Original subtitles

- You are nothing but a coward with no sense

in the world to step your feet right in here.

- Randy and Jake happened to be two

of the greatest performers that ever walked into a ring.

- Look at that.

- This is not a game.

- That is not supposed to happen.

- From the top rope.

- You've got the people on their feet.

No two guys could do it better.

- You're down, and defeated, and destroyed.

- You don't play with the Snake without getting bit.

- Jake, he had that evil, mean streak.

You could just sense it.

- Save the-- [all screaming]

- After six years, you haven't caught on.

I've always been the Snake you should worry about.

♪

- Jake Roberts understood the psychology of being a villain.

- You crossed that line.

- I'm having to deal with Randy,

who's wanting to kill me.

- Ooh, yeah!

- Jake's nose is broken.

- The only thing that could be left

from a clash like that...

♪

is greatness.

- This rivalry has just escalated into a war.

♪

- When two legends collide,

their rivalry stays pinned in our minds forever.

♪

This is where we break down the legendary stories

behind the greatest rivalries of all time.

♪

I'm Freddie Prinze Jr.,

and this is "WWE Rivals."

- Well, listen. Yeah.

I am gonna tell you something.

You better not trust me. And I'm not gonna trust you.

- Today we'll get to talk about Randy "Macho Man" Savage

and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

- Get on the bandwagon.

Join the Macho Man.

- You're talking about two polar opposites.

You know, like, Macho was pure adrenaline.

And Jake was just-- [low growl]

- Trust me.

Trust me.

- And you still had Liz, you know, as a part of this.

- Right behind that door

is the Macho Man's new manager.

- Oh, my goodness.

- Who's this, some movie star? Who is this?

- To me, it's just a match made in heaven,

from two of the guys who really wanted

to prove a point, who were different from everybody else.

- Jake "The Snake" Roberts,

making his debut here

for the World Wrestling Entertainment.

There it is, a good shot of that very ominous bag.

- Jake had gone by the name

Jake "The Snake" Roberts for years.

But it wasn't until he arrived at WWE

that he started incorporating an actual snake

into his character.

[audience screaming]

- Ahh. - Oh, it comes out, the boa.

Look at the size of it.

Holy mackerel.

- Jake Roberts was a kick ass dude

who suffered for no one.

Would take the time to make you miserable.

- Oh, for God's sakes, Jake Roberts,

what in the world?

Take--get that thing out of here.

- Just take it easy, Gene.

If you're good to me, I'll make sure he's good to you, huh?

- There's a lot of things that make

Jake "The Snake" unique and compelling.

But for me,

it's looking into those eyes.

- It's more shameful to deny fear

than it is to run from danger.

- He was, like, one of the best interviews

because in an era of people that screamed,

[lowers voice] Jake always just talked.

And you would always find yourself listening to Jake.

- You know, you see, you have a lot of people

that come out here, and they do things.

They say things. They have to come out here

and scream and holler.

I don't have to scream because a long time ago

I learned one thing--

that if a man has enough power,

he can speak softly, and everyone will listen.

So it's much easier that way, isn't it?

- He made sure when he would do his promos,

at the whisper that he would deliver them,

you had to get in close.

And getting in close was scary.

- I've learned a lot in my life,

learned to appreciate beauty,

learned to appreciate myself.

And I've learned to hate

a lot of other things in life, though.

- He went somewhere where no one else

was going at the time.

He went down the deviled road, the darkness.

- He who imitates evil always goes beyond

the example that is set.

On the contrary, he who imitates good

always falls a little bit short.

Well, I've always been a wicked man.

- He was so strong as a character.

He had that evil mean streak that was just all--

you could just sense it about him.

- Putting the boa right on the unconscious

body of "Leaping" Lanny.

Look at that. Give me a break, referee.

Don't let him do that.

♪

- Remember, you don't play with the Snake without getting bit.

- The bad guy for Jake seemed to suit him best.

And the good guy for Randy, I always felt,

seemed to suit him best.

[crowd cheering]

- Savage going to the top.

