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Lanny Poffo

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Lanny Poffo
Poffo in 2014
Birth nameLanny Mark Poffo
Born(1954-12-28)December 28, 1954[1]
Calgary, Alberta,Canada
DiedFebruary 2, 2023(2023-02-02)(aged 68)
New York City,U.S.
Parent(s)Angelo Poffo(father)
FamilyRandy Savage(brother)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Genius[2]
Lanny Poffo
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[3]
Billed weight236 lb (107 kg)[3]
Billed fromDowners Grove, Illinois[2]
Trained byAngelo Poffo
Debut1974
Retired2020

Lanny Mark Poffo(December 28, 1954 – February 2, 2023) better known by hisring names"Leaping"Lanny Poffoandthe Genius,was a Canadian-Americanprofessional wrestler,motivational speaker, poet, and actor. Poffo was a second generation professional wrestler, his father beingAngelo Poffo.His brotherMacho Man Randy Savagewas also a professional wrestler.

Early life[edit]

Poffo was born inCalgary, Alberta,Canada, toAngelo Poffo,anItalian AmericanCatholic,and Judy (Sverdlin) Poffo, aJewish-AmericanofBelarusianandLithuanian descent.[4][5]He was the younger brother of"Macho Man" Randy Savageand grew up inDowners Grove, Illinois.

Professional wrestling career[edit]

Early career (1974–1979)[edit]

Poffo made his debut in 1974, losing toWayne Cowanin the opening match of an All-South Wrestling Alliance card held inAtlanta,Georgia, on April 16.[6]Poffo remained in the promotion for several months, defeating Cowan in a rematch and also gaining a win over The Great Fuji. On a card on July 9, 1974, in Atlanta he teamed with his father Angelo Poffo for the first time, defeating the veteran teamThe Royal Kangaroos.[7]

Still in his rookie year, Poffo and his father then headed toBig Time Wrestling,one of the varied promotions affiliated with theNational Wrestling Allianceat that time. In their initial match with BTW, Lanny and Angelo lost by disqualification toLou TheszandMighty Igoron November 30, 1974, at a house show in Detroit, Michigan.[8]They quickly began a house show series against the team ofBobo BrazilandFred Curry.The two wrestled as heels, with Angelo Poffo wearing a graduation gown and cap similar to the attire Lanny later adopted in the WWF.[9]That year they won theNWA World Tag Team Championship,[10]and the father/son duo held it until 1975 with successful defenses overThe Mongolsand Brazil and Curry.[11]While still tag-team champions, the Poffos moved on to theSt. Louis Wrestling Cluband continued to defend their championship. In 1975 they lost the title and returned to Big Time Wrestling.

1976 found Lanny wrestling primarily in singles matches in BTW,NWA Western States,and the St. Louis Wrestling Club. On May 29, 1976, Lanny received his first shot at theNWA World Heavyweight Championship,losing a televised match toTerry FunkonWrestling at the Chase.[12]He then defeated wrestlers such as Don Red Cloud, Raoul Guzman, and Gary Fulton. Lanny moved toJim Crockett'sMid Atlantic Championship Wrestlingin July 1976, and for the first time began teaming with his brother Randy Poffo (Randy Savage). The Poffo Brothers immediately began touring on the MACW house show circuit, defeating such teams as Johnny Eagle and Manuel Soto orDanny MillerandJohnny Weaverfor the remainder of the year.

With his brother Randy having departed MACW after February, Lanny proceeded into 1977 as a singles wrestler once more. After gaining victories over George Rossi, Herb Gallant, andLeroy Rochester,Poffo gained another shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when he faced off againstHarley Raceat an event in Chattanooga on February 4, 1978. This time Lanny wrestled the champion to a draw.[13]

In April 1978, Poffo moved on toEmile Duprée'sAtlantic Grand Prix Wrestlingwhich had a weekly television spot on the Maritime region'sCTV-affiliatedATVsystem and toured the Maritimes doing shows seven days per week with some days hosting two shows in two different towns. That year, he became the first ever AGPW International Heavyweight Champion.[14]On May 23, 1978, he wrestled his brother (now known as Randy Savage) for the very first time, defeating him by disqualification at an event held inTruro, Nova Scotia.Savage later defeated his brother for the title, which they traded in 1978 and 1979.[14]On July 18, 1978, their final title match ended in a draw at a show in Hartland, New Brunswick.[15]

