There was some sad news Thursday in the world of professional wrestling. Former wrestler and manager Lanny Poffo died at age 68. His death was announced by his friend and former wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan on Duggan’s Instagram account. No cause of death was mentioned.
Poffo’s career wasn’t as noteworthy as his brother Randy Poffo, better known as WWE Hall of Famer Randy “Macho Man” Savage. But Lanny was a popular member of a famous wrestling family.
Lanny inducted the “Macho Man” into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. Randy died in 2011 at age 58 because of a heart attack. Their father Angelo Poffo also was a professional wrestler and a promoter. He died in 2010 at age 84.
Poetry and Frisbees
Lanny’s death was noted on a post Thursday on the WWE website. The post pointed out that the Poffo brothers each joined the WWE (then known as the WWF) in 1985, with Lanny billed as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo. One of the first high flyers in the WWF, Lanny became a crowd favorite because he read poetry and threw Frisbees into the crowd.
He later was known as The Genius. He wore a cap and gown into the ring as the annoying manager of Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig). Lanny remained in the WWF until 1992, then he signed with WCW in the mid-1990s. Lanny began wrestling professionally in 1974 in the All-South Wrestling Alliance promotion in Georgia.
His death Thursday generated these Tweets from the professional wrestling world: From the Iron Sheik: “Lanny Poffo my brother. I love you forever. Give Nikolai (Volkoff), Randy and (Miss) Elizabeth (a) hug for me.”
From Tommy Dreamer: “I always enjoyed his work in ring & that he had (a) poem for us all.”
From Ricky Morton: “Rest in peace, Lanny Poffo. So many great memories. We lost a genius today.” From Byron Saxton: “I randomly met Lanny Poffo at the airport a few years ago. To my surprise, we actually spent a considerable amount of time conversing about a variety of topics. Mr. Poffo couldn’t have been any nicer or more personable. I’m truly sorry to hear of his passing.”
Hogan is ‘Doing Well’
In good but strange professional wrestling news, Hulk Hogan is fine, according to his representative. Responding to a recent claim by Kurt Angle on Angle’s podcast that Hogan was paralyzed in his lower body because nerves were cut during back surgery, the rep told Entertainment Tonight that Hogan is “doing well and … not paralyzed.”
Angle also claimed that Hogan had to walk with a cane. The rep said that wasn’t true. The rep said Hogan “is someone with a lot of humor,” intimating that Hogan was kidding with Angle when they saw each other last month at the 30th anniversary show of WWE’s Monday Night Raw.
Hogan posted a photo of himself on his Instagram account this week showing him standing up and talking to patrons Monday during karaoke night at his Hogan’s Hangout bar in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
