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Who was the biggest? Ric Flair or Randy Savage?

  • Ric Flair

    Votes: 27 60.0%
  • Randy Savage

    Votes: 18 40.0%
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Who was the biggest star in his prime? Ric Flair or Randy Savage?

10K views 45 replies 30 participants last post by  Brye 
#1 ·
Savage was bigger right?
 
#5 · (Edited)
Re: Who was the biggest comparbly in his prime? Ric Flair or Randy Savage?



NO!!!!!!no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no.

STOP the Savage love fest.

More proof the WWF and the internet have brainwashed a generation.

Guys Savage was great, I loved him, followed his career, watched him live before he "made it" in small town gyms. But bigger than Flair? Heck NO! Flair was The man, he was the standard by which all wrestlers aspire.

Honestly Savage was white hot, until the WWF decided to let him wear the cowboy hat. I know that sounds absurd but the little things well they matter. I was there I saw it happen. I watched him turn from crazed lunatic fringe edgy heel/face to cartoon character, with one wardrobe choice. The hat well, it just made him into a clown. But with or without the cowboy hat he was never, and I mean never in Flair's league.

The same people who vote for Savage in this poll would vote for Bruno as GOAT in other polls
 
#16 · (Edited)
Wow, that's really hard to answer. Ric Flair was one of the greatest draws in every territory he wrestled and sold out a lot in his Top matches, after that drew huge PPVs with Vader, Sting, Hogan and Savage himself, not only on TV but on the road. The Savage/Flair program in 96 started the string of big gates in WCW even before The Outsiders. Randy Savage himself was a huge star and drawing act in and out, mainstream personality for a lot of reasons, movies, and the iconic Slim Jim commercials. Also had one of the best, greatest and most successful programs in wrestling history with Hogan as The Mega Powers and drew huge PPV and on the road, one of, if not THE most impressive PPV buyrate in wrestling history for WM5. Hogan said a lot of times that he drew the most money with Macho Man. Along with that plenty of all-time memorable programs with Jake Roberts, Ultimate Warrior, DDP, Hogan in WCW and of course his interaction with Elizabeth. The best couple in the history of the industry. At his peak, Savage was probably bigger but it's really close.

In terms of overall performance, I will put Flair above Savage in terms of charisma and mic work, but don't get me wrong, Savage is Top 10 of all time in every aspect, it's just that Flair is the second most charismatic and best mic worker of all time after The Rock. I will put Randy above Flair in terms of a larger than life character and presence. It's almost impossible to take one. In the list of position, I will put Flair Top 4, Rock/Hogan, Austin, Flair. With Savage Top 7-8. You can make the argument for both.
 
#18 ·
This is a very good post.

Savage vs. Flair head-on is a tricky question, because you're effectively comparing the second-biggest legitimate star and powerhouse draw of the Rock and Wrestling Era for WWE behind only Hulk Hogan against the guy who spearheaded the NWA and was a consummate draw and performer throughout decades outside of WWE.

As such, I don't think there's any question whatsoever that at his peak, Savage almost obliterates Flair. Seriously. Savage was massive, a pop culture icon that surpasses Flair. Hell, "Macho Man" Randy Savage to this day remains something of a household name. Not to say Flair isn't nearly at that level. He's pretty close himself but Savage reached mainstream superstardom in a way that almost dwarfs Flair. Again, it's a tricky question. Flair had the greater overall career, the more legendary matches and experiences in multiple companies, territories, his career spanned such a long period of time and he's such a singular legend in the history of professional wrestling... Flair to me is the bigger legend, but all other things equal, Savage remains the bigger star. Again, the question is about who was the biggest star in their respective primes, and if we're going to be faithful to the question, I don't think there's any question that Savage was.

To put things into perspective, Savage was able to headline sold out house shows on his own over the Intercontinental Championship in 1990 and 1991. Even during days when in terms of the product he was utterly overshadowed by Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, Savage remained a superlative draw and the second-biggest star of a generation in WWE.

Flair, meanwhile, remains the bigger legend. Particularly the bigger legend to wrestling fans. Every fan of wrestling that goes back any period of time is someone who knows Ric Flair. Deeply. And Flair was an international powerhouse. He could draw against any big name, anywhere.

So, ultimately, this is like comparing Jack Nicholson with Tom Cruise or something like that to me. Cruise/Savage penetrated mainstream popular culture to the maximum in the 1980s and remained enormous stars of their respective industries for a long, long period of time. But Nicholson/Flair date back quite a bit longer, were in smaller movies/territories, etceteras, have a deeper emotional connection, one could argue, with at least a couple of generations of cinema/wrestling fans, and are highly regarded as practically peerless among the stars of their eras-spanning stardom and success. Again, an extremely rough analogy. And I'm not talking about talent vs. talent here, just their career arcs and everything.