Poffo next moved to NWA affiliatePacific Northwest Wrestlingand made his debut on November 16, 1979, when he wrestled Kurt von Steiger to a draw at an event in Portland, Oregon. He faced a variety of opponents in PNW, includingAdrian Adonis,Hiro Ota,andTully Blanchard.[16]On February 22, 1979, he unsuccessfully challenged NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionRoddy Piper.[17]Following a defeat toGene Kiniskithe next month, he departed the promotion.[18]

International Championship Wrestling (1979–1984)[edit]

In 1978, Lanny's father Angelo foundedInternational Championship Wrestling(ICW), an "outlaw" rival to NWA affiliatesSoutheastern Championship WrestlingandNWA Mid-America.Eventually Angelo further expanded and signed talent away from theWorld Wrestling AssociationandJerry Jarrett'sContinental Wrestling Association(CWA), forming a strong rivalry with the other territories. It was into the maelstrom that Lanny Poffo entered in the summer of 1979 as he jumped to his father's promotion. He became a star in ICW and eventually became the promotion's champion, where he wrestled with and againstRandy Savage.The two brothers dominated the ICW Heavyweight Championship, and over the next six years, the only other wrestler to hold it wasPaul Christy.Lanny remained a mainstay of the promotion until it folded in 1984.[19]

Mid-South Wrestling (1984)[edit]

Shortly before the dissolution of ICW, Lanny began making appearances inBill Watts'Mid South Wrestling.His first matches came on October 12, 1983, when he defeatedArt CrewsandDoug Vinesat a MSW television taping in Shreveport.[18]In December he formed a team withRick Rudeand began ahouse showseries withThe Midnight Expressthat carried through January 1984. Lanny then moved back into singles competition and wrestledBuddy Landellin numerous matches.[20]

Continental Wrestling Association (1984–1985)[edit]

On June 18, 1984, Lanny joined his brother Randy Savage who had jumped to theContinental Wrestling Association(CWA), defeatingBart BattenandJohnny Wilhoitat an event in Memphis. They almost immediately entered into a feud withThe Rock 'n' Roll Express,a series that lasted throughout the summer. On October 1, 1984, he unsuccessfully challenged CWA International Heavyweight ChampionEddie Gilbert.That winter Poffo and Savage moved on to a house show series against Gilbert andTommy Rich.[20]In January 1985, they entered a tournament to crown the AWA Southern Tag-Team Champions, but were defeated byThe Internsin the semi-finals.[21]In the spring, they began a feud with AWA Southern ChampionsThe Fabulous Ones,but were unable to capture the title. In June 1985, his brother departed for theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF), and Lanny was soon signed to a contract there as well.

World Wrestling Federation (1985–1992)[edit]

"Leaping" Lanny Poffo (1985–1989)[edit]

Poffo debuted in theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF) on June 21, 1985 at Madison Square Garden defeatingTerry Gibbs.Although both Poffo brothers joined the WWF at the same point, their relationship was never acknowledged by the promotion. While Lanny was not a headlining WWF star like his brother, he initially built a niche for himself wrestling as a babyface. In his first role as "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, he would bringfrisbeesto the ring, read a short poem written on one of them that he himself had penned, and then throw the frisbees into the crowd. Each poem typically ridiculed theheelwho he was about to wrestle, or builtheatin favor of thefacewith whom the heel was feuding at the time.[3]

Lanny was initially undefeated in the WWF, defeating opponents such asMr. X,Rene Goulet,Terry Gibbs, Barry O, andMoondog Spot.He suffered his first defeat on July 27 edition of Championship Wrestling, teaming with Keith Diamond in a loss toThe Iron SheikandNikolai Volkoff.This presages a series of losses toJesse Ventura,Big John Studd,andThe Missing Link.[22]During his early career in the WWF, he was not a main-eventer and wrestled primarily as enhancement talent on television shows. Rather than beingsquashedlike mostjobbersat the time, he displayed a greater amount of offense in his matches. He found great success on house shows, where he continued to defeat other undercard wrestlers. Poffo performed an agile, athletic, high-flying style at a time when big, heavy power wrestlers still dominated the promotion. He was one of the first wrestlers in North America to use moves like the Senton Bomb and themoonsault,[3]though commentators of the time referred to the latter as a "leaping backflip".

