crossed my mind, good guy bad guy, just that the match was going to be one of the best, so just set back and enjoy it.
Always appreciated you Greg, thank you !
I watched The Hammer in 1990 or so in Portland, OR. My fav wrestler. A real tech wrestler, and a real sportsmen as seen here.
Macho was the shit! Loved watching that dude! Thanks, Hammer, for the memories and taking time to share these stories!
All these years later and this dude is still rock and roll!
100
True “Old School” wrestler. I always loved the “Hammer” .. Someone who is very wise and appreciative of the people who helped him gain notoriety in the wrestling business. A true straight shooter, good for you Greg..
I love Greg Valentine what a journeyman.
The fact that this stuff is a work is more amazing than if it was real. Imagine improvising a work of fiction where you have to convince the audience - on the fly - that you're injuring each other.
He was a nasty badass in the ring but a cool, nice guy outside the ring ! Total professional, great career
Am I the only one who has watched everyone of the Greg Valentines videos?
No! I did too!
FOMO haha
I've been watching these matches he's talking about too...the ones I can find
I'm with you Donald! I can't stop watching the Hammer interviews!
He's a great interview
Timecodes:
00:01 Friendship with Macho Man
00:30 Memories of the Poffo family (Angelo, Lanny, Randy)
00:50 Matches vs Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 4
01:40 How the heel leads the match
02:30 In-ring psychology
03:27 Second return run to WCW in mid 90s
03:55 Wrestling Savage & Lex Luger on Monday Nitro, losing gracefully
04:05 Working WCW Saturday Night events
04:30 Starting out on the independents, leaving the company
05:25 When I Wrestled The Giant (aka Paul Wight in AEW) on Nitro
much respect to valentine. hes a good guy
I never heard or emulated the "figure four" until watching Greg Valentine in the WWF during the early 80's. Keep in mind Ric Flair, NWA, or the territory promotions weren't as televised on cable as much in those days. "The Hammer" is a legend.
Greg (the Hammer) Valentine my favorite wrestler of All Time 👏
He never talks negatively. Great guy hammer
I remember when Steamboat lost to the Hammer at mania 4 pretty surprising it was a clean finish. It felt like the beginning of the end for Steamboat with the Fed. Which probably started the prior year when he took the time off and they had him drop the strap to Honky.
Stoopid Steemboat! Wth. You had everything then u jobbed to ur baby! WM 4 shoulda been macho v steamboat II in finals!
Valentine wasn't on ricky steamboat level man. Hell no.
Valentine had a nice run with WWF lasting pretty much the entire Hogan era (84-92). Most guys then only had maybe 3-4 year runs such as Steamboat, JYD, Bundy, Orndorff, and then wrestled in AWA, NWA, World class, or other territories, etc.
I thought for sure we were going to see a steamboat savage rematch in WM4 - but it didn’t happen
@@davidkos74 it was supposed to happen, but McMahon didn't want to give steamboat another high match with savage. Ricky was in the dog house on his way out.
It really is amazing to me how these guys can come out with just a ballpark idea of the match outcome, and have it still come across as even remotely believable. True masters of their craft.
Your left-hand thumbnail is the only pic I’ve seen where Randy resembles his brother, Lanny. I finally can see it!
Thanks Greg. You were one of our fav.
Very articulate and never has a negative thing to say about other wrestlers. You can tell he was a true professional and he is at piece with himself. My respects to the Hammer!!
I have been a greg the hammer fan since I was a kid(51yr old now)...total class act💯
Great to see Greg Valentine chatting it up...Nice guy
I love hearing the Hammer tell his stories. Please keep them coming.
Great worker Greg V. , a tremendous wrestler who could always be counted upon to deliver a great match and could work with anyone. A true professional IMO.
I’ve heard a number of wrestlers say Savage liked to plan everything out.
Randy Savage must have been an innovator in that respect, because today it seems every wrestling match is carefully scripted and choreographed, no one calls it in the ring anymore. Unfortunately, today’s wrestlers are so used to everything being scripted that they have no idea how to work up the audience. It’s why you have all these incredible acrobatic moves happening while the audience sits on their hands.