The Flying Elbow!

Hooks the leg!

It's over! [bell dings]

We have a new champion!

- His charisma just oozed off the screen.

And I just couldn't take my eyes off it.

He was the one that caught my attention in wrestling.

- Mean, get on my good side right now 'cause you're looking

at the world that awaits you. - I always thought

I was on your good-- - You're not on my good side!

- He was a delight to interview because he had a lot of fun

doing it, too, you know?

- Comparatively speaking, to the "Macho Man"

Randy Savage, you are nothing but garbage, yeah.

- It didn't matter what it was.

He'd just pick an object out and turn it

into talking about you.

- This is Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's cup of coffee

in the big time, yeah.

Cup of coffee in the big time.

- The more you watched him,

the cooler he became.

- And took the WWE by storm.

- By storm, yeah!

- Randy was the Macho Man 24/7.

So the authenticity was really obvious.

- He was flamboyant.

He was tough.

He was obviously-- he had that unique voice.

[snaps] [bullet ricocheting]

- Need a little excitement?

Snap into a Slim Jim!

- What indeed makes the Macho Man so macho?

- Mm-hmm. Yeah. - Okay.

- Tell 'em. [laughs] - In fact,

many wanna know what indeed

makes the Macho Man tick.

Now, it could be this lovely young lady, here.

- Elizabeth was unique in her appeal to the audience

because there hadn't been a female manager.

- Well, Gene, I've always had an interest in sports.

But I really just wanted to help Randy in any way

that he needed.

- She was quiet, she was a lady.

and she was a very endearing character.

- Inspire me down that aisle, Elizabeth.

Yeah, inspire me to victory! Yeah!

- He was very protective of her though, very jealous,

it looked like, when I would see her in

the locker room area, or whatever.

He would be ready to jump at anybody

that even got close to her.

- Those eyes right there-- those eyes lust Elizabeth,

you understand that? - Randy, he's not--

- Get out of my face!

- You got lust for Elizabeth right there.

- You know the whole-- [imitating]

"lust in your eyes for Elizabeth,"

that was a shoot.

He was serious.

I mean, he got--it got crazy.

- Ohh, yeah!

[cheers and applause]

That's the, oh, yeah, right there.

You know, turning it on, yeah,

and getting down and getting busy.

♪

- This rivalry started at a strange time

and in a strange way because the WWE had started going

younger with their talent.

And Macho Man found himself,

much like an old Captain America comic,

a man without a country.

♪

Only he was a wrestler without a brand.

- At the beginning of 1991, "Macho Man" Randy Savage

put his career on the line

in a career-versus-career match

with the Ultimate Warrior.

[cheering]

- Another spear by the Warrior!

- Whoever stays, stays.

Whoever leaves, leaves.

- Look at this! It's over! [bell dings]

- Oh, my God! No!

- "Macho Man" Randy Savage would no longer

be an in-ring competitor

and, instead, would become part of the WWE's broadcast team.

- I'm Vince McMahon and with the Hot Rod,

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper,

and the "Macho Man"

Randy Savage. - Ooh, yeah!.

- Randy felt very, very insulted

that they took him out of the ring

and put him in the announcing booth.

He was trying to do what everybody wanted.

But Randy wasn't happy because he wanted to be in the ring.

- If you watch a superstar such as myself,

I might be a superstar for a period of time.

But then I might be gone and be yesterday's

newspaper the next day.

- It's always a challenge when a wrestler steps back

into another role

than the one they grew up dreaming about

because it's not where their heart lies.

- I think everything's copacetic.

But I was just checking my pulse after that--

- He was demoted, so to speak, to the announce table.

What does that do to your brain?

- It just makes you feel like--like you're inadequate,

that you're--you're just-- you're not good enough.

You're all of a sudden second-guessing yourself.

You're going, am I too old?

Am I not moving fast enough?

It can really affect somebody's

self-confidence, for sure.

- I've accepted it. Not really, Toddster.

And you know me, brother. You know what I'm all about.

- I always sensed there was something where

he was waiting to come back again

and--and prove himself again.