He made his firstSaturday Night's Main Eventappearance on October 5, 1985, when he recited a poem at the wedding ofUncle Elmer.Entering 1986, he continued to be highly competitive against lower-level opposition, reeling off house show or televised victories over Terry Gibbs, Barry O, Rene Goulet,Tiger Chung LeeandS. D. Jones,between losses toHercules,andJim Neidhart.[23]Lanny attained some infamy in late 1986 and early 1987 by competing in a series ofBunkhouse Battle Royalsin full knight's armor.[19]He also is noted for competing in a Battle Royal onSaturday Night's Main Event Xat theJoe Louis Arenain Detroit in 1987, where he was headbutted and eliminated byAndré the Giant,causing him to bleed heavily all over the floor and have to be carried out on astretcher.André, in his first televised match as a heel, had accidentally caught Poffo on the bridge of the nose with his headbutt and stitches were required to close the resulting wound.

In February 1987, he participated in another famous angle, teaming with The Can-Am Connection against Adorable Adrian Adonis and The Dream Team. During the match, Adonis accidentally cut the hair of Brutus Beefcake, leading to the latter's face turn and assumption of "The Barber" gimmick. Poffo and the Can-Ams won this WWF Superstars of Wrestling match by pinfall.[24]

In January 1988, Lanny defeatedSikathe Savage Samoan on a series of upsets, and during the following month he began a lengthy house show series with the newly heel-turnedDan Spivey.Poffo continued to receive a strong push against lower-level competition likeBarry Horowitz,but was unable to break through as a top tier member of the roster. He entered a house show series with Jim Neidhart following the temporary dissolution of The Hart Foundation, but was unsuccessful in these contests. His fortunes changed somewhat later in the summer when he feuded with "Dangerous" Danny Davis on the house show circuit, pinning Davis on multiple occasions. Entering the fall of 1988 he faced numerous preliminary opponents and embarked on a lengthy winning streak, defeatingBarry Horowitz,Sandy Beach, and George Skaaland. He continued to compete against opening card talent for the remainder of the year and was largely successful.[25]

Poffo began 1989 with a loss toIron Mike Sharpeat a house show on January 1 inWest Palm Beach, Florida,and this was followed by a televised defeat on January 13 inBostonto The Brooklyn Brawler. After a smattering of wins, he then lost toConquistador No. 1on February 20, 1989, inWorcester, MA.These were followed by a pair of defeats to Tim Horner in March 1989.[26]

The Genius (1989–1992)[edit]

On March 18, 1989, Poffo turned heel. He berated the local Boston sports teams, insulting them in his poetry, and instantly drew heat from the Boston crowd. He was subsequently reintroduced as "The Genius", a highly intelligent,[3]arrogant heel who wore an academic cap and gown to the ring. After weeks of giving poetry as The Genius, he had his debut against Sonny Rodgers and defeated him. His poems now ridiculed the face wrestlers, and he adopted an exaggerated effeminate, showboating manner, similar to that employed byGorgeous George,to draw heat from the crowd. He began a house show series againstJim Powersthat spring and embarked on a lengthy winning streak. That summer he moved on to feud with Powers' formerThe Young StallionspartnerPaul Romaand was also victorious. His first pinfall loss under his new heel persona came on August 12, toKoko B. Wareat a house show in Richfield, Ohio.

The Genius was featured onWWF Superstarsduring the coronation of Randy Savage as the new "King of the WWF"; Lanny read the proclamation for his real-life brother. He continued to win in his house show series with Koko B Ware and at the same time began to serve as "executive consultant" (and occasional tag team partner) forMr. Perfect.[27]

On November 5, 1989 atSaturday Night's Main Event XXIV,The Genius facedWWF World Heavyweight ChampionHulk Hoganand spent much of the match taunting Hogan and drawing heat from the crowd with his absurd antics. Several minutes into the match, Mr. Perfect appeared at ringside where he goaded Hogan and defaced the championship belt by sticking chewing gum on it. During the match, Hogan tossed The Genius outside the ring, subsequently Mr. Perfect attended to the Genius. Hogan followed him outside the ring, and then threw The Genius back into the ring. With Hogan's back to Mr. Perfect and the referee was distracted, Mr. Perfect struck him with the championship belt and putting him down for the count out. Later in the show, Mr. Perfect and The Genius destroyed the stolen belt with a hammer. This was the first time in 21 months (since a loss toAndré the GiantatThe Main Event) that Hogan lost on WWF television.[26]

The Genius had his first televised defeat when he teamed with Mr. Perfect against WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan and Intercontinental ChampionThe Ultimate Warrioron the January 29, 1990 episode ofPrime Time Wrestling.That winter he entered a house show series againstJim Neidhartand was generally victorious here as well. He made his first PPV appearance at the1990 Royal Rumbleand wrestledBrutus Beefcaketo a double disqualification after "The Barber" began cutting his hair and Hennig interfered.