I heard Hogan say once that you could work with Randy ten times and have ten different matches.
He would plan everything backstage because he didn’t want to get hurt.
Randy could do it both ways
Yup. Bret said Macho was the bridge from the 70s style to the Bret Hart/HBK era.
The guy is genuine.
Awesome 👏
I remember standing behind him at a Publix in 94'. He was a big dude.
Got to love the hammer he's cool
for me what really makes Greg above so many people in sports entertainment, is the fact that he doesnt plan his matches. What an amazing wrestler.
Although Macho Man was my all-time favorite wrestler, I've always had a respect for the Hammer. Greg's wrestling style reminded me a LOT of Harley Race's style.
THE HAMMER! One of my faves!
I have always liked Greg Valentine he seems to be very down to earth with big respect for the ones that truly deserve it.
So many great memories. Thank you for sharing.
If macho man wrestled at Wrestlmania IX he would lose to a Repo Man or Skinner via count out! Probably to Repo Man since they fueded during 1993s' Royal Rumble! (The battle of the mans: repo man v macho man.) Eat dat becky lynch mob!
That chain outside his shirt... 😆
Such a good dude, respect.
this guy got on with everyone who everyone else hated. greg is a friendly legend
He seems like he goes by the ol if ya got nuthin nice to say rule. respect to him for not trashing people like the other guys seem eager to do
He’s not a vindictive douche. He stayed away from the wrestlers outside the ring (for the most part, though his wife was friends with Linda Bollea). He’s old school; if you worked well in the ring, you’re okay in his book👍 he’s about the business, he’s mature enough to separate work from the extracurricular nonsense. In most of his interviews you’ll notice he says “I had to put his stuff over..” or “He did me a solid, so I returned the favor..” etc.
A true professional, not a prima Donna.
Cause he doesn’t have an ego and isn’t jealous of how over Savage got and was.
Planning or ad lib can both work. Randy Savage v Steamboat was one of the most planned matches ever and it was a classic
Back in the 80s, I was always excited when I turned wrestling on to find out The Hammer was gonna be on. His laced-finger double hammer fist was gonna bring heat!
The hammer with the Migos chain! Props! One of my favorite wrestlers when I was a kid.
How can you not love listening to the straight skinny from the Hammer! What a team player! A real pro!
I remember Greg the hammer Valentine from the NWA in LA. It's great to see him still alive.
He was my secon LJN action figure. Always liked him. But the more I see interviews, the more I like him
Very underrated wrestler.
Very happy to see how he still looks fine... he was often a heel, but obviously also a wise an honest dude
Such a class act! Love the Hammer 🔨
The hammer always came across like a true pro.
Two legends
Even bigger fan of Valentine now.
Planning a match gives you a masterpiece at the end.
It sounds like Greg did it his way and the right way. Notice how he doesn't bad mouth anyone. He just tells it like it is
Yup Greg's the constant professional
Classy guy.
Respect
The hammer very humble guy one of my all-time favorites when professional rustling meant something to The fans and the fans meant something to the wrestlers
I don’t know why but from the first time I went to a WWF card (age 12) I was obsessed with Greg The Hammer Valentine. I made a huge Valentine sign and used to parade around the floor with it at maple leaf gardens. He was just so mean, had such great robes, and the figure 4 just seemed so brutal and efficient. Great wrestler and was amazing at getting beat up too... that one where he’d just fall over flat on his face.. so cool. Never dull or stale, just cool and mean. My fav from day 1.
I really appreciate Greg's perspective, hell of a worker and a nice guy.
How did the Hammer never tag with the Anvil? What a team they would have been.
or tag team him with a Russian and call it the Hammer and Sickle
That would have been awesome!!!
@@fredcasdensworld Good call!
I love listening to your memories and how honest you are about your feelings. You remind me of guys I've been friends with. They were tough son of a guns and I can tell you are rock hard. God bless.
A member of "The King's Court" at the 1989 WWF Survivor Series, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.
100% agree with Hammer that calling it in the ring works better, but most guys even back then didn't have the mind for it like him.