I always thought that he was.

I didn't think he was destined to just being an announcer.

♪

- Even though my brother was on the sidelines,

he was featured in programming.

After "WrestleMania VII," Randy proposes

to the lovely Elizabeth.

- Will you marry me?

- [laughs]

- We don't have answer. - He did it!

- We don't have an answer. - He did it, he asked her!

- What about it, Ms. Elizabeth?

[crowd clamoring]

- Ohh, yeah!

- Yee-haw!

- Ohh, yeah!

- Oh, my, the match made in heaven.

Yes, the exchange of nuptials between the "Macho Man"

Randy Savage and the First Lady of the World

Wrestling Entertainment, the lovely Elizabeth.

The world is waiting for that one.

- Now I, in accordance with the authority vested in me,

pronounce that you are husband and wife.

[cheers and applause]

- They were already married.

But it was just done something on camera.

And they draw you into the story.

They can make you cry. I thought it was great.

- We had a very rare thing, which was a wrestling wedding

that went off without a hitch.

But then after the show, they had their reception.

- Raise your glasses high as we toast the new bride

and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Macho.

- Ooh, yeah! [glasses clinking]

[cheering]

- Elizabeth is opening up the presents.

- You know, Liz, this has--this

has got to be a good time.

This is a party, too, right?

- I'm gonna save the ribbon! - Oh, yeah.

- I'm going to save the-- [all screaming]

♪

- Randy Savage and Elizabeth were trying to enjoy

their wedding reception.

And Jake "The Snake" scares the hell out of them

with a snake popping up out of nowhere.

That set off the rivalry.

- Princess. Ah--

- We love Miss Elizabeth.

Everybody loved her.

So it was a genius way to sort of get

the protagonist to fight you.

- Here, huh. Come on.

Come on. - [screams]

- It's one thing for superstars

to go at one another.

It is another thing to go after the first lady of the industry

and the first lady of Macho Man's life.

- Who do you think you are?

- Any danger that was presented towards Liz, all of us felt.

- I can't believe that he did that.

- And it's--and it's Jake.

Jake's this guy. Jake is Lucifer.

And he was the ultimate heel.

Jake was a guy people hated.

- Macho Man was now a full-time commentator.

Now he needs to get to Jake Roberts.

But he really can't.

- He's barred. He can't come back and do something.

The luckiest man alive is Randy "Macho Man" Savage

because, let's be honest with ourselves,

there's nothing he can do about it anyway.

Like it or not, we did what we wanted to do.

And Randy Savage is thanking his lucky stars that he

couldn't do anything about it.

As far as Miss Elizabeth goes,

chivalry is dead, my man.

This is 1991, not 1521.

You're not King Arthur.

And there's no round table.

- What would you do?

Or what would anybody else do

if they were in the same predicament that I am?

- That was the impetus for Randy

to petition the WWE to get him

from behind the commentator's desk

and back into that ring, just so he can get

his hands on Jake "The Snake."

- I'm bearing my inner soul. Get in step.

Reinstate the Macho Man.

- He doesn't get to wrestle anymore.

But the crowd still goes bananas when

he not walks to the ring--

walks to a desk with a headset and a microphone.

And they're cheering as if he's going to wrestle

for the championship.

- And I don't know if they knew they were gonna

get that kind of reaction.

But oh, my God, nobody could have believed how great

that whole situation went.

- I'm very much appreciative of that response,

more than you know.

- Everybody was talking about it.

You couldn't go anywhere.

The people wanted him back.

And Randy never wanted to leave.

♪

- You know, everybody knew Jake was all about the snakes.

And there was always this thought of, what if that thing

out there bit one of the guys?

♪

- The cobra at the wedding, OK.

Is that scary?

Not really.

But it was, OK, a little cheesy.

But, OK, I get it.

- One of the most infamous moments ever

is to see an actual snake attack an actual human being.

- Right.

- I remember hearing what we were going to do.

I'm like, hell yeah, you know?

Hell yeah.

Now we're talking.