In March, The Genius lost at house shows to Jim Neidhart. He also teamed with Hennig in losing efforts against Hulk Hogan and various partners. AtWrestleMania VI,he had his hair cut by Brutus Beefcake after Mr. Perfect was pinned. Shortly afterWrestleMania VI,Bobby Heenanbecame Mr. Perfect's manager. The Genius then feuded with Brutus Beefcake and took to wearing wigs and amateur wrestling headgear to cover the haircut that "The Barber" had given him.[28]

By the summer of 1990, The Genius had lost his feud with Beefcake and started to move back down the card. In June he renewed his house show series with Koko B. Ware; this time, "The Birdman" dominated on shows around the country. The feud continued through the summer and achieved national visibility on the August 27, 1990, edition of Prime Time, where Ware defeated The Genius on television. Poffo made a guest appearance on the October 13, 1990, episode ofSaturday Night's Main Event XXVIII,participating in Oktoberfest activities along withThe Hart Foundation, Jim Duggan,Mr. Fuji,andThe Orient Express.That winter he engaged in opening match contests withDustin Rhodes,Shane DouglasandJim Brunzell.

After being on sabbatical for several months, The Genius returned in April 1991, wrestling Greg Valentine, Jim Duggan, and Bret Hart. He also participated in the joint WWF/SWStour and faced Jim Powers on each show. On June 26, 1991, he scored a major upset victory in his comeback when he defeated Jim Duggan at a house show in Lansing, MI. On the September 7, 1991, edition of WWF Superstars he became the manager ofThe Beverly Brothers(Mike EnosandWayne Bloom).[citation needed]Unlike during his time Mr. Perfect's manager, he generally remained on the sidelines for much of the remainder of 1991 and wrestled very sporadically.[29]

In December 1991, The Genius teamed with The Beverly Brothers in six-man matches againstThe Bushwhackersand Jim Neidhart. In the1992 Royal Rumble,he managed The Beverly Brothers to a win over The Bushwhackers. He also continued to occasionally wrestle, and picked up a televised win overBrian Costelloon the July 6 episode ofPrime Time Wrestlingand wrestled house show matches against Jim Brunzell,Virgil,andBob Bradley.On the August 28 episode, he teamed with the Beverly Brothers in an unsuccessful effort againstThe Legion of DoomandPaul Ellering.AtSummerSlam 92,the Beverlys lost toThe Natural Disastersin aWWF Tag Team Championship.He continued to manage them until the1992 Survivor Series[30]before being released in December 1992.

Late career (1993–1999, 2005–2020)[edit]

Poffo wrestlingKoko B. Warein 2010

After a six-month break, Poffo returned to action in June 1993 and joinedWorld Wrestling Superstarson a tour of Germany where he was matched againstDemolition Ax.He worked later that year for theInternational Championship Wrestling Allianceand wrestledManny Fernandez,Jeff Bradley,andBrutus Beefcake.In December 1993 he appeared forAnvil Promotionsand Johnny West,B. Brian Blair,andAl Hardimon.On March 12, 1994, he traveled to Brantford, Connecticut, to faceThe Warlord.[31]

After a nineteen-month absence from the WWF, Poffo returned in May 1994, defeatingKoko B. Wareon two house shows in Florida. His final WWF match was a loss toMabelon June 11 at an event inRichmond, Virginia.[32]

Poffo signed aWCWcontract in 1995, but may have wrestled only once during his time there (two sites record him as having defeated a preliminary wrestler in a dark match at aWCW Saturday Nighttaping on October 14, 1997, in Fort Myers, Florida).[33][34]In a later shoot interview, Poffo explained that he was contacted by his brother (Randy Savage), who was wrestling in WCW at the time, with the guarantee of a contract. Savage, who had purchased theGorgeous Georgegimmick, offered the character to Poffo, feeling that his brother would generate heat as a heel. Poffo signed the contract with WCW, began an intense training regimen, and bleached his hair blonde in preparation for his return to the ring. As he recalled, despite being under contract for five years and receiving regular paychecks, he was never contacted with any bookings. His own repeated calls to the office went unreturned, and he was simply never used by WCW. Ultimately, Savage gave the Gorgeous George moniker to his then-girlfriend and valetStephanie Bellars.