But really, at his peak, Savage was the truly bigger star, he had to be. Rock and Wrestling was a monstrous era for WWE and kids all across the country play-acted battles between Hogan and Savage for a few years in there the way teenagers in the Attitude Era spoke of Rock vs. Austin.

Of course, Flair as an attraction in WWE circa 1991-1992 actually surpasses Savage, because as WWE's front office recognized, Flair was already a legendary star from elsewhere, and would attract many wrestling fans outside the WWE wheelhouse. It's a key reason why Flair vs. Hogan was the ultimate dream match of that time period, the true legend still in his prime vs. legend still in his prime crème de la crème iconic match that went beyond everything else in the entire American professional wrestling industry. Unfortunately, through a bunch of mishaps and missed opportunities, it never came to be in WWE.
 
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#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Randy Savage was and still is more popular than flair. Savage was bigger than the likes of Rock, Cena, Goldberg etc.
Are you kidding?

No! not even close. Savage was not as big as ANY of these guys. Come on man!

They where both big for who they worked for, Ric Flair carried the nwa on his back for years and was huge, and Randy Savage along with Hulk Hogan where the two main guys for Vince, once again they where both huge in their prime.

Savage might just take it for me, big Flair fan but Savage had the more mainstream name back in his prime.
I can understand your point of view, being from the UK. But in the United States, Flair was second to NO ONE! This maybe the real problem here. So many of the posters on this board are from other countries outside the States. Wrestling history to them took place pretty much in the WWF during the 80-90's. They do not understand that in America the NWA was every bit the WWF's equal for a very long period of time.
 
#17 ·
Flair takes it, I think so at least. Savage was on the top of the WWF but at times he was only second to Hogan while Flair excellend and was the top of almost every territory there was around at the time, if not all of them which obviously says something about him and his star power at the time. He was second to none.
 
#19 ·
Hard to answer this, simply because they didn't have the same careers and their timelines don't sync up. Flair was in the NWA for years before hitting the national stage in the late 80's, and then entering the WWF. Savage made his impact in the WWF and became a mega star, second only to Hulk Hogan. If Hogan was the Stone Cold of the 80's/early 90's, then Savage was The Rock, in terms of popularity and exposure.

First thing I did when I saw this thread was ask myself, Who became the bigger household name? I think if you walked out on the street and asked anyone who the Macho Man was, they'd know who he was. Ric Flair? I don't think that's as easy of a task.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Because at the end of the day the business, is a business. It is about drawing power. If you cannot put butts in seats you are in for a short career.

I am not taking away from guys with ahletic ability, that is certainly a key component, but only as important as phychology, or talking people into the building.

I also understand what you were trying to say, I think Vyed does not understand just how big Flair was in the 70's and 80's. He was easily a bigger star than Savage. Savage was never able to put people in seats like Flair....never.

The fans determine who is great with their money. It has been that way since day one.

Savage is a top 20 star, Flair is one of the two or thee greatest ever.

BTW if you had grown up in the 70's you would reconsider your statement about Cruise being a bigger star than Jack, you might be right but it is closer than you think. It is funny though considering this post. Cruise will never be considered Jack's equal in acting skill, but he probably has sold more tickets.
 
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#34 ·
Sorry
Saw now only

Ctrl(A,X and V) must have gone wrong-So two wrestlers didn't come

One guy did say Flair>Rock
I don't agree
But it's opinion


Ask Tommy Dreamer,who is the fourth greatest?
He ll give his message to you not in public,but in private
Dude, nobody you posted said anything about Flair > Rock.

Devon simply said "Rick", Kevin Kelly just said "Ric Flair".

Goldberg did say that Austin > Rock. Not trying to be funny but I got better things to do then to ask wrestler's who's the number 4 wrestler.
 
#33 ·
It's possible that Savage was more recognisable, what with the Slim Jim adverts and all. But Flair has more name recognition and the bigger legacy.
 
#36 ·
I choose Savage cause I worshipped him as a kid. He was on another level.

Flair is one of the most overated and I don't say that lightly. His overly generous booking really inflated his superstardom. He was still the man though back in the day.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Savage might be as big of a name than Flair (bigger in mainstream) but you can't deny the fact that Flair was The man of NWA/WCW and that for almost a decade. Savage never got away from being in the shadow of Hogan unfortunately. So in my view Flair was the biggest star of the two. Nonetheless Flair shouldn;t be much higher on the list though.
 
#40 ·
Bigger to who?

Flair was bigger to wrestling fans overall, probably, as he was the man in his company while Savage was #2. Flair was also big before Savage got big. Flair was definitely bigger in the south, no question.

Savage was bigger to non-wrestling fans and casual fans who were more likely to know WWF guys than NWA/WCW guys. Savage had a more over the top personna and was on slim jim commercials all the time, and had action figures in stores.....he was bigger to that segment.
 
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