♪

Of course, Randy's gotta screw that up

by coming to me an hour before the show

and telling me that a lot of people in WWE

would like his job, and

that he didn't really trust anybody, including me, and,

"Does that snake really have the venom sacs removed?"

[laughs] Yeah.

'Cause I ain't gonna be playing with

the son of a bitch if it hadn't.

"Well, if you're so sure about it,

you need to let that snake bite you first."

Excuse me?

"Yeah, right now.

"Get the snake out.

"Hook it up to you.

I wanna see what happens to you."

♪

What are you saying here?

"Just saying, something's happening

out there, brother, that ain't quite kosher, you know?"

So you're telling me that I'm trying

to set you up to let a cobra bite you,

and you die, and I take your job.

Jesus [bleep], I'm a no-good son of a bitch.

Not a bad idea. [chuckles]

- I guess he thinks Jake's gonna give

a real live cobra to kill him. - Yeah.

- I mean, you think about the other side of this.

This is--it's just as crazy as getting bit by a snake with

no venom to say, I think--

I think Jake Roberts is actually

going to kill me in the ring. - Yes!

♪

- So I had to get the snake out.

And he turned, and got pissed off, and bit me on the leg.

♪

After chewing on my leg, Randy says,

"OK, now sit right there. Don't move.

Don't take nothing." You know?

♪

"OK, a little longer. Stay right there.

"How are you feeling, huh, snake man?

"Are you feeling a little funky?

Hey, does that bother you?" You know?

What the [bleep] you doing, man?

And after he was satisfied, he told me, he said,

"Oh, OK, man.

I think we can do this thing tonight."

I'm like, you're frigging right we are.

♪

- Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

In the bag, the king cobra, no doubt.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts!

- Not wasting no time.

- Jake was tweaking the nose of Randy all the time.

"You coward, you this and that."

- Wait a minute. He's got the microphone in his hand.

- Hey.

Yeah, you with the orange hat up there--

♪

- All right, Randy Savage.

- Talking about me. - Macho Man.

Yeah, you looking at me.

Don't you look real sweet?

- Easy, Mach. - You know something--

- Just ignore the guy, all right?

- There was a time in my life that I almost--

almost looked up to you. - Ignore him.

- But, obviously, he's grown a little soft hiding

behind the skirt of a woman. - Just ignore him.

- Easy, Mach. Easy, Mach.

He's just flapping.

- So I tell you what, Macho Man.

Why don't you see if you can borrow Piper's skirt?

- Oh, boy.

- Now you take it easy, Roddy Piper, too.

- Oh, he's standing up. - Wait a minute.

Macho. - He's standing up.

- Macho. - Oh, isn't that something?

- Don't do it! - Boy, you look real good

in pink, too, I might tell you that.

This is not a game.

There's no [bleep].

There's absolutely no way he can protect himself.

[audience screaming]

- You are nothing but a gutless,

yellow, stinking coward

with no sense in the world to step your feet right in here.

Now, here I am.

I'm standing right here waiting on you.

- No. - Come on.

- No, don't do it. - Come on.

- Macho! - Come on, my little man.

Come on. - Don't do it.

The official, trying to get Randy Savage down.

- Yeah. What's wrong? What's wrong?

You're really this close? - Don't blow it, Macho.

Oh, no. Don't blow it.

- He's going for it. - He's just--wait a minute!

Jake Roberts with a clothesline.

Down goes Randy Savage.

- He asked me point blank, "Would you do this?"

And I said, "Absolutely not."

However, I am not the Macho Man.

You are.

- Jake Roberts, all over Randy Savage,

tying him up in the ropes.

Jake Roberts-- - Come on, Randy!

Come on, Randy! Get out of there!

♪

- Randy Savage, hoping for reinstatement.

Randy Savage, hoping to go to the Survivor Series

this Wednesday night.

♪

He may have blown his opportunity.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts enticing Randy Savage.

- What's that?

What's it for?

♪

Get--get out of there, Macho!

- Oh, no.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts. - Look at that!

- That Cobra was such a nasty looking snake.

