The Wrestling Feud That Landed Macho Man Randy Savage In The Hospital

July 2024 ยท 2 minute read

This kicked off a ring rivalry that would last for several months, and both men were right in the middle of that feud on November 23, 1991, when they faced each other on that night's episode of "Superstars of Wrestling."

As part of his heel gimmick, Roberts (pictured above in 2013) was now bringing a cobra to the ring with him, and the plan was for the snake to bite Savage during their match because it was "good business," as explained by Pro Wrestling Stories. Roberts assured Savage repeatedly that the cobra was safe, but things went off the rails during the match, as the snake bit the Macho Man but wouldn't let go.

"I'm trying [to pull it off] โ€” I'm trying!" Roberts recalled. "And the snake's just gnawing on his arm. It's going on for like a minute now, you know? Over a minute, damn ... Finally โ€” whew -โ€“ I got him off. There's something about any animal that's chewing on your arm ... it kinda bothers you..."

According to Savage, his arm "blew up like a balloon for days" because of the snake bite, and he was soon hospitalized with a 104-degree fever. While he quickly recovered with the help of antibiotics and the cobra was confirmed to have been de-venomized, the animal died less than two weeks later.

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