After a six-year sabbatical from professional wrestling, Poffo returned to be a part of Wrestle Reunion inTampa, Florida,on January 28–30, 2005, and defeated"The Royal Stud" Adam Windsorat that event.[35]

Poffo's Hall of Fame induction speech on behalf of his brother

He also wrestled in Canada as part of the Supershow later known as Great North Wrestling from 2007 to 2008 inOttawa,PembrokeandHawkesbury,Ontario. Later Great North worked inThunder Bayin 2009 and New Brunswick in fall of 2010. Sometimes Poffo teamed withThe Honky Tonk Manand feuded withHannibal.

Poffo has toured the East Coast of Canada with UCW, wrestling inPrince Edward Islandand Nova Scotia. After that tour, Poffo also wrestled in Poland and Florida, as well as a show in England.

On September 3, 2011, Poffo won a 25-man battle royal for the vacated Great North Wrestling Canadian Championship in Hawkesbury, Ontario. He dropped to title to Jeremy Prophet three weeks later in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick.

On May 6, 2012, in Reading, Pennsylvania, Poffo teamed with JD Smooth for a disqualification loss to "Pretty Ugly" in Regional Championship Wrestling's Rumblemania 8.

On March 28, 2015, Poffo returned to WWE at the2015 Hall of Fameinduction ceremony to induct his late brother,Randy Savage.[36]He read poems and shared memories of Savage, before representing him the next day with the other inductees atWrestleMania 31

On September 1, 2018, Poffo appeared atAll IninHoffman Estates, Illinois,accompanying "Black Machismo"Jay Lethalas Lethal successfully defended theROH World ChampionshipagainstFlip Gordon.[37]Lanny also appeared onROHtelecasts announcing the action, doing commentary from ringside using his extended vocabulary that he made famous during his Leaping Lanny days of the past.

Poffo wrestled his last match on March 5, 2020, at The Reena Rumble in Toronto, alongside wrestlers Papa Shango, Virgil, Brooklyn Brawler and local stars The Megan Boys Buck Gunderson and Mysterion the mind reader.[38]

Personal life and death[edit]

Poffo was married and had a daughter named Meghan from whom he had grandchildren.[39][5]

Poffo began living in Ecuador in October 2020.[40]

Outside wrestling, Poffo published two books. One is a collection of poems[41]andlimericks,most of which were related to drug andalcoholawareness, directed toward young children. Poffo was a vocal opponent of tobacco smoking and also published an anti-smoking book of limericks entitledLimericks from the Heart and Lungs!.[42]He appeared ininfomercialsas an endorser ofTony Little's Gazelle Freestyle exercise machine, and was a certified credit counselor and motivational speaker.

In March 2013, Poffo played a K9 police officer in the Investigation Discovery network'sI (Almost) Got Away With It.

In 2018, Poffo released a biographical comic through Squared Circle Comics, titledThe Genius Lanny Poffo.

On September 3, 2018, Poffo, alongside JP Zarka of ProWrestlingStories.com, launched a weekly podcast titledThe Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo.The podcast featured 20 episodes including interviews withHacksaw Jim Duggan,Terry Funk,B. Brian Blair,Fred Ottman,Sean Waltman,Jeff Jarrett,Molly Holly,"Eugene"Nick Dinsmore,"Hustler"Rip Rogers,Kevin Kelly,Bill Apter,Outback Jack,Keith Elliot Greenberg, Sean Oliver, Evan Ginzburg,Alicia Atout,and more. The show ended its run on January 21, 2019.