I give Jake credit for just handling it.

- That's the freakiest looking snake

I've ever seen in my life.

♪

He's got it too close to him.

Keep it away from him.

That snake is trying--wait a minute, the snake is biting--

oh, the snake is biting him!

The snake is biting him!

- I'm out of here!

- Roddy Piper on his way.

Can we get some help?

That snake is gnawing on the arm of Randy Savage,

who's helpless, tied to the ropes.

All I can say is, that snake better be devenomized.

It better be!

Jake Roberts.

Look at him shaking its neck as the snake

digs deeper into the arm.

- I remember watching backstage on the monitors.

And everybody's going, "He can't get that thing off.

That thing's not gonna let go!"

♪

- Blood's starting to come out.

And Randy, he's--you know, well, he's selling

it pretty good, you know? [laughs]

So I grab a hold of the snake, and I pull.

And he doesn't let go. [muttering]

I pull again. He doesn't let go,

you know, like the rubber band thing, you know?

♪

- That snake's--the snake's not a worker.

- No. - I mean, the snake

is not in on it.

The snake's a freakin' snake.

This is a cobra, a freakin' cobra.

- The one thing about Randy Savage, you know,

he always did everything he could to really

elevate his character.

My hats were off to him because I could have

never gone through with that.

♪

- The weird thing is they're talking

about, OK, there's no venom.

There's no venom. There's no way--

They're not scientists. They're not veterinarians.

There's--you can't quantify, oh, I'm pretty sure.

It's a venomous snake, y'all.

There's some element of venom.

And that's the sacrifice you're willing to take

for--for the fans, for the world over,

for the WWE Universe to sell this story.

Lunacy.

[crowd cheering] - Elizabeth.

- [screaming] - I can't believe she's gonna

witness this horror. - Randy!

- WWE at the time was a-- a cartoon show come to life.

And this was very, very real.

You saw the trickles of blood coming from where the snake

had pierced its fangs.

It was horrible.

- People to this day say, "Hey, how did they

do that with the snake?"

- I'm like, well,

Jake put the snake up close enough

to bite Randy's arm,

and the snake bit Randy's arm.

They're like, "Yeah, I know.

But how did you-- how did you do it?"

I'm like, I'm just telling you.

The snake bit Randy's arm.

- Savage leaping back at Jake.

He doesn't know any better.

- Get him out!

[audience clamoring]

♪

- It shocked Randy.

It scared the hell out of Elizabeth.

And it let the rest of the world know

that Jake Roberts has fun and will do anything

to get your attention.

- Randy Savage is in trouble.

Savage is in trouble, I'm telling you now.

That is not supposed to happen.

- Jake--Jake Roberts has snapped.

He's--he's sick!

- It was pretty drastic.

It was way beyond what I expected.

I think it really gave 'em a good starting point

out of the blocks.

Nothing else would have matched that.

- Now there are some people in the WWE

that feel like I've went over the line.

Too bad.

What are you gonna do about it?

Who's gonna stop me?

You know what happens when somebody

gets bit by one of these?

You don't see 'em no more.

♪

- The bacteria in the snake's mouth that occurs,

even devenomized, is going to ruin your life.

- I know Randy was very sick afterwards--

fever, chills, just really sick.

♪

♪

- When the snake bit Randy's arm, we were in disbelief

that he would even go for it.

I went, "Holy smokes."

That's somewhere I would have never gone.

- A few days later, Randy got 104 fever,

and the snake died.

And Randy would always say,

"Yeah, the snake was devenomized.

But I wasn't."

- Well, the thing with Jake is, I mean, if you

were gonna draw Satan--

[laughter]

- You know him well. - Yeah.

You know what I mean? He's just--there's just something

about Jake that just--

- Was that Lucifer Jake, the character,

or is that Lucifer just Jake?

- Yes. - Yes.

[laughter]

- Yes.

- With the tragic events of this past weekend still fresh

in all our minds,

effective immediately, the king cobra

and all reptiles are barred from ringside.

