Macho Man Randy Savage Left WWE For One Major Reason
Once Randy Savage left WWE following the expiration of his contract in 1994, it didn't take long for the Macho Man to resurface. Savage made his final WWE television appearance on October 31 and, one week later on the November 7 edition of "WWE Raw," Vince McMahon issued a heartfelt address to the fans and Savage himself. That was that, it seemed, as Savage went on to make his WCW debut on December 3 of that same year during an episode of "WCW Saturday Night."
In the years that followed, it was unclear as to whether or not tensions behind the scenes ultimately led to the split between Savage and McMahon. As it happens, that was not necessarily the case. In this particular situation, it was simply a matter of Savage and McMahon wanting to go in different directions. The Macho Man wasn't ready to step away from in-ring action on a full-time basis.
Savage and WWE Wanted Different Things
While the original video is no longer available, Savage told IGN back in 2000 that he didn't want to step into the commentator role full-time and retire just yet. At the time, that is precisely what WWE wanted him to do (via Bleacher Report).
"They wanted me to do the commentary thing, which I will want to do someday," Savage said. "But I just wasn't ready to take off my boots at that point. I'm glad I didn't. It wasn't anything but an attitude, or a direction, which the WWF was going, and they proved me to be 100% correct in where they were going, because they had a vision in where they were going. But at the same time, it didn't work for me at that time. And I'm glad I made the move that I did, looking back, because I just wasn't ready to do that. I have to do things because I want to, not because I have to."
Unfortunately, that "commentary thing" never came to be. Savage made his final WCW appearance on May 3, 2000, and didn't make another before the company folded the following year. He wound up joining TNA Wrestling in 2004 but left less than a month later following a disagreement, and in 2011, Savage tragically passed away. WWE inducted the Macho Man into their Hall of Fame in 2015.