Lanny Poffo, The “Genius” of WWE, Passes Away at 68
Wrestling legend Lanny Poffo, best known for his character “The Genius” during WWE‘s late 80’s / early 90’s golden era, has passed away. He was 68 years old.
Poffo, the son Angelo Poffo and younger brother of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, competed in the WWE (then WWF) from 1989 to 1992. During his time in the WWE, he feuded with Koko B. Ware, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and Hulk Hogan.
In an interesting bit of wrestling trivia, The Genius is one of the few WWE stars to score a victory over Hulk Hogan during the late 1980’s. He defeated Hogan by count out on the November 25, 1989 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The Genius also managed several acts, including Mr. Perfect and later the Beverly Brothers. Although he didn’t win any championships during his run with the company, he was one of the WWE’s most most obnoxious villains during the late ’80s and early ’90s. His final appearance for WWE came in 2015, when he inducted his brother into the Hall of Fame.
Since the news of his transition, many active wrestlers and legends have sent their condolences to the Poffo family and kind words about him.