In addition, after careful consultation

with the "Macho Man" Randy Savage and his doctor,

it is my decision that he be reinstated immediately.

- President Tunney brings Savage back into

the locker room so that he can compete

because he's just been attacked by a cobra.

You couldn't keep him out of the arena

anyway if this was real life.

So you have to get a match.

And we finally get an opportunity

to see these two go at it.

- And let's welcome my guest at this time,

the reinstated "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

[cheers and applause]

["Pomp and Circumstance" playing]

♪

I cannot imagine what it was like for you to go through

that horrifying ordeal.

- I couldn't see.

And I couldn't hear.

But the one thing that I could see

and the one thing that I could hear

was Elizabeth crying.

And that hurt me worse than anything

that Jake "The Snake" Roberts could ever do to me.

Oh, yeah.

- All right, Macho Man.

That brings us to this Tuesday in Texas.

- All reptiles have been barred from ringside.

But I wonder if President Jack Tunney realizes

who the real snake is.

It you, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

It's always been you.

- As cold as a razor blade, as tight as a tourniquet,

like the skin on a dying man,

Randy Savage, the last time I seen you,

you were flailing like some helpless child drowning.

- There was an old saying

in the wrestling business years ago,

you talked the fans into the arenas.

And Jake was one of the best.

- And what a rush I got, man,

up and down my back.

It felt so good.

My hair felt like

it was tingling.

I mean, I had goosebumps

all over my body

listening to you squeal

for a man that could not do anything

but flail around.

- It was money in the bank putting them together.

You couldn't go wrong.

- Yeah, I'm gonna get the rush right there, yeah.

My rush is gonna be when I look into Elizabeth's eyes

after the three count and you're down,

and defeated, and destroyed.

- San Antonio, Texas, is famous for the Alamo.

But on December 3, 1991,

it was famous for the reinstatement

of the Macho Man against his archenemy,

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

- The long-awaited reinstatement

of the "Macho Man" Randy Savage

as he faces in a vendetta Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

♪

- A great story is a ton of fun.

But still, the bell rings.

Somebody is trying to beat somebody else.

And they had a magic chemistry.

♪

- He don't care about winning.

He just wants to take Roberts apart piece by piece.

- You genuinely wanted to see Randy annihilate this guy.

So what we got was a wrestling match.

But it was a fight.

- Somebody that's a full-time character,

that means they believe in themselves.

And when they're in that ring, it's all instinct.

And that's when it works.

♪

- And just like that, the pendulum has swung

in the other direction.

♪

Jake "The Snake" Roberts looking

to finish off what he started, finished the devil's job.

- What the matches were like, it was unbelievable.

Randy coming in, showing his arm bandaged up.

- Roberts now ripping the bandage.

- Oh, and the people feeling that emotion.

♪

It's just something that really worked so great.

- When that story is told in the ring in the right way...

- And Savage with a nice counter.

- The good guy finally makes the explosive comeback,

you've got the people just on their feet.

[crowd cheering]

No two guys could do it better.

♪

- He got him!

I can't believe it! - Holy mackerel!

["Pomp and Circumstance" playing]

- Fighting for his woman.

Fighting for himself with only one hand.

I didn't think he had it.

[cheers and applause]

- Savage now with the ring bell.

- Even after Randy beat Jake in the center of the ring,

it wasn't enough.

He had to instill more punishment.

- Referee's got ahold of the bell.

Oh, look at that! A DDT by Jake.

- When you think of the name Jake Roberts,

you think of the DDT.

- He's gonna hurt him.

- He'd put those fingers in the air

and put that DDT on somebody, that was it.

Jake is one of those guys that can tell a story.

Jake was one of the masters at it.

- You're finished. Get out!

- A guy that takes his time, a guy that's wickedly evil,

a guy that had great timing.

♪

- I've completely built it into me.

It allowed me to paint the picture of what I was.

[audience clamoring]

- What's going through that evil mind?

♪

- Oh, my God.

♪

- Jake "The Snake" taunting now.

Oh, it's Elizabeth!

- Jake is--he's like Lucifer.