Death[edit]

On February 2, 2023,Jim Duggan,a longtime personal friend of the Poffo family, revealed that Poffo had died inNew York Cityat the age of 68.Dave Meltzerrevealed the cause of death to beheart failure.[43][44][45]

Championships and accomplishments[edit]

1The ICW United States Tag Team Championship is referred to as the ICW World Tag Team Championship in some publications.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Lanny Poffo profile".Online World of Wrestling.RetrievedNovember 16,2009.
  2. ^ab"OWW profile".OWW.January 13, 2015.RetrievedAugust 10,2020.
  3. ^abcdeShields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009).WWE Encyclopedia.Dorling Kindersley.p.182.ISBN978-0-7566-4190-0.
  4. ^Scheiber, Dave (December 27, 2001)."A wrestling dynasty".St. Petersburg Times.Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2002.
  5. ^abGoldstein, Marty (July 1, 2022)."Family Matters To Lanny Poffo".Slam! Wrestling.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
  6. ^"ASWA « Events Database".CAGEMATCH.Archived fromthe originalon March 1, 2015.
  7. ^"Matches « Lanny Poffo « Wrestlers Database".CAGEMATCH.Archivedfrom the original on March 30, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  8. ^"BTW « Events Database".CAGEMATCH.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  9. ^Bateman, Oliver Lee (February 3, 2023)."Lanny Poffo Was a Wrestling Genius".The Ringer.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2023.RetrievedApril 11,2009.
  10. ^"NWA World Tag Team Championship. Titles Database".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  11. ^"Matches « Lanny Poffo « Wrestlers Database «".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  12. ^"NWA St. Louis Wrestling At The Chase « Events Database «".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  13. ^"NWA Mid-America « Events Database".CAGEMATCH.Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2020.
  14. ^ab"AGPW International Heavyweight Championship".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  15. ^"AGPW".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  16. ^"Matches. Lanny Poffo".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  17. ^"PNW".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  18. ^ab"Matches. Lanny Poffo".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  19. ^ab"Home".NZPWI.Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2008.
  20. ^ab"Matches. Lanny Poffo".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  21. ^"CWA «Events Database«".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  22. ^"1985".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  23. ^"1986".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  24. ^"1987".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  25. ^"1988".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  26. ^ab"1989".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  27. ^"Lanny Poffo Interview Recap from WrestlingEpicenter.com".Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2012.
  28. ^"1990".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  29. ^"1991".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  30. ^"1992".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  31. ^"Matches « Genius « Wrestlers Database".CAGEMATCH.Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2015.
  32. ^"1994".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  33. ^"WCW 1997".thehistoryofwwe.com.January 16, 2023.
  34. ^"WCW Saturday Night TV Taping «Events Database«".CAGEMATCH.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  35. ^"WrestleReunion « Events Database".CAGEMATCH.Archived fromthe originalon August 25, 2014.
  36. ^Beaston, Erik (March 29, 2015)."WWE Hall of Fame 2015: Grading Inductee Speeches, Top Highlights and More".The Bleacher Report.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2023.
  37. ^Gagnon, Joshua (September 1, 2018).""All In" Results: Cody Rhodes Faces Nick Aldis For The NWA Title, Kenny Omega Vs. Pentagon Jr ".Wrestling Inc.RetrievedOctober 2,2018.
  38. ^"Annual Report 2019-2020"(PDF).Reena.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 23, 2023.
  39. ^Oliver, Greg(February 2, 2023)."Lanny Poffo Dead At 68".Slam! Wrestling.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
  40. ^Poffo, Lanny (January 10, 2023)."A&E Biography of Randy Savage – Lanny Poffo Responds".Pro Wrestling Stories.RetrievedApril 21,2023.
  41. ^"Lanny Poffo Interview | BLANKMANinc".Blankman Inc.July 20, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2018.RetrievedMay 30,2018.
  42. ^Amazon.com: Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!)
  43. ^Angel Aramboles (February 2, 2023)."Former WWE star" The Genius "Lanny Poffo has passed away".WrestlingNews.co.RetrievedFebruary 2,2023.
  44. ^@RealHacksawJim (February 2, 2023)."With a very, very heavy heart, I've been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius. RIP Lanny"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  45. ^Paul Guzzo (February 3, 2023)."Lanny Poffo, former WWE star and longtime Tampa Bay resident, has died".Tampa Bay Times.RetrievedFebruary 3,2023.
  46. ^AGPW International Heavyweight Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  47. ^NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  48. ^ICW Southeastern Heavyweight Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  49. ^ICW World Tag Team Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  50. ^ICW World Heavyweight Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  51. ^NWA World Tag Team Title (Detroit) historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  52. ^NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com
  53. ^NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title historyAt wrestling-titles.com

External links[edit]

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