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During the 1990s, there was real heat between “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Road Warrior Hawk. These two giants got into it on two different occasions, once at a New Japan show, and the other time at a Kid Rock concert of all places. It would lead to a heated battle in court. As this story shows, sometimes what goes on behind the scenes is just as compelling as the action in the ring!

What Led to the Heated Animosity Between Randy Savage and Road Warrior Hawk?

It all started over suspicion of a wandering eye. According to Randy’s brother Lanny Poffo, “[Hawk] had a mistaken notion that my brother had made a pass at his wife. Now, I know my brother, and I met his wife, and may I say, not true. It couldn’t possibly be because my brother, for all the good things about him, is like Shallow Hal, just like me, and beauty is a high premium, and, um, this woman was well below his standards.”

Lanny went on to add, “My brother doesn’t go making passes at people’s wives. Even if she were beautiful or to die for, he wouldn’t do that because he was a gentleman.”

In 1996 at a New Japan show, Randy Savage was set to have a match and was on his way to the ring when he got ambushed by Hawk.

When asked about the incident in Japan, Hawk said, “[Randy] got the living shit kicked out of him, simple bitch slap, knocked him over.”

Hawk would claim that he kicked Savage’s ass, however, according to Sonny Onoo, a former WCW manager who was there when the incident took place in Japan, he states that they were “face to face” but admits there never was an all-out brawl between the two. This was the misleading story that was passed around over the years.

In an interview with Hannibal TV, Sonny Onoo shared, “They had Randy Savage’s music playing. He was one of the main event guys, you know? It might have been the main event match. And, in back of the curtain, Randy Savage and Hawk were going at it. I mean, they were going at it. They were face to face about to go, and the music hits, and he’s not going out.”

At about “135 pounds,” Onoo had to step in between the two giants in an attempt to quell the possibility of a fight breaking out. All the while, Randy’s music was playing, and the crowd was waiting anxiously for him to walk through the curtain. Savage eventually went out to the ring and wrestled, but when Savage came back, he went straight back to Hawk. Before things could escalate further, they were both separated.

Lanny would go on to give his brother’s side of the events that took place. “What happened was he was on his way to the ring in Japan, and they have those shoots you come out of, and Hawk was joking with him moments before, and then he assumed his place, and then he ambushed him on the way to the ring. Randy, being the professional that he was, took the punch and kept walking to the ring because he had a job to do. He did his job, and when he came back, he went there to attack Hawk when the boys split them apart.”

How a Chance Meeting at a Kid Rock Concert Led to Randy Savage and Road Warrior Hawk Fighting for a Second Time

It was known amongst those who knew Randy well that he was not one to forgive or forget easily. “Randy never forgot anything,” admits former WWE manager, Zeb Colter, aka Dutch Mantell. It was clear that Randy Savage was not going to let bygones be bygones, which became apparent when the two crossed paths again several years later in Tampa, Florida, at a Kid Rock concert.

We’ll preface this by saying that there have been different versions of this second encounter. According to Hawk, he knew Savage was going to be at the event, so he told security ahead of time that he had a problem with Savage and to be on the lookout in case things kicked off. When the two eventually bumped into one another, Hawk claims that he went over to shake Savage’s hand, but Randy pushed his hand away and punched Hawk in the face.

Lanny gave further background to this second altercation. “So you might say Hawk won [the first altercation] with the sucker punch- Hawk 1, Randy nothing. Then, they met again in Tampa. Randy saw him and attacked Hawk. This time it was one to one, okay? But then Hawk litigated. Now since the plaintiff [Hawk] is deceased, I believe it’s out of court.”

What happened after the punch was unclear. Hawk claims that after he was “sucker-punched,” he “steered” Savage up against the wall, and eventually, security broke it up, and the police arrived. However, Stephanie Bellars, aka, Gorgeous George, former girlfriend and manager of Randy Savage, tells a different story.

When she was asked about the incident, she said, “All I know is that Randy wanted to use the bathroom and we were with my sister and a girlfriend of mine and Randy, and we, walked into the bathroom, and we didn’t even know [Hawk and his wife] were there.”

Gorgeous George admits she didn’t recognize Hawk without his makeup, but Savage and Hawk “just went straight into a fight.”

She continues, “They had the urinals ripping off the walls, the doors, oh lord. It was like two monsters fighting!”

Fifteen security guards were standing around that didn’t get involved in the scuffle. She claims that none of them stopped the fight. During the struggle, Gorgeous George admits she got involved by whipping pop cans at Hawk’s head. This led to Hawk’s wife and Gorgeous George going at it, too!

“[Hawk’s] wife got in my sister’s face and was pushing my sister, and my sister’s younger than me, so you ain’t doing that. We got in a fight. So, you got two huge men fighting, us fighting, and nobody’s stopping it.”

Hawk Takes Randy to Court

As a result of the scuffle in the bathroom, Hawk claimed that his wife sustained a serious injury and that “she thinks she hears bells all the time.”

He went on to call Gorgeous George a “gorgeous cunt,” a “trailer park piece of crap,” and a “wigger.” He also stated that Gorgeous George and her sister attacked his wife for no reason and that he sued Savage over what happened to his wife.

A few years after the incident, Gorgeous George bumped into Hawk again on an elevator of all places.

“After the whole thing was done, I actually went to XWF. We were in Orlando, and I didn’t even notice it, but I was in the elevator going like fifteen floors up with Hawk.”

She admits to being incredibly nervous when it dawned on her who she was sharing the elevator with but took the high road by turning to him to apologize for hurting his wife. Hawk thought it was “cool” that she said that. After apologizing on the elevator, they all went down to the hotel bar, got “shitfaced,” and made up.

Randy, on the other hand, never forgave Hawk for what happened. When asked to give his opinion on Hawk, he responded with the following: “Oh yeah, me and him don’t get along at all (laughs). We don’t get along at all. Anytime, two guys mix it, and uh, it ends up in court, one wrestler sues another wrestler, that’s ridiculous.”

Randy Savage spent a good deal of money fighting the case, but with Hawk dying in 2003, the lawsuit went nowhere.

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