And you look at him.

And then you've got the purest of pure.

You've got Miss Elizabeth.

- Stop it!

Can't you stop it? - He makes me sick.

- [screams] - Oh, look at this!

- So you've got an angel.

And you've got the devil.

- This is disgraceful!

- Jake Roberts understood the psychology of being a villain.

And, of course, what a lucky break

to get the most beloved character

in wrestling, Elizabeth.

- Elizabeth crying in anguish.

He should be suspended for life!

- It definitely invokes an emotion

of the audience, where you really now feel personally

connected to the story.

- I don't even know if you'd be allowed to tell this story

in the modern world.

But a bad guy is supposed to be bad, right?

- I couldn't believe that this was so personal.

And, like, to be a bad guy like Jake,

you have to just be willing to go that far

and not care what anybody else thinks.

- It's always been your fault. Your fault. Not mine.

- My mom--that was-- the golden rule was

you don't touch a girl ever, ever, ever.

- Nope. - She can do whatever she wants

to do, hit you with a shovel.

You get your hands up.

But you do not--

you just don't fire back. - We have that same mom.

- Right. And, you know, for--

for that to happen, you know,

that's gonna instill emotion in any man,

let alone any woman.

♪

- Well, Elizabeth shows you how much on the team

she really was,

which is pretty extreme to earn your stripes that way.

But she was part of that whole wrestling team.

Of course, Randy had to approve it.

But he was pretty much wide open

when it came to wrestling.

- When I slapped Elizabeth--

...that this was a business.

And Liz was giving him a hard time because, you know,

"Randy, we gotta tell 'em something."

"We're not telling 'em about the business,"

because that's the way it was

when Randy and I was growing up.

- I'm an old school guy.

The less people knew, the better off--

I always felt like-- the angles were.

Back then, especially.

- Her family went psycho on him.

"You promised us our little girl would never get hurt.

"Don't you ever come back to our friggin' house again.

We'll shoot you you, you son of a bitch."

♪

So I'm having to deal with Randy,

who's wanting to kill me

because he can't go visit the in-laws.

- You crossed that line.

And I'm gonna get you, yeah.

Trust me. Dig it?

I cannot apologize for being myself.

I am who I am.

And I'm not-- I'm not ashamed of it.

In fact, I'm proud of it.

♪

- Working with Randy was always exciting--

[bell dings] - It is now time

for the Royal Rumble!

It is every man for himself.

Elimination occurs when a wrestler

is thrown out over the top.

♪

- Every two minutes, the next participant will appear.

- Everybody wants to win the Royal Rumble.

But Randy only focused on Jake Roberts.

- Here comes our next entry.

Oh, it's the Macho Man!

♪

- He's looking for Jake.

♪

- Savage with a hard knee.

And Jake is out of there.

[crowd cheering]

- Savage is out, too! Savage is out!

He went over the top.

- That painted a picture in the minds of the fans

how important it was that Randy get his revenge.

- The "Macho Man" Randy Savage meets

Jake "The Snake" Roberts, perhaps to settle

the score once and for all.

Now this man, slithering to the ring.

And I believe the "Macho Man" Randy Savage

will have his revenge.

Here we go!

[bell dings]

- Holy cow, man.

He, uh--whew.

Basically, the first three or four minutes of that match,

I was blocking

because that stuff's coming in hot and hard.

- Jake's nose is broken.

- He was extra stiff where it needed to be.

Turned the dial up past 10

into the 11s and 12s.

- Randy Savage will have no mercy

on Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

And why should he?

- He was a real artist,

wholly committed to delivering.

- My thing was always,

make it as real as you possibly can.

It's old school, and that's what you're gonna get

with guys like that.

- I knew it was a war because I knew how intense Randy was.

And Jake in kind responded to the same type of explosion.

- What about me? What about me?

- Randy Savage meets

Jake "The Snake" Roberts to settle the score

once and for all.

Here comes a DDT! It's over!

It's over right there.

[crowd jeering]

- Savage, who is this ultimate intensity,

and Jake, they can work like a million freaking dollars.

When they went together, you know it's gonna be magic.

- Hooks him up, and--

No! - Whoa!

- Over and outside.

[cheering]

He's going up to the top rope again.

Yes! - Boom!

- Yes.

The cover. One, two, three.

- And he got him.

[cheers and applause]

♪

- Randy Savage, victorious here.

- But I don't think he's done yet.

He doesn't care about getting his hand raised.

♪

- Randy Savage trying to teach Jake "The Snake" a lesson

he will never forget.

♪

Jake has definitely learned his lesson.

You just do not mess around with Elizabeth.

- After all that suffering, after all the snake biting,

we have a winner.

It's the Macho Man.

A beautiful way to end

a fantastic storyline.

[cheers and applause]

["Pomp and Circumstance" playing]

- Here she comes, the First Lady of

the World Wrestling Entertainment.

- Well, he did it for her, McMahon.

He said he was gonna take Jake apart,

and he did it.

- It's not over yet.

- That's the curtain you go through to get to the ring.

- I tell you something, it does not matter which one of 'em

comes through the curtain because one of 'em--

one of 'em is gonna get this.

I don't care which one.

- At the end of this match, after clearly being bested,

Jake "The Snake" was waiting.

- Hey, hey. - Oh, my God.

- Somebody gets some security over there.

If anyone can hear me on the headset--

- He's gonna take 'em both out with one shot.

- You better get somebody over there right now.

- And, I mean, you want to talk about compelling.

- The other side of the curtain.

Don't let her come through! - He's gonna nail Elizabeth.

- They're gonna go through the curtain.

Here, he's waiting for him to go! No!

Look at--the Undertaker!

- What the hell is he doing there?

- As Jake goes to swing the chair and hit him,

I grabbed the chair.

As we say, the rest is history.

- They go all-in on this.

I think it's freakin' awesome.

And I think they deserve everything

they get afterwards.

I mean, Jake was the ultimate bad guy.

- The story was so great, it kind of reinvigorated

both of their careers.

- These two men,

they were rediscovered

so much that Macho Man ends up getting to face Flair

for the world championship. [cheers and applause]

- A year before, Randy Savage lost a career-ending match.

- Oh, look at that!

- I like when people say that I can't do something.

That makes me wanna prove that I can.

Don't bet against the "Macho Man" Randy Savage

because I still haven't sung my last song.

[cheers and applause]

- And--no! [bell dings]

History has been made here in the Hoosier Dome!

- Randy called me up and he says, "Here's proof.

"Never take yourself out of the game

because things can change overnight."

- He captured the imagination of the fans

so well that he became the top guy.

- Hey. - Can I have an autograph

for my son? - You sure can.

- He loves you to death. - No big deal.

Right there. What's your son's name?

- I don't know how much respect Randy

had for Jake Roberts before.

But after being in the ring with him,

he told me that Jake was the greatest mind

in professional wrestling.

- I am like a window too dark to see through,

the kind of man you'll never understand because you've

never been that kind of man.

- He was the ultimate heel.

- Jake was a guy people wanted to boo,

and Jake loved it.

- I've always been the Snake you should worry about.

- The rivalry between Randy and Jake

happened to be between two of the greatest performers

that ever walked into a ring.

The only thing that could possibly be left from a clash

like that is greatness.

[all screaming]

- A great rivalry is all about finding a hero you believe in

♪

and a villain that you believe in...

- Oh, no.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts. - Look at that!

- And wanting to see that clash happen.

- Oh, it's the Macho Man!

He's looking for Jake.

- When they found each other,

they found the perfect story

between a psychological devious genius...

- There's some people that feel like

I've went over the line.

Too bad.

- And pure adrenaline

and this sweet woman who's stuck in the middle

and is the reason that these two actually

provide us with the rivalry.

♪

- And I believe the Macho Man will have his revenge.

- She means more to me than anything

in this entire world,

than even my World Wrestling Entertainment championship.

And that is the bottom line.

Ohh, yeah!

[crowd